Richard and the MIB by EmilyG

RICHARD AND THE MIB: Sometime in the (presumably pretty distant) past, Flocke saw Richard in chains. Richard was shocked at 'who' Flocke truly was. And it doesn't look like killing Richard is part of Flocke's plan; while he brutally slaughtered Bram et al (granted, after they'd attacked him first), he only knocked Richard unconscious. He didn't really beat him up, didn't torture him, didn't hurt him any more than was necessary. If Richard HAD gone into the statue when Ben came to get him, I don't think Flocke would have harmed him.

The statue once had two feet. Jacob lived in one, the MIB in the other. Sometime after the Black Rock came, most of the statue---including the other foot---was destroyed, and the MIB was imprisoned, presumably at Jacob's behest. Richard's clearly been deceived about something---he was shocked at who Flocke truly was, and I don't think it was just that Flocke = Smokey (as the Temple Others seemed to know all about Smokey's enmity toward Jacob).

When Flocke exits the statue, he scolds the Others like an angry parent. He's angry at Richard, but doesn't want to kill him. As many have theorized, I think Richard was a prisoner aboard the Black Rock. And I think the MIB was the one who freed him and granted him immortality---only to have Jacob swoop in, 'massage the truth' a bit, and use Richard to imprison the MIB. Richard never knew that the person who freed him was also the Monster, and he never knew the MIB's true powers.

Something is definitely up with Jacob. He had an entire island full of faithful (and well-armed) minions, yet he sent for a cadre of off-island folk (most of whom got themselves killed rather quickly) to protect him?

We know Jacob can heal the sick but cannot raise the dead. When Jacob died, the water at the temple turned black and could no longer heal wounds. But I think it did gain the power to resurrect the dead---Sayid. If Flocke really was leaving the statue at the same time Sayid 'came alive,' then maybe Flocke 'officially' becoming god numero uno is what allowed the water's effects to be 'activated' and Sayid to be resurrected.

That's why Jacob wanted Sayid saved: he didn't want him to die because he knew that, if Sayid died, the MIB could resurrect him, and Sayid would become the MIB's soldier in the coming war. And only an idiot would want to go up against Sayid.

Maybe Sayid is now like Richard---unaging. Maybe the MIB was ascendant when Richard arrived, he brought Richard to the Temple, Richard died and was resurrected. But that meant he could no longer age. And since the MIB was imprisoned/weakened, everybody else who came after Richard grew old and died. But now that the MIB is back 'in charge,' the dead can literally begin to rise. And I think we all know what that means:

Zombie Season!!!!!!!!