I think Lost has done a great job constantly changing itself and reinventing the story as they go along. I can't imagine the show without Ben, and he didn't appear at all in the first season. I sincerely hope that the producers knew where they were headed when they started (that they knew things like the fact that The Others controlled the black fog). It would make it better for me knowing that there was a plan all along.

I was, sadly, troubled by one thing last night. Was it really necessary to have three unknown survivors of the Oceanic crash die last night in rapid succession? Sawyer seeing people get shot may have been traumatic, but it felt a little like the Red Shirts getting killed in the original Star Trek. They were present solely to be killed, and the second two peoples' motivation for running out of the house immediately after seeing someone get shot absolutely baffled me.

Maybe I was just more confused because I had already spent so much time contemplating Earl earlier in the night, but I don't think that's it. I think it was just a confusing night of television in general.