The flashsideways of this episode provides us with the life of Ben Linus after leaving the island and abandoning the Dharma Initiative. We already know that he is a European History Teacher at the same school that Locke is working at in this alternate timeline, but we now get to see more about his “new” life.
It starts with the principal of the school forcing Ben to supervise detention instead of holding a meeting for his beloved History Club. Ben, excuse me, Dr. Linus is not happy about this and has a hissy fit in the teacher’s lounge, complaining to fellow PhD., Dr. Arzt, who is also not happy with the current budget cuts of the principal. Locke, the substitute, eavesdrops on this conversation and suggests that Ben should be the principal and would have the support of Locke and Arzt. In the next scene, Ben arrives home late and heats up dinner for him and his father, Roger Linus, and changes his father’s gas tank (a very ironic scene in that this gas tank helps him survive and the last “gas tank” Ben used was to kill him). Someone rings the doorbell and Ben answers it to find none other than his dead daughter Alex asking him why history club was cancelled. She needed help studying for her AP Test because she wants to do well so she can get into Yale. Ben offers to help her study the next morning in the library. The next morning during studying, Alex mentions how one day she wasn’t feeling well and took a nap in the nurses office only to overhear the principal and the nurse have sex on school grounds. Ben uses this information to his advantage and asks Arzt to hack into the principal’s e-mail to get evidence that this encounter took place. When he receives the proof, he marches into the principal’s office and blackmails him for his job. The principal has a counter proposal by threatening to write Alex a bad letter of recommendation so she doesn’t get into Yale (now I see why this is necessary for the story but Ben had A LOT more leverage on the principal and could’ve easily won the job and helped Alex out with her future, but we as viewers will let that slide).The irony of this situation is that Ben, once again, has a choice: save his daughter or save himself. In this case, he is helping a student fulfill her dream or helping himself gain another position of power. We soon learn that this time Ben chooses Alex and gives up the principal position for his student to get into Yale (once again, at this point why couldn’t Ben blackmail him again now that the principal has no advantage? But ok, we’ll let it slide).
This sideways Ben got a chance to redeem himself and without the island’s influence, Ben turns out to be a good guy. This makes sense because all of Ben’s choices go back to his father who brought him to the island and treated him badly. He caused Ben to want to run away and join the others. When little Ben got shot, he was brought to the Temple by other people’s choice, not his own. That is when the Ben we know was created, when Richard and the Temple saved him. Since this didn’t happen, we learn that Ben truly is a good guy at heart.The on island story was also very good in this episode, featuring a return to where things all began - the beach camp. Ilana, as with EVERY OTHER CHARACTER ON LOST, is extremely secretive with who she is and what her purpose is. She asks Miles to do his speaking to the dead people thing on the ashes of Jacob. This is when Ilana learns that Ben is actually the one who killed Jacob, not Flocke. Of course Ben tries to talk his way out of it, as well as buy his way out of it by offering Miles 3.2 million dollars (even though Miles digs up the 8 million dollar diamonds that were buried alive with Nikki and Paolo). Miles turns down the offer but tells Ben about Jacob’s last thought being that he hoped he was wrong about Ben. Ilana forces Ben to dig his own grave, and he does so. Sun starts asking Ilana questions about finding Jin, and Ilana says she wants to find Jin as well, since either him or Sun is one of Jacobs 6 candidates. Another interesting thing here is that Ilana says there are SIX candidates, which we know. However, she knows that Locke is dead and taken over by the Man in Black, so is this an error or are there still 6 candidates, one of which being number 51, Kate. Anyway, Sun goes on to ask Ilana what a candidate is, and she answers with info we already know, a candidate will replace Jacob. Somewhere in the jungle, Jack and Hurley are walking towards the Temple. Hurley is trying to avoid walking there by tricking Jack into going the wrong way. They run into Richard who leads them to the Black Rock slave ship (the ship Richard got to the island on perhaps?). It is here that Richard talks about how he served his life to Jacob and has wasted his time and that he is cursed by Jacobs touch, as is everyone he has touched. He asks Jack and Hurley to kill him because Richard can’t kill himself and Jack proceeds to light a stick of dynamite. Jack is confident that the dynamite won’t blow up because Jacob needs Jack to survive, so Jack uses this to ask Richard for some overdue answers (but of course we don’t get to actually SEE the scene in which Richard answers his questions). Back at the beach, Flocke visits Ben who is still digging his grave, and tries to convince Ben to meet up with him and his posse on the Hydra Island. In return, Ben can replace Flocke as the leader of the island. Flocke sets Ben free and tells him there is a rifle against a nearby tree that he’ll have time to get to before Ilana catches up to him, but he can’t hesitate to shoot her because she won’t. Ben does so but instead of shooting Ilana, they have a heart to heart. He tells her how he has given everything he has to this island, and was rewarded by getting a tumor and the death of his daughter. That is why he killed Jacob. He asks for Ilana’s permission to go to Flocke’s side because Flocke is the only one who will have him. Ilana says she will have him, and walks away. Ben is faced with another tough decision, a position of power or the righteous path. He chooses the righteous path and stays on team Jacob (get it? Ugh Twilight). There is yet another reunion montage scene on the beach when Jack and Hurley return with Richard, to join up with the “good” side as well. During this reunion, we see a submarine arrive looking at this reunion through the scope, and who else but Charles Widmore is on it.
So now it finally seems like the two teams have formed, all the pieces are in place, and now the war has to begin. Now what’s unknown is which side is Charles Widmore on. Is he following the Island side with team Jacob or has he always been following the orders of the Man in Black? Things look like they are finally about to get interesting, but to reiterate, I did in fact say that last week. However, things have to start to erupt soon considering only 9 episodes remain, right? Until next time, I guess all we can do is ponder like was have for the past 5 seasons.
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