Blockheaded Speculation on Lost 4.9

Even though "The Shape of Things to Come" blew many of the previous episode's theories out of the water, I appreciate Cuse & Lindelof's collective genius all the more.

You know what else I appreciate? The fact that folks who might normally look down their noses at the sort of plots easily embraced by comic book fans are now deeply invested in this show and have been duped into world-class geekitude. They think comics are "gay" because major characters have strange powers, get punched ad infinitum without serious injury, and fight powerful villains.

Meanwhile walking scar tissue Benjamin Linus is summoning smoke monsters and teleporting to Tunisia so he can face off against a British Lex Luthor...in an episode penned by a pair of comic book writers.

I loves me the irony as much as the blockheaded speculation. Try these on for size:

• Alex is not dead. You'll buy this if you think Ben is always two steps ahead of everyone else. For almost four seasons this master tactician has had a plan. Are we to believe that while he somehow knew the island could keep Michael alive, when his adopted daughter's life was at stake and the island might not protect her--he wouldn't release Smokey before her execution? I say he knew she would recover. Like how Locke was "lucky" when the bullet passed through his body where his kidney used to be--Ben knew from where Keamy was pointing his gun that that part of her brain contained memories of Karl and her early '90s fashion sense, and good riddance to both. But what about the ending with Widmore where Ben talks about taking out Penny? Well, if Alex is actually dead...
  
• Ben will leave the island by the season finale. When we see Ben waking up in the desert, that's hours after Alex's supposed death. He dons a Dharka and takes his grief with him into the future, pissed about the "changing of the rules." (Or it could be he knows Alex is fine but uses her shooting as an excuse to escalate his war with Widmore.)*
• Widmore is immortal and was on the Black Rock. Actually, this is a theory of McGone's which I lifted to pad this post. Aside from being a graphic designer, mixologist, and TV drama theorist, he is also a freelance illustrator of comic books. See? I brought this post full circle.
  

* Backpedal much, Rider?