Just to update quickly the discussion of the Dharmaville bldg.
The one that Sun and Frank chatted with CS in. the episode from S3 was just on tonight, the one where Locke blew up the sub at the dock. The dock was def'ly the same as the one S & F docked on. There was NO bldg. at the foot of the dock. They show that very clearly.

On the way to the dock, it showed Locke and Alex walking down and thru a jungle-y path for a few seconds from the villiage and emerge at the dock.
They also showed Jack and some Others emerging from the same path to get to Locke, but too late.

Upon re-watching:
Sun and Frank were shown emerging briefly (for only a sec. or 2) same path, bushes and trees last week as they came upon the orientation bldg.

Conclusion: Sun and Frank def'ly did walk up the hill to Dharmaville, they just cut very short the "visual TV language" that shows this.

Inference; When occupied, the sonic fence encompassed and protected the dock.
No one was shown going thru the fence either way.
Now that it is abandoned in our present, it is off. Smokie can now come down to the dock, and even into the bldg. itself.

I was a 'it was a Smokie hallucination' guy myself, so I think now i was wrong..the simple expalnation wins out.

Nice work and makes a lot of sense.

Have TPTB made any sort of official statement regarding this?

Just to update quickly the discussion of the Dharmaville bldg.
The one that Sun and Frank chatted with CS in. the episode from S3 was just on tonight, the one where Locke blew up the sub at the dock. The dock was def'ly the same as the one S & F docked on. There was NO bldg. at the foot of the dock. They show that very clearly.

On the way to the dock, it showed Locke and Alex walking down and thru a jungle-y path for a few seconds from the villiage and emerge at the dock.
They also showed Jack and some Others emerging from the same path to get to Locke, but too late.

Upon re-watching:
Sun and Frank were shown emerging briefly (for only a sec. or 2) same path, bushes and trees last week as they came upon the orientation bldg.

Conclusion: Sun and Frank def'ly did walk up the hill to Dharmaville, they just cut very short the "visual TV language" that shows this.

Inference; When occupied, the sonic fence encompassed and protected the dock.
No one was shown going thru the fence either way.
Now that it is abandoned in our present, it is off. Smokie can now come down to the dock, and even into the bldg. itself.

I was a 'it was a Smokie hallucination' guy myself, so I think now i was wrong..the simple expalnation wins out.

So then, do I understand you correctly that you are saying the Processing Center was in Dharmaville/Otherton only now it is different? It used to be in an area protected by the sonic fence? Now, it is just abandoned and lifeless,as if Ben never existed to become the leader of the Others to engage in the Incident and to cause the Purge. That is an interesting reality without Ben. I think one of two realities that they have been showing for a long time already. Occham's Razor usually wins out!

I'm not convinced that that clearly shows two differing realities considering we have never been shown the processing center in the 2004 time frame besides the CS scene. It's still based on some assumptions.

When Jack was in orientation wasn't he asked "who was your driver" ? We've seen that Othersville is up in the mountains in a crater, no where near the beach. I always assumed that there was a small processing area at the dock, then they shuttle people up to the living area. No?

When Jack was in orientation wasn't he asked "who was your driver" ? We've seen that Othersville is up in the mountains in a crater, no where near the beach. I always assumed that there was a small processing area at the dock, then they shuttle people up to the living area. No?

Quite right. Don't forget. Most the people who come off the sub are unconscious...bad orange juice. That is how Lefleur was able to sneak our losties into the Barracks area.

the season three opener they showed the community rather far from the shore as the camera panned out. i don't know how to post links.

the season three opener they showed the community rather far from the shore as the camera panned out. i don't know how to post links.
The dock isn't on the shore; it is on a river.

At the Processing Center, you can see the river through the trees. So the Processing Center is far enough from the dock that they use shuttle buses, but it's also not very near to the barracks.