Since learning the sideways universe was really a waiting room for the afterlife, my dad asked me an interesting question about Sayid shooting Ben in the 1970s. Shouldn't he have remembered Sayid when he posed as Henry Gale? We understand that Ben getting shot and healed "took away his innocence" as described by Richard, the it seems looking back at the series overall that Ben would have had a reaction to seeing Sayid when locked up.
Sayid in the 1970s (SPOILER)
- Thread starter TyberiusDeAngelo
- Start date
He either didn't say anything, his memory was wiped when he was taken to the temple.
No it was explicitly stated that he wouldn't remember certain things from being healed in what we learn in season six was the Temple's spring. Hence his genuine surprise when saw the group photo of the new arrivals at DHARMA.
While I can buy him not remembering the guy he only met a day or two earlier, it doesn't make sense that he would forget the people he's been living with for 3 years.
But if the magic flash from the incident transported only the people who belonged in 2007 back to the future, then I guess I can believe that the magic can also remove them from the memories of everyone in 1977.
But if the magic flash from the incident transported only the people who belonged in 2007 back to the future, then I guess I can believe that the magic can also remove them from the memories of everyone in 1977.
This.
I thought he did. I haven't seen the episode where Sayid first appears to "Henry," but my recollection was that his eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw Sayid. Back then I chalked it up to seeing a scary guy coming to do bad things to him, but after Sayid shot him, I thought that would be easy to tie into his initial reaction. I thought it was a copout when they said Ben was going to conveniently forget everything, especially when in the same episode they had old Ben call Sayid a killer with a bit of a smirk and a twinkle in his eye, as if he knew something Sayid didn't.
Yeah - let's say Ben did remember Sayid. How would he have behaved differently? Other than to realize, "geezus, the guy who shot me was a time traveller!"
If you recall, Hurley asked precisely this question. The "healing amnesia" thing was in the same episode, so presumably it was supposed to be the answer.
Now, why Ben didn't recognize Sawyer....that's a more difficult question. I doubt the healing would have wiped three years. Maybe that was just shortly after Ben arrived on the island?
doubleohfive
Fleet Admiral
^And if his underlings' (Phil and the other guy) reactions (at the beginning of "LaFleur") were any indication, LaFleur was also a scary guy who worked on the island.
Also consider that the Losties, once they figured out who Ben was, may have just decided to stay away from him. He's a 10 year old, so it wouldn't be hard to do. What business do they have with him?
Not only that, but when you're a kid you think of adults as being a lot older than they are. When I was 10, a guy in his thirties was positively ancient. Young Ben probably thought of LeFleur as an old man and old Ben thought of Sawyer as a young dude.
This was a TINY community, they lived together 3 years, and Ben was an uncommonly observant youngster with few (if any) friends his own age. When we saw him he was only ever interacting with adults (other than Annie). We can't compare ourselves to young Ben's situation unless we were in something similar, say being a quiet, shy, bookish kid living in a very small town. I think he would have observed and known everyone in the compound, whether he interacted with them or not.
I don't recognize people I met yesterday let alone when I was 10.
