Did anyone else feel that Hurley's commente "Australia is KEY to the game" was an important clue? My husband plays risk, and he feels it is really not that important because apparently Australia is key to winning at Risk. I however, have never played the game and feel that it is a big clue!!

That annoyed me, particularly since Sawyer responded with "says you!" We should be past cryptic little ambiguous in-jokes like that. That whole scene wasn't as well executed as the first version of it (Jack and Michael on the golf course in S1.)

Wouldn't attach any importance to it, just a throwaway gag.

I don't know if its a "clue" persay but I definitetly thought it was intentional. I heard it and it was a "Hmmmmm" moment for me too

Did anyone else feel that Hurley's commente "Australia is KEY to the game" was an important clue? My husband plays risk, and he feels it is really not that important because apparently Australia is key to winning at Risk. I however, have never played the game and feel that it is a big clue!!

I thought the clue, if any, was more in the whole game-playing nature of the scene rather than the specific line itself. As if, the whole story of Lost is a game.

And, according to one theory of play, Australia is the key to victory in Risk because it is a fairly safe continent to control and get extra armies, since there's only one path to reach it in the game. Perhaps analogous to the fact that you have to reach the island through a very specific trajectory.

-AJF

At one level, we already know that Australia is key to everything, because all the Flight 815 Lostaways started their journey in Sydney and in every single case it was immediately following a traumatic, pivotal event in their lives (no happy tourists here!).

I thought it was important, but only in the sense that it seems to allude to what Ben and Widmore are doing. It seemed to me by their conversation at the end of the episode, that they're involved in a real life game of Risk with real people and real countries, and the island (that Ben now controls) is the "key" to the whole game.

Great thought Dharmatologist!! Australia is just a metaphor for an island, the island they are on!!

Remember when Bernard took Rose to a healer in Australia? That guy told Rose that there are certain places on earth that have very special properties.

I have had a theory since the polar bear in Tunisia (Confirmed Dead), that there is a doorway from the island to these special places.

This might also explain why yemi's plane ended up on the island, how the Man from Talahassee got to the island, Black Rock, etc.

And of course in this new eppy, why Ben awoke in the desert (near Tunisia) wearing a winter parka.

Maybe that is the reason for the nod to CS Lewis (door to Narnia)

Australia is apperently one of these places also. Any other examples?

And if it is all about a real life game of Risk, I'm gonna be more than pissed. Moreso than having to accept Aaron as an O6er.

I have had a theory since the polar bear in Tunisia (Confirmed Dead), that there is a doorway from the island to these special places.

Maybe that is the reason for the nod to CS Lewis (door to Narnia)

Australia is apperently one of these places also. Any other examples?

That sounds really good. It would explain alot of Ben's travels. But i don't know if he has complete control of where he ends up and when. If he knew he was going to Tunisia - why would he be wearing a parka? and he made it a point to ask what the date was to confirm he was in the correct time. Also how did he hurt his arm? Fighting Polar Bears?;)

In risk, Australia (the island) is the key, there is a chokehold defense point, like the island, I think that's was the alegory to the GAME.

As for game, game theory, is very interesting and it could be interesting to apply to this rather incredible game.