Sadly, I don't think you missed much, although I did like seeing 'Larry' of Newhart fame. The whole episode was filler to me, and the worst of the season thus far.

The shooting of young Ben was a surprise, but I don't think it ultimately means much. One of three things is likely to happen:
1) Young Ben is not dead and will be saved by some doctor (i.e. Jack or Juliet) on the island. Jack would repeat the life saving surgury he performed on Ben in 2004. Juliet would add meaning to the stalker crush adult Ben later has on Juliet.
2) Young Ben is not dead by some miraculous island circumstance or healing (ala Locke after he was shot by Ben) reinforcing that major theme that major events in time can't be changed that would create paradoxes, or will somehow result in alternative timeline corrections (Charlie, you're gonna die brother).
3) Young Ben really is most sincerely dead, in which case, it will violate nearly every time travel paradox rule the writers have seemed to reinforce up until now.

I think 1 or 2 is extremely likely, which means the shooting is ultimately only for temporary shock value and maybe to explain some future event/conflict between Ben & Sayid. I think option 3 is highly unlikely, and if they went there, I don't see how it wouldn't ruin the show.

I liked the theme developments in this episode. Sayid being willing to do what others aren't.

It's kind of like how some describe our soldiers. They go do the rough stuff, we can't on our behalf.

Well, he had that list too, right? When the select Losties were brought to the dock way back whenever, wasn't it the exact ones who are in the past now?

Well, besides Jin and Hurley, I guess.

I'm confused.
I really hope they know how to wrap up all the loose ends and don't just conveniently forget about stuff.

I liked it very much, too.
Sayid did a great acting job. He has a heart-wrenching, subtley tragic face. However, I don't like when he makes out with people. I feel like he's going to kill them. Seriously, it never works out.
Did it bug anyone else that it's supposed to be really heavy that Juliet and Sawyer are together to Kate? She slept with him a few times, but were they ever really a "couple"? It seems like they were really trying to play that up. I feel the writers are trying to stir the audience to sympathize with Kate, (I noted they showed her carrying people to safety in the fire, although there was no reason they couldn't walk) and nothing so far is doing it for me.
I'm liking how Sawyer seems loyal to Juliet--so far not a "Freckles" or even deep eye-contact has been taken place.
Also, did you see a distinct Chicken-theme, or was it just me? It seems repeating poultry has been done before, what's up with that? Chicken killing, eggs on the stove, and a chicken sandwhich, a mere coincidence? I think not. And didn't that chicken flatten out big-time once Sayid strangled it? Man, did he just squeeze all the air out of it as well?
No way is Ben dead, no suh. I must say his outfit was super dorky in Moscow. It looked like a Zorro costume or something.

Also - I really enjoyed this show and I wouldn't rank this ep with the lower ones of the season.

I thought this ep was great but is anyone else uncomfortable with what Sawyer did this week? And is anyone else running through their heads the possibility that one of the losties might be Jacob?

Faraday's just strange enough to become Jacob, but I dunno.

The worst thing Sawyer did was he tazed Sayid right in his, um, secret place.

That was uncalled for!

But, yes, I think Sawyer did his best.

My prediction: Sawyer dressed Jack down last week. This week showed some cracks in Sawyer's armor as a leader. My guess is the writers are going to give Jack some leader-redemption coming soon.

I still think Jack is going to save little Ben's life. Jin is going to come to, see Ben, bring him in, and Jack will perform emergency surgery (not sure how Sawyer will explain making a doctor a janitor, though). There is large potential for lots of moral anguish, suspicion on the part of the Radzinskys of the DI, etc. Should be fun.

GinH,

I got the sense that Sawyer knew what Oldstead (was that his name?) did and knew it was just a truth serum thing. Sawyer is chief of security, so surely he knew the role and modus operendi of his main interrogator.

Well - I looked at the blurb for next week's show and it's already proved some of us right/wrong. I'll say this, though, I think it might be a Kate episode.

AAAAAAAHHHH!!!

I need to be a bit more explicit in my "NO FORWARD SPOILERS" rule.

At least let us know before posting. A little warning please.

That being said, they are trying to redeem Kate (having her save people from a burning building).

If Sawyer goes back to Kate, I'm going to lose it. She is dead to me.

Juliet, on the other hand, is the bees knees. She's the equivalent of first-season Jack, in female form.

I still want to know why Widmore and Ben want the island. There's cool mysterious forces there, but for what purpose do they so desperately seek to control those forces? There's only one season left after this one, and we don't have even one hint! What in the heckity heck do they want to do with the island's power???