Thoughts:

• Locke to Ben [off-island] : “Just sounds like you care about this place. And if the man in charge doesn’t, maybe it’s time for a change” Parallels much? Does Jacob actually care about The Island?
• Ben and his dad still went to The Island as part of The Dharma Initiative! But why the hell did they leave…?
• “Only six [candidates] left”, says Ilana. Who are the fifth and sixth? I count Hurley, Jack, Jin and Sun. Locke, Sawyer and Sayid are lost causes, aren’t they?
• Jack: “Where’d you come from?” .. Alpert: “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you” What is that supposed to mean?! He can’t take some kind of Smokey form, can he? Or is he always jumping through time?
• Confirmed: Jacob gave Alpert his eternal life
• Confirmed: Alpert came to The Island on the Black Rock
• Whoever’s touched by Jacob can’t die? What about Locke, then?
• I vaguely remember a scene in season 5 where Sun brings Alpert the photo of some of the losties in the 70’s and he says he watched them all die. That scene is now confusing me for some reason.
• Widmore = 108? Does that mean Jacob wanted him back?
• Still no Sawyer. Is he already at The Hydra?