He's Our You

This is pretty much what my face looked like at the end of last night's LOST. (A bit less furry, but otherwise spot on.)

Sayid shot Ben! When I read the program info about the episode about one of the Losties "going rogue" and taking matters into his own hands, I suspected it would involve Sayid trying to kill Ben. It never occurred to me that he might actually succeed. We've been told over and over again on the show that nothing the time travelers do can change the past in any significant way - whatever happened has always happened and always will happen. Now it seems that Sayid HAS changed the past by shooting young Ben right through the heart.

Only I don't think Ben is really dead. It reminds me of when Ben shot Locke and left him for dead in the mass grave. The Island took over and healed Locke. I think something similar will happen to Ben. The Island will heal him - or Jack will. He'll survive, and he'll remember in the future that Sayid tried to kill him. It sure would explain a lot of Ben's actions toward Sayid, and his conviction that no matter what future Sayid says, he is a killer. The title of next week's episode? "Whatever Happened, Happened."

There were more role reversals last night. Sawyer brought Sayid to be tortured by Oldham, when in the future Sawyer is tortured by Sayid (although I have to say that Oldham's way of doing it is much nicer than Sayid's.) The opening scene where Sayid kills the chicken for his brother reminded me of when Locke was told that to become the leader of the Others he had to kill his father, and he got Sawyer to do it for him instead. It also reminds of Mr. Eko's flashback where he killed an unarmed man so his brother Yemi wouldn't have to. Now Sayid is taking this role - doing what has to be done when no one else wants to do it. Juliet tells Sawyer "we're done playing house, aren't we?" which recalls Kate asking Sawyer "How long can we play house?" in the season 4 episode "Eggtown." And Sayid drinking MacCutcheon whiskey was a nod to Charles Widmore.

What are your thoughts? Any other ironies I missed? And is Ben really dead?