Why 3.2 million dollars?

Kate demanding answers from Miles

We just saw, in Some Like it Hoth, that Naomi offered Miles $1.6 million to join Widmore’s expedition to kill Ben. Then Miles told Bram he wouldn’t go to the Island if Bram paid him $3.2 million, which Bram declined to do.

We’ve heard the number $3.2 million before. Remember? Back in Season 4? Miles told Ben that for $3.2 million, he would lie to Widmore and tell him that Ben was already dead.

The scene contains this classic exchange:

— Ben, in a shocked tone: “You’ve arranged this meeting so you could blackmail me?
— Miles: “It’s extortion, if you want to get technical.”

Ben goes on to ask, “3.2? Why not 3.3 or 3.4?”

Which is exactly the question that I have. What is the significance of 3.2?

We know that $3.2 million is double what Widmore was paying Miles, and we know that $1.6 million contains the number “16,” which is one of the numbers. But there has to be more to it than that.

Miles never answers Ben’s question about why it’s 3.2. Miles just looks at him. His not answering gives the question even more significance. So does the echo of the number, over a year later, in Some Like it Hoth. 3.2 means something — but what?

The scene where Miles confronts Ben starts at 4:12 in the video below. I’ll think you’ll enjoy seeing it again. I found it interesting to go back to the time when the Losties still thought of Miles as their enemy. And he does seem a bit menacing here, not yet the cuddly wise-cracker that we’ve come to know and love (even though he does get off a couple of very funny lines):

Editing to add 4/27/09: This mystery has now been solved!