So why do they have to go back...?

[Mallet]

One issue I have with the current storyline is exactly why the Oceanic 6 (and more) have to return to the island. It will probably be explained why (it better be explained why!) But currently it makes no sense.

I mean if the time jumps are the bad thing that Locke (as Jeremy B.) told Jack and the others about happening after they left why/how does he think that them returning would help? What can/could they do to fix things? And since the island is jumping in time how can Locke know that he would arrive at the right time to get them? Look at how quickly people are already getting sick from the jumps, how could he expect to get back in time to save them, especially if he jumps from a future point in time, it might already be to late. Or if he jumps from the 50's then he might die of old age before they even crash land on the island in the first place.

Also, since Ben knows that them leaving was bad and that they have to get back to save the island and everyone on it, why, why, why!!!! did he let them leave in the first place? He could have easily not let them get on the helicopter and prevented all of these problem.

Also, if the island can stop people from killing themselves, etc... and has so much power why did it let them all leave?

That's my current issue, and yes, it probably will be explained (I hope) but I still don't get why there were allowed to leave in the first place.

 

[Johnboat]

The island only has limited control. The island has enough influence to set certain things in motion, but really all it's doing is increasing the odds of a desired outcome. Take the end of season three for example when they reach the radio station. Not only Ben was trying to stop them from leaving, but the island as well. The island sent a faux Walt to rouse Locke out of that hole in a last ditch effort to put a stop to Jack making contact with the boat.

Ultimately the island is going to get what it really wants in this particular case. Possibly the seven people that *wanted* off the island the most... got off. And now as of this season it looks like they are going to *want* to be back on the island. Except maybe Sun... (as of the most recent episode) she has no motivation to go back to the island. What I'm getting at is that... after this season these people the island wants there aren't going to be trying to get off it for their own personal reasons. i.e. It's easier to influence people that want to be influenced.

Another way to think about it is that the island is a living organism... a person is going to live symbiotically with it or a person is going to be treated as infection.

(This brings up a related topic: who all exactly *needs* to go back? When Ben says *everyone* does that include literally everyone that left the island together. Including Frank? And what about Penny... is she going to end up on the island?)

 

[chrisspringob]

I don't know why. I just hope that the O6 aren't all stupid enough to go through with it without at least extracting an answer out of Ben. They need to say "OK Ben, *why* are you so convinced that everything will be fine if we go back? I'm not budging until I get a straight answer on this." No one on the show ever does that. Same craziness happened with Michael last season. He never really even made a half-hearted attempt to get any answers out of Tom before agreeing to pose as a deck hand on the freighter.

 

[Mr Light]

According to the pop-up text on the rerun of "Jughead", when the Oceanic Six return to the Island it will stop the time jumps. From that I guess that if people on the Island are off it when you Donkey Wheel it, it creates the temporal instability. It can't just be them leaving since Ben and Tom and Others are seen leaving and returning to the Island all the time. Michael and Walt left with nothing happening. It might also be because they Donkey Wheeled with the Swan blown up as someone else suggested.

 

[The Evil Dead]

I'm hoping the gravity of the situation will become clear when we see the conversations Locke (as Jeremy Bentham) had with the different members of the Oceanic 6.

 

[Starbreaker]

This is right up there with the Cylon's plan... I Have no frakkin idea but I watch every week because I love it.