How do they know that?

The information the others have on the losties is extreme. It's one thing to know stuff that could be found in a data base somewhere. Like work history, medical records, financial profile etc... but how could Juliet know about Sawyer killing Frank Duckett?

This episode showed that the others didn't know the plane was gonna crash or who was on it. So we can rule out the possibilty that the losties were followed around and spied on prior to crashing on the island.

I think Patchy was the key to getting this info on the losties. By means of remote viewing or something like it.

Any ideas?

Seems like the only possible way, unless there was something else going on in the bigger picture. As we know from the Lost Experience the goings on on the island are only part of the story.

I think the Others are part of a larger organization and people not on the island gathered the information and communicated it to Ben's group.

While the plane crash was a surprise to the Others, it still could have been planned by the larger organization and they kept the Others in the dark about it.

The only possible explination was the others came in contact with the man who lied to Sawyer and got him to kill the innocent man thinking it was the real Sawyer. Or maybe Sawyer told someone and the others got to that someone. To my knowledge Sawyer hasn't told anyone on the island about that man he killed. However, he has told Kate he killed someone before he got to the island.

The only way I can make sense of the knowledge that they come up with on the island involves time travel. The info they come up with is more than just what can be found on a paper trail. However if you have the ability to manipulate time, you can assign someone to follow Sawyer for the few days before the crash...... I know that the time travel theory is discounted by producers. But, it is the only way that I can make it work in my brain.

Maybe Locke's Dad provided information to the Others concerning Sawyer. There is speculation that he is the real Sawyer and that he may have convinced James (Sawyer) to kill.

Well if they could have live feed and watch Juliet's sister with her baby, I am assuming they can also have live feed and watch the past of the castaways. They can enter in Sawyer for example and watch everything he did for the past year or something, which is way creepy! I mean talk about a stalker watching your every move!

I think it's simple how they know all that information... They have a lot of money!! Juliet said the only way she would work for them was if her ex was hit by a bus. And BAM!!! He got hit by a bus. If they can do that, they can have crack detectives find out anything about anyone. It's not like they have to prove anything it court.

__________________ Trying to find myself ever since 9-22-04

The main thing I hate about this episode is that it kind of discredits the account that all of their lives were intertwined in some way. If the Others were not aware of the plane crashing and only were opportunists, then all the flash backs and us trying to see who was in the background have been wasted time.

Not necessarily. Everyone's lives are still connected, and the island did bring them all together. The others may be used as a tool to reveal these connections to the losties, but I don't think it discredits them.