"Dead is Dead"

I've had this internal battle going this season about which evil fellow's (Ben or Widmore) story about what happened on the Island 20some years ago I want to believe. I think after last night's episode that from now on I shall definitely believe Ben's word over Widmore's (even though both men lie with every breath) due to the fact that Ben seems to actually have a heart. Another thing I thik I learned from last night's episode is that Kate, Sawyer, Miles, Jack, Hurley, Juliet, Jin, and Sayid have to get back to the future before Ben comes back from his stay with the Others otherwise I assume he would have some memory of them (excepting Sayid of course who is apparently roaming around the land inside the Dharma fence unless of course he went into the jungle when Sawyer shut it off).

Key Points:

Current time:

• So as we all know from last week's episode Ben woke up on Alcatraz at the Hydra with Locke sitting next to him.
• After he wakes up he informs Locke that he knew this (meaning that John would come back to life on the Island) would happen and that he is amazed that it actually did happen...blah, blah, blah, lies, lies, lies.
• When John asks Ben why he came back/why he was trying to escape to the main Island Ben replies that he was going there to be judged by the smoke monster for coming back to the Island.
• Later Ben is walking around the beach when he meets Caesar. Caesar informs Ben of the accusations that Locke has made against him (saying that Ben is the man who killed him). Ben uses these accusations (as well as the fact that no one say Locke on the plane) to spin a lie about Locke not being on the plane/Locke being a crackpot resident of the Island. Caesar shows Ben a gun that he has and tells him that he has his back.
• Ben then goes to his office in the Hydra where he digs out an old photo of Alex. Locke comes in and asks Ben about the whole murder thing.
• Ben explains that killing Locke was the only way to get him and the Oceanic 5 back to the Island (it was also the only way for Ben to get back to the Island), he also says that he had to talk Locke out of killing himself so that the important info Locke had about how to get back to the Island wouldn't die with him and after he got that information it was much easier to kill Locke than to talk him back into killing himself.
• Locke replies that he was merely looking for an apology. He also tells Ben that he thinks Ben came back to the Island for killing Alex (his adopted daughter for those of you who don't know) not to be judged for coming back to the Island (cuz that's just sillly). Then Locke suggests that they go over to the main Island that very minute.
• While Locke and Ben are getting ready to leave in one of the outriggers Caesar comes over and questions them about what they are doing.
• Locke tells him that they are going to the Main Island, Caesar asks Ben if he is going with Locke. Ben replies that Locke didn't really give him a choice.
• Caesar says that he is the leader and he says that they can't take the boat.
• John keeps getting ready to leave.
• Caesar reaches for his gun.
• Ben pulls the gun out of his own pack and shoots Caesar (didn't see that coming, but that's okay I don't really like Caesar he's too much of a wannabe Jack and I don't really like Jack thus my dislike of Caesar).
• Ben tells Locke to consider that his apology.
• The two head to New Otherton and find Sun and Frank in Alex's room at Ben's old house.
• Sun says that they have been told by Christian to wait for Locke...Locke is there...surprise, dead is apparently not dead.
• They all talk...Lapidus goes back to the Alcatraz Island, Sun chooses to stay with the psychopaths as they are the only chance she has of finding Jin.
• Ben trys to summon the monster, but the monster doesn't come.
• Locke says that he knows where the monster lives and leads the two to "The Temple."
• Locke and Ben go under the temple (the place where the frenchmen got 'infected').
• Ben affirms that he came back to be judged for what happened to Alex and starts to press on alone when he falls through the floor into another chamber below, Locke goes to find a way to get Ben out.
• Ben explores the chamber. There are lots of hiroglyphs on the walls and at the far end there is a picture of what/who I assume is Anubis fighting what/who I also assume is either the smoke monster or Jacob. Below the picture is what appears to be some sort of cage from which the smoke monster emerges and engulfs Ben.
• Ben is forced to relive some of his best and worst moments with Alex including her murder.
• After that the smoke monster goes back into the cage and Alex (or perhaps Jacob/the smoke monster in the form of Alex appears).
• Ben tells her that he is sorry and that what happened to her is all his fault.
• She tells him he knows and then attacks him informing him that she knows he is already planning to kill Locke again and that he is to listen to and follow Locke no matter what.
• She makes him swear that he will follow (and therefore not harm) Locke and tells him that if he breaks his promise she will hunt him down and destroy him.
• Then she is gone.
• Locke throws a vine down and Ben informs Locke that he has been forgiven...L O S T
• When Lapidus gets back to Alcatraz he is informed by a very distraught survivor that Ilana (the bounty hunter who had Sayid in custody) and her men have found guns and taken over.
• When Lapidus goes to ask Ilana what is going on she asks him what lies in the shadow of the statue (we know that the well is behind the statue, but how would she know that unless she has lived on the Island before? SHE'S AN OTHER) to which Frank answers something along the lines of "What?" Thus Ilana knocks Frank unconscious...L O S T.

Flashbacks:

• First flashback is of Ben recovering from his GSW at the Hostile's camp. Widmore (who is the leader at this time) is very unhappy with Alpert for saving Ben until he finds out that 'the Island wanted it done/chose Ben for something.' Widmore then welcomes Ben as one of his own and informs Ben that he will being going back to New Otherton, but he will remain a member of the Hostile clan (or whatever you want to call the Other's of this time).
• Next we see a older Ben (probably mid-twenties) with a twelve-year old or so Ethan arguing about who is going to 'do it' (meaning shoot and kill Rousseau). Ben says that he will do it and takes a gun into her tent clutzily making a racket as he does so. Alex starts to cry and instead of killing Rousseau he takes Alex and tells her that if she wants her baby to live (and also to stay alive herself) that every time she hears whispers in the jungle she is to run the other way. When Ben gets back to the Hostile camp with Alex and the news that he did not kill Rousseau as was intended he is met with hostility from Widmore. He asks Widmore what he wanted him to do about Alex after he was to kill Rousseau and Widmore replies that he was to kill her as well. Ben says that's not what the Island wanted and if Widmore really wanted Alex dead then he could kill the poor innocent baby right there in front of the other Hostiles, Widmore backs down.
• Afterwords we flash to a time after the Purge (Alex is about 6 and the Hostiles are living in New Otherton) when Widmore is being exiled. Ben goes to see him off on the submarine (not at the Orchid as Widmore had told John). Ben tells Widmore that he is being exiled because he broke the rules by going off Island constantly and having a daughter (Penny) with and outsider. Widmore replies that Ben wouldn't give up Alex for the Island and the two get into a spat about who actually wanted Alex dead. Widmore replies that if the Island truly wants Alex dead then she will be dead.
• Finally we flash to the day of the flight (before Ben calls Jack to ask him to take Locke's body to the airport) where Ben is at the Marina. He calls Widmore to tell him a) that he has found a way back to the Island and b) that he is about to kill Widmore's daughter, then he hangs up and head towards Desmond and Penny's boat. Desmond returns from what appears to be a grocery run and yells at Ben who in turn shoots Desmond in the side. He then advances toward Penny (who is on the deck of the boat shouting at Desmond) and is about to kill her when Charlie (her and Desmond's son) comes up on deck. She tells him to go back below decks and begs Ben not to harm her son. During Ben's hesitation he is (deservadly) brutally attacked by Desmond from behind and thrown into the water...L O S T.

What we can gather from this:

• Ilana and friends are either Others, working for Ben, or working for Widmore
• Widmore lied about how he was exiled.
• Widmore is a truly evil man who wanted to kill a baby.
• Penny is NOT dead (hooray).
• Ben saved Alex's life and did not kill Rousseau as he was meant to (perhaps he is in some twisted way a good guy).
• Ben has no recollection (although he could be lying) of seeing Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Kate, etc. in the Dharma Initiative when he was a kid so they have to get back to the future before he returns to New Otherton.