ROFLMAO!!!

oops, sorry (whispering) ...roflmao!

I think it is very possible it could be Micheal. If this is true they will probably have an entire episode showing how Ben got him to do it. Either way I think Micheal is on the boat or was at one time.
My vote is that his "man" on the boat is a new character maybe even a female.
What if he was somehow able to get Juliet's sister do it. Blackmailing her with Juliet's safety just like he is blackmailing Juliet with her sisters safety. Although this is just a complete guess it does sound exactly like the kind of thing Ben would do.
OR
What if Ben's "man" on the boat is his childhood sweetheart, Annie?

And the picture of Ben? On island? Off island?
Close up of Ben pic
Well he is not wearing one of those sweet DHARMA leisure suits, but I don't think that means that the picture was taken off island. The room he is in looks like it could be inside one of the many buildings on the island. I was under the impression that since Ben and his dad came to the island he never left. The style of his clothing would tell us something about the time period it was taken. Looks 70s to me.

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Doctor playing golf. Woo, boy howdy, now I've heard everything. What's next, cop eating a donut?

now that's a smart idea. i agree with you.

Oh my gosh! That would be INCREDIBLE!

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*Lauren*

My favourite characters: ~Ben~ ~Locke~ ~Desmond~ ~Sayid~

I don't think Michael could be Ben's inside man because wouldn't Frank, the helicopter pilot, have recognized him? Frank claimed to have memorized the flight manifest and was able to recognize that Juliet was not on the flight.

It would be interesting to have Michael come back to the story as ben's inside man, but highly unlikely for Frank has studied the flight manifest a little too well. Plus Michael is rather a new guy for Ben to trust in a mission like this. There might be a new character coming up.

And I think Ben did leave the island- at least the photo with that indication seemed "authentic" to me. Yet it is hard to think of the circumstances that would lead a character like Ben leave the island and his people. Either that things were real peachy and smooth then or leaving the island was a desperate measure taken in a crisis-like situation. Where was he going to/ coming from? With whom was Ben to meet?

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"Bear...? Is that you?"-- Hurley S03E4

How would they get a photo of Ben if it was taken (with a camera) on the island? The photograph would have to be taken (and by taken I mean physically carried not shot by a camera) off the island by one of Ben's people. Richard? Ethan? or someone like them that comes and goes. If Ben can infiltrate them maybe they have done the same to him, maybe one of his people, either dead now or hiding, is working for them. Or if Ben has a spy on their freighter maybe the spy gave them the pic? To earn trust, a little double agent thing going on? After Juliet's betrayal, Ben should be a little wary of his 'inside man'. Or, Ben left the island and his picture was taken by whoever.

Annie woud make a very good twist, but i think that Annie coud be the one trying to get ben of the island.

if the inside man isn't Michael it could be JACOB.

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