Was it just me, or did anyone else think that Richard's PANIC at Ben moving up the attack schedule might be a clue that he was one of the ones mentioned in Juliet's homemovie "some of us want a change" and that they are working together?
Consider:
*Niether he nor Tom got up when Ben called for them to help Mikhail against Locke
*the stuff he said to Locke about Ben being off-track with the fertility thing.
*how Locke actually got the tape player (yes we saw Locke see Ben put the tapeplayer in the drawer, but Richard was part of that little plan, so maybe Richard slipped the tape player to Locke)
*he wanted to know where Locke was (Ben said he had an accident)

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I'm hoping Richard turns sides.. and it looks like the writers are pointing him this way. I put in the characters section that I believe he is the biggest badass on the island, and you can go there now to read my reasons! (shameless plug). We need a Richard FB.

It seems to me that Richard and his people are more gentle and kind in nature. They do not like violence and confrontation. However, Ben has been using them to do his dirty work...using Jacob as his cover. Somehow Jacob means something to them, and Ben has exploited that to take control. That is why Locke is such a threat to Ben. Richard and the others are starting to doubt Ben, they want a new leader.....that is why they would not step in when Locke was beating down Mikhail. I agree with Cablerunner about Richard, he is going to be a major player in this story and I think it will be in a good way.

Richard didnt seem too "kind" as he walked among the dead Dharmas after gassing them to death.

If you watch that scene carefully, Richard seems to be taking no pleasure in it at all. In fact, he seems surprised that Ben doesn't even want them to retrieve his father's body. I believe Richard and the others instinct and manner is one of peace and unity....however they are being manipulated to think that their violent actions are necessary to achieve it.

I've been thinking along those lines as well, Frog, but without knowing exactly what these other Others are, I can't be certain...

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"The Naked Gun!"

Frank Drebin remembers a lost love.

Frank: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Jane: Goodyear?

Frank: No, the worst.

Manipulated by whom? The Dharmas seemed to desire peace and unity during a turbulent time in history--im assuming the 70s, Vietnam War, race riots, etc. The Dharmas seemed to want to start a Communist type society, similar to the one Locke had joined in the states. Richard and his people seemed to desire not unity but quite the opposite discord. The fact cant be denied that he walked among the gassed bodies and didnt seem too phased in my opinion.

Well that could be one line of thinking. Or, you could imagine an island in the middle of nowhere that has been inhabited by survivors of a shipwreck for hundreds of years. They live quietly and they live for a very long time due to the mystical properties of the island. Then along come enthusiastic researchers, looking to do cutting edge research. Research that would not be accepted by the norm of society. They conduct experiments with the wildlife on the island. They build, they put up fences, maybe even create a "smoke monster" accidently. It seems as though Richard does not age.... do you think that scientists wouldn't want to experiment on a human that is not aging? Maybe they would even round them up like guinea pigs to study. Bottom line is, most likely Dharma was intrusive at best. Even peaceful people will defend what is theirs. I am not saying that is how it was, but...I think it is definitely in the realm of possibility. Bottom line, we only really saw the "workmen" in Bens flashback. We never really saw what Dharma was up to. If you watch last nights episode again, watch Richards face as Ben speaks of taking all the women and killing the men. He was mortified. Every human is capable of violence. But there are a few who actually take pleasure in it......like Ben. I do not question Richards capacity to commit violence, obviously he can and has. But I am saying that the evidence is that he takes no pleasure in it.

Ben himself said something interesting about Richard's group. [I'm paraphrasing to the best o' my recollection] He said, "These are my people (the dead pit people) the Dharma Initiative, they came here in the name of peace, but couldn't even get along with the original inhabitants." I also found it interesting that there were people in the Pit o' Death that had gunshot holes in there heads (not talking Locke), but with Ben's Big Birthday Blowout there was only gas, and no kids either. Mmmmaaaayyybbbbeeee gas was less violent to Richard's group, quicker or something.

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Interesting thoughts. I've always believed that Richard is actually higher in rank than Ben. But this is quite possible too.

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