Nice to see Danielle's friends "change" as she had described them and in doing so we get a sense of her paranoia origin.
Yea, I wondered about that. Did they actually change? Or was it just the smoke monster impersonating them? From what we know, they are the only ones to follow the smoke monster into it's lair. Maybe they went bonzo with what they found there? Anybody notice that the symbols on the pillars near where the smoke monster's lair is were the same symbols that were on the 108 countdown inside of the hatch.
Also, how did Danielle's boyfriend/husband know that the smoke monster is the guardian for the temple? we have never heard that before, and if you remember, the rest of the "others", as well as the people on the "good" list went to the temple (when sawyer saw the flight attendant from his cage, she said they were going there).
As for Ben, I think what Christian said is still true: "when has listening to him ever been worth a damn" (paraphrasing). Methinks that John and Ben has a nice little conversation about them all going back, John didn't want Sun to go back, but Ben did. Something happened and Ben killed John, again
As for Faraday being Jacob, I think it's more that when the losties stopped time hopping, they get stuck at the time where the Dharma Iniative is still on the island (the first scene shows Faraday in a Dharma uniform). While there, Charolette is still a little girl and Daniel, in hopes of saving her, tries to convince her to never come back to the island when she leaves. But it's funny, Faraday himself said that you can't change anything that has already happened, and he knew that she made it back to the island because she actually dies there. But it's interesting that he tries to change the future, when he knows that you can't.
GOD, I love this show !!!!