Of all the glimpses into the alternate lives of the Flight 815 survivors we’ve witnessed thus far this season, the one at the heart of this episode, “Dr. Linus,” is without a doubt the most emotionally dynamic. At first the episode is quiet, showing us that if Benjamin Linus was not on the island he could have been something as unassuming as a history teacher whose biggest concerns involve budget cuts and a favorite student struggling to better herself. As the episode unfolds, one begins to see a parallel between island-Ben and history teacher-Ben, who, despite being disparate, are still the same manipulative Ben. This well-established personality trait is torn asunder in one character-altering moment of truth in which Ben -- both on the island and off -- finally chooses right over wrong.

Ben partook in one of the most heart-wrenching Lost scenes in recent memory during his jungle conversation with Illena, telling her that he wanted to follow the Man in Black/Locke "because he's the only one that'll have me." What’s so heartbreaking about this statement is the fact that it’s absolutely true. Ben has lied, cheated, and manipulated all he’s come in contact with, and he has been involved in multiple deaths, including those of John Locke, Jacob, and his own daughter, Alex. At this point no one trusts him, and no one can depend on him except for the MIB. But, it seems to be fated that the MIB would visit Ben at the moment that he does, while Ben is digging his own grave (as Illena instructed him to do after she discovered his involvement in Jacob's untimely demise). As Ben observes where his life is headed, he’s approached by the one person that would have him: the one once referred to as “evil incarnate.” Talk about a wake-up call. It’s no wonder Ben decides to stick with Illena and the rest of the survivors.

I'm not sure what to make of Ben’s “flash sideways” look into his alternate no-plane-crash life, considering he was never on the flight to begin with. Nevertheless, in this episode the writers have done an excellent job of drawing parallels between Ben’s life as a school teacher and his life as a leader among the island group The Others. In doing so, they have showcased Ben's plight as a man who wants power in order to prove his worth. His upheaval of the current principal and his attempt to take over the latter's job using blackmail serves as a reminder of the kind of underhanded man Ben can be. These tactics did, after all, mirror those that he used against Charles Widmore to get him off the island and take his spot as leader of the Others. Yet, here Ben was out-foxed by the principal, who threatened to write a disparaging letter about one of Ben’s best students and submit it to Yale, where that student was applying. That the student turned out to be Alex meant that Ben had to redeem himself for the mistakes he made on the island — most notably, her death.

How strange was it to see Roger, Ben’s alcoholic and verbally abusive father, living with history-teacher Ben? Roger's appearance, though brief, adds an interesting layer to this whole alternate timeline. Consider that the action that led to Roger's death on the island — Ben meeting with Richard and becoming one of the Others by killing all of the Dharma Initiative — had nothing to do with the Flight 815 crash that would happen years later. How did that flight never crashing into the island lead to Ben and Roger leaving the island and living out their days together? I don’t know, but it’s one of the many mysteries I’m adding to my list of “really needs to be solved.” Nine more episodes to go, Lost. Just a reminder.

There have been many mentions of Jacob’s death this season, but while most of what has been said pertains to how the MIB can now harm the island, we’ve never quite gotten to see how his death has impacted certain characters directly. “Dr. Linus” shows us a Richard Alpert that has been greatly affected, to the point where he wants to die because he feels he’s devoted himself to a lost cause. While we still don’t know what it was that rendered Richard unable to age, we now know that Jacob gave it to him (“a gift” Richard calls it) and that it means Richard can’t be killed. Jack, too, it seems cannot be killed, and an incredibly tense scene involving Richard, Jack, and a lit stick of a dynamite proves just that. While Richard has lost his “faith,” as it were, in Jacob and his plan for the island, Jack seems to have a renewed sense of it, believing that Jacob would not let either one of them die if he had a plan for them. While I wasn’t too keen on the outright deifying of Jacob that went on tonight, I did find Richard and Jack's responses to his death -- Richard's loss of faith and Jack's renewed sense of it -- to be telling of their characters. We know from the “The Lighthouse,” two episodes ago, that Jacob told Hurley that Jack has to find his destiny. It seems we might be getting closer to seeing that fulfilled.

It occurred to me that perhaps Jacob's death last season was meant to help bring out the best in the survivors. As we witness in "Dr. Linus," it is Jacob's death that brings Illena and Ben into their emotional scene, and ultimately Ben decides to sympathize with his former captor. I'm starting to believe Jacob's "plan" was to die, which would explain his lack of struggle when Ben stabbed him. I'm not gonna say this season will end with the Flight 815 survivors holding hands and singing songs, but Ben's good deed here -- his opting to return to camp with Illena rather than help the MIB -- demonstrates that there is good to be found in everyone on the island. Jacob was a proponent of letting the survivors choose their own fates, so perhaps his death was his way of forcing the survivors into a situation where they must decide whether or not to defend or destroy the island.

“Dr. Linus” is a well-rounded, emotionally satisfying episode focusing on a character that has been battling his emotions for a good portion of the last few seasons. I am glad that, despite his digging it most of the episode, Ben did not wind up in his grave. He will no doubt be an important ally to the survivors, particularly when Charles Widmore, who was shown at the end of tonight’s episode, finally shows up on the island. Those on the island believe that the MIB is the threat that Jacob was protecting the island against, but I feel it’s Widmore. Though, one has to wonder how Widmore finally found the island he hadn't been able to find until now. Could this have something to do with Jacob's instructions for Hurley and Jack a few weeks ago to help "someone" get to the island? Could Widmore be the number 108? Pardon the pun, but right now he seems to be the likely candidate.