Jack & Kate a couple in the future

For a period of time before the flash forward we saw in "Through the Looking Glass," Jack and Kate were a couple and were raising Aaron together. Here's the first time we see of them together in the future.

Jack's newspaper and the Millennium Falcon

Once again, we see Jack in the future with a newspaper. This time, it's about the Yankees sweeping the Red Sox. This newspaper has been said to be from August 2007 (it's unclear if the stats in the surrounding box scores are accurate). This would put this flash forward a little over seven to eight months prior to the flash forward in "Through the Looking Glass."

Also, in the next screen, we see a Millennium Falcon toy from Star Wars. I'm sure it's just placed there because of the producers love of Star Wars, but Aaron seems a bit young for that toy.

Jack's back tattoo

Jack has a new tattoo on his back and it appears to be an R and S. It may just be a new tattoo that Matthew Fox got, but they could've covered it up it they wanted. It seems likely that the tattoo has some, albeit probably minor, significance.

Inside Charles Widmore's penthouse - the confrontation

Ben confronts Charles Widmore in his penthouse and there is a heated exchange. Widmore is now keeping a bottle of MacCutcheon scotch whiskey next to his bed since "the nightmares started." We first saw MacCutcheon in "Flashes Before Your Eyes," both in Widmore's office as well as on the island when Charlie, Desmond and Hurley are singing and drinking around the fire.

In the last screen, you can see the painting of the Black Rock that Widmore won in an auction in "The Constant" [see this post]. It's on the wall in the top left corner.

Ben informs Widmore of his plan to kill Penny as revenge for Alex's death in the scene. Will Sayid be told to kill Penny? Why does Widmore say that Ben took all he has from him? This scene poses a million questions.

Ben in London - lobby + elevator

Here's Ben arriving at Charles Widmore's building in London in a taxi. He walk through the a very grand lobby, past the doorman who he was prepared to use his club on if he had to. He picks the lock in the elevator to access the Penthouse level.

Ben grieves over Alex's body

As Locke, Sawyer, Claire with Aaron and Hurley run away from the chaos of the smoke monster, Ben stays behind for a minute to grieve over Alex's body.

Is this the Orchid logo?

Here's the Dharma logo from Ben's Dharka. Is this the Orchid logo? All signs point to yes.

The smoke monster attacks Keamy's team

We got to see more of the smoke monster than we've seen before in "The Shape of Things To Come." Ben somehow summoned it to defend the barracks and we see it roll in like a freight train and swirl through the trees. Keamy's team can be seen/heard defending themselves, but their guns are useless. One guy gets dragged off by the monster, much like it attempted to do to Locke in the first season. I wonder if he ended up down a hole? What exactly did the monster do to Keamy's team? Also, did Ben just summon the monster or give it some kind of orders as well?

Sayid kills Bakir, Ben smirks

Ishmael Bakir corners Ben in an alley, then Sayid shoots him many, many times. Sayid then asks who's next. He's now out for revenge for Nadia's death. It would seem from Ben's smirk as he walks away, that Sayid's commitment to the cause was his plan all along.

Secret passage to Smokey with hieroglyphics [translation update]

Here's the big one for the week. The passageway to the secret tunnel where Ben some how summons the Smoke Monster. There are hieroglyphics on the door, similar to the ones seen on the countdown clock in The Swan.

Where exactly does Ben go and what does he do to summon the monster? Also, why is he covered is soot when he comes back out? I get the feeling we won't get these answers until a later season.

I've included the original dark shots of the door followed by enhanced shots of the door. If anyone wants to help translate some of the hieroglyphics, please feel free. I'll spend some time working on it as well.

Possible translations [for more go to Doc Arzt's post]
"To summon protection"
"Time to summon strength"
"To summon time protection"
"To summon time power"
"Time summons the power of life"

Keamy kills Alex, Ben is stunned

Keamy threatens to kill Alex and Ben calls his bluff. The problem is, Keamy wasn't bluffing. Alex's death is the most cold blooded death we've seen so far on the show. Ben's response is "he changed the rules." What are the rules and why are they in place? Also, why did he (Charles Widmore) change the rules?

Nadia's funeral procession, Ishmael Bakir, Ben's press vehicle, Bakir traffic photo

Ben shows up in Tikrit, Iraq where Sayid is taking part in Nadia's funeral procession. We see a man carrying a picture of her as well as a casket with Arabic writing, presumably her name.

Ben arrives in a SUV with "PRESS" on it's windows. How exactly does he procure a press vehicle in a country with a war going on? He immediately goes to the roof of a building to shoot photos of Ishmael Bakir, an associate of Charles Widmore who may have been responsible for Nadia's death. Ben shows Sayid a picture of Bakir taken with a traffic camera in Los Angeles. Ben says he was speeding away from the scene of Nadia's death.

Sayid on television in Tunisia

Ben sees Sayid on TV in Tozeur, Tunisia. Sayid is being hounded by the press when he is on his way to bury his wife, Nadia. Hopefully we'll see more of the story of Sayid and Nadia in future episodes.

Ben in Tozeur, Tunisia + hotel clerk

Here's Ben in Tozeur, Tunisia. We he arrives at the hotel, he checks in under the name Dean Moriarty with the passport Sayid finds in "The Economist." He tells the clerk, Narjiss, that he's a "preferred guest" and then asks what day it is. It's October 24, 2005. Does Ben's means of travel also include time travel?