Ben asked this simple question and Widemore gave a good answer. However, Ben failed to ask the important follow-up; "When did the nightmares start?" My theory? Widemore's nightmares started when Ben turned the wheel.
Widemore now is having memories of the "bad things" that will be happening on the island (I believe that the truly "bad things" Locke spoke of haven't yet begun). I believe that Widemore was on the island in the past with his group of people (maybe the ones who wanted to cut off Julie's arm) and they are about to become tangled up in a giant mess of death and destruction due to the time skipping stuff. However, unlike Desmond, Widemore isn't special (or special enough) to know that these are actually new memories and not nightmares.
You're probably wondering why Widemore wouldn't remember these memories earlier on but for that answer I will give a bit of analysis from the following awesome website:
http://lost-and-gone-forever.blogspot.com/2009/01/because-you-left-and-lie-two-for-one.html
"So – 2004 Ethan wouldn’t recognize Locke because he doesn’t shoot him until after Locke starts skipping in 2005. Perhaps, 2005 Ethan would suddenly have a memory of Locke from pre-2004 (if he were still alive) – but he didn’t start having that memory until that moment… just like Desmond didn’t have a memory of talking to Faraday (pre-2004) until after Faraday started skipping in 2005."
Does that make sense? It made sense to me (or at least as much sense as anything can after the premier) and I think it would clear up a lot of "loop-holes".
So anyway, I'll wrap this up before I keep going on and on and I'll get to my point.
Widemore is having new memories of the "current" events of our on-island losties and everything that's happening. But he thinks they are nightmares. I think eventually he'll figure out that they are memories (with the help of maybe Abbadon or Ms Hawking) and maybe, just maybe, he'll actually put aside his petty feud with Ben and actually help save the island. Yeah, the last bit is pretty far fetched but I definitely think the nightmares are actually new memories.
Theory by Jacob
Widemore now is having memories of the "bad things" that will be happening on the island (I believe that the truly "bad things" Locke spoke of haven't yet begun). I believe that Widemore was on the island in the past with his group of people (maybe the ones who wanted to cut off Julie's arm) and they are about to become tangled up in a giant mess of death and destruction due to the time skipping stuff. However, unlike Desmond, Widemore isn't special (or special enough) to know that these are actually new memories and not nightmares.
You're probably wondering why Widemore wouldn't remember these memories earlier on but for that answer I will give a bit of analysis from the following awesome website:
http://lost-and-gone-forever.blogspot.com/2009/01/because-you-left-and-lie-two-for-one.html
"So – 2004 Ethan wouldn’t recognize Locke because he doesn’t shoot him until after Locke starts skipping in 2005. Perhaps, 2005 Ethan would suddenly have a memory of Locke from pre-2004 (if he were still alive) – but he didn’t start having that memory until that moment… just like Desmond didn’t have a memory of talking to Faraday (pre-2004) until after Faraday started skipping in 2005."
Does that make sense? It made sense to me (or at least as much sense as anything can after the premier) and I think it would clear up a lot of "loop-holes".
So anyway, I'll wrap this up before I keep going on and on and I'll get to my point.
Widemore is having new memories of the "current" events of our on-island losties and everything that's happening. But he thinks they are nightmares. I think eventually he'll figure out that they are memories (with the help of maybe Abbadon or Ms Hawking) and maybe, just maybe, he'll actually put aside his petty feud with Ben and actually help save the island. Yeah, the last bit is pretty far fetched but I definitely think the nightmares are actually new memories.
Theory by Jacob
