Richard was a prisoner on Black Rock

any thoughts on this? Will we see a Black Rock flashback next week or very soon?

We wont see a black rock flash back soon. Probably after 5+ episodes. But I think its better to have a episode that reveals some then half revealing.

next week we see what kate does
black rock sounds more like end of season stuff.

We probably will see a Richard Flash

I think he must have been some type of spiritual advisor to the capt. of the Black Rock...Jake brought him there to serve that purpose, similar to Jack in his role as Doc on the island; they needed him for his mad skillz

MM/Smokey/Fake-Locke said to Richard "good to see you out of those chains" ... this means when the people from the ship that we saw at the end of last season came ashore they had Richard with them as a prisoner. The last MM saw of Richard he was in chains. then I guess MM was forced back into the form of the Smoke Monster [he was not allowed to roam the Island as a person while there was anyone but Jacob on the Island] and locked away in his underground home until summoned forth. I imagine that Richard got free, was probably shot and wounded by his captors, taken to the spring in the temple by Jacob and healed.

I think Richard was no one special when he was brought to the Island.

the producers have said that they will be done with flashbacks early on in the season and everything will then be all in one time period.

the off Island stuff we are seeing are dreams or hallucinations. Observe the things they randomly say and the reactions. watch again the conversation between John and Jack at LAX.
also notice that the name of the episode was not LAX ... but LA X ... the X means it is a possibility that is being crossed out ... it is just a scenario played out in their minds with only the reason of showing us how MM gets into the form of Locke.

Desmond was not on the plane ... no one saw him but Jack. Jack did not have a scratch on him neck and when he first looked at himself in the mirror he saw that something was not right ... I'll tell you what it is ... he was 3 years older than he should have been ... that is why he was looking at himself funny ... and when he woke up on the plane he remembered everything else briefly as if it had been a dream and he expected the plane to crash ...

they all said many things that they would not have said if they had not the 3 years of experiences in them ... you will see ... they will figure out it isn't real.

i dont think MM was an important person at all. he was a human vehicle for smokie. perhaps that person a long time ago was central to island happenings, but not anymore..now its locke. or course i'm probably way off base.

I read somewhere that we will learn that we all may have been rooting for the wrong guy (Jacob). If this is true then MM may be referring to the chains of control etc that Jacob had over Richard. FLocke had seen Richard before that hadn't he? Why choose saying that to Richard only after Jacob was dead. That seems to point to the chains being symbolic rather than literal. Of course it could also be that FLocke now realized Ricahrd knew he was not Locke so he had to say something to drive that point home. Always with LOST - more than one possibility.

Right now I can't figure out how the good/bad that looks so firmly established would flip-flop to MM being the "good guy".

I agree, the "out of those chains" comment meant out of Jacob's control...

With this show, anything is possible...unexpected changes are how they've gotten us to keep watching. So sure, I think it could go the other way with Jake & MM...after all, I've always thought Charles Widmore will end up as the good guy or hero...the way he treats Dez is just to protect Penny.