Lost Episode 6.07 Dr. Linus

"And it was on this island that everything changed. That everything finally became clear."

Ben is in a classroom teaching European history. The bell rings, and Principal Reynolds approaches Ben. The principal is gruff and exudes power. He's also a douche, but Ben is still intimidated by him. Principal Reynolds explains that Ben will have to supervise detention today. Ben protests, he's got a history club meeting, but Reynolds doesn't care. Ben vents his frustration in the teacher's lounge. Taking care of the kids is what's important. Locke, the substitute teacher, is impressed and says maybe Ben should be principal. Ben asks who would listen to him, and Locke says he would.

WHOOOSH to the Ben on the island. He's trekking through the jungle at night with Ilana, Sun, Lapidus and Miles -- running away from the massacre at the Temple they just witnessed. Ben tells them that Sayid was back at the Temple and killed Dogen and Lennon. They don't know where to go, and Ben suggests going back to the beach camp. Miles asks what was that thing at the Temple, and Ben says it's the same thing that killed Ilana's friends at the foot statue. Ilana seizes upon this and asks if it killed Jacob. Ben lies and says of course. Ilana tosses Miles the leather pouch containing Jacob's ashes. She knows that Miles can communicate with the dead and asks him to tell her how Jacob died. Miles does his thing, and then he looks at Ben. He killed Jacob. Ilana is upset and tells Ben that Jacob was the closest thing she ever had to a father.

WHOOOSH to Ben at home taking care of his father, Roger. Ben prepares their dinner and brings it to him. Roger is in bad shape. He breathes with the help of an oxygen tank and has a lot of medical supplies at hand. Roger says this isn't the life he wanted for Ben. That's why he signed up for the Dharma Initiative and took him to that island. It was supposed to be a better life. Imagine how different their lives would've been had they stayed. The doorbell rings, and it's one of Ben's students, Alex Rousseau. She asks where he was today because they had to cancel history club. Ben explains he's covering detention for the next week, and Alex is upset. She's needs the tutoring for the A.P. test. Ben suggests they meet in the library tomorrow at 7AM, and Alex agrees.

WHOOOSH to the beach camp as Ilana starts working on the shelters and everyone divvies up tasks. Lapidus works on building a fire, and Miles and Sun clean up the kitchen looking for any remaining food. Sun tells Ilana she needs to find Jin, and Ilana understands. If anyone wants to find him it's her. Sun is confused. Why? Ilana explains that both their last names is Kwon, and she's not sure if she has to protect her, Jin or both of them. Sun asks what Ilana means by "protect them." Ilana says that they're both candidates to replace Jacob, and there are only six candidates left. Sun asks who are they?

Cut to Hurley and Jack at their makeshift camp. Jack wants to start back to the Temple so they can get there by nightfall. As they trek back, they meet Richard Alpert. He offers to show them the right way to the Temple, and they follow him.

At the beach camp, Ben is going through Sawyer's stash. Ilana comes up behind him and holds a gun on him. She forces him up to the graveyard at Boone Hill. Ilana ties a piece of cable around a tree, and with the other end of the cable she creates a makeshift shackle. She slaps the shackle on Ben's leg and tethers him to the cable like a dog. She throws down a shovel and tells him to start digging. Ben asks why, and Ilana says coldly that since Ben murdered Jacob, Ben is going to dig his own grave.

WHOOOSH to the library as Ben helps tutor Alex. She's stressed, and Ben says it's just a test. But to Alex it's her life. If she doesn't ace the test, she won't be able to get into Yale. She also needs a letter of recommendation from someone who went there, and the only one she knows is that pervert, Principal Reynolds. Ben asks why she called Reynolds a pervert, and Alex begs him not to repeat this. She was sick in the nurse's office a few months ago, and Reynolds came in. They thought she was asleep, and they did it there in the office. Ben is shocked and promises not to say anything.

WHOOOSH back to the beach as Ben digs the grave and Ilana watches over him with a rifle. Ben offers Miles money if he cuts him loose, but Miles says he doesn't need Ben's money. There are two jabonies named Nikki and Paulo buried alive with over eight million dollars in diamonds. Ben is angry and says Ilana is going to murder him just for killing someone who didn't even care about getting killed. But Miles tells Ben that Jacob did care and hoped he was wrong about Ben right up until the second the knife went through his heart.

Jack and Hurley follow Richard Alpert through the jungle, but he leads them to the Black Rock instead of the Temple. He tells them that everyone at the Temple is dead. He's not sure what happened but there were no survivors. Jack realizes that Hurley knew about this, and Hurley admits that Jacob might've hinted at it. Richard tells Hurley not to believe anything that Jacob says and walks into the Black Rock. Jack asks where he's going, and Richard says to die.

WHOOOSH to the high school biology lab as Ben talks to Leslie Arzt about breaking into the nurse's email account. Arzt wants to know what's going on before he'll help, and Ben tells him that she may be engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Principal Reynolds. Arzt realizes Ben is making a play for the principal's job and wants in. He wants a specific parking spot and lab equipment. Ben agrees to his demands.

WHOOOSH to the Black Rock. Richard is inside and looks at a wall with scrawled hash marks. He picks up an empty manacle and stares at it. Behind him Jack enters and asks if he's been there before. Richard says yes, and after all his time on the island, today is the first time he's ever come back. Alpert opens up a crate of dynamite, and Hurley warns him that it's unstable. Richard assures him that he can't kill himself even if he wanted to -- and trust him, he wants to. That's why he wants Jack to do it for him. As Richard unwinds a piece of wire from a spool, he explains that Jacob touched him and it's considered a gift... except it's not a gift at all. It's a curse. Jack asks him why he wants to die, and Richard says because he devoted his life in service to a man who said everything was happening for a reason. That he had a plan. And when the time was right, he'd share that plan with Richard. But now that man is dead, and Richard's life has no purpose. He holds up the fuse and says if he lights it, it won't work. But Jack can light it and it'll work. The fuse is long enough for him to get out. Jack agrees and lights the fuse... and then sits down! As the fuse burns inexorably toward the dynamite, Jack looks at Richard and says it's time to talk.

Hurley freaks out, but Jack is confident he'll be fine. Hurley leaves. Richard says Jack will die, but Jack doesn't think so. He just came from a lighthouse with his name etched in wood on a dial that turned a mirror that somehow reflected the house he grew up in. For some reason, Jacob wanted Jack to see that lighthouse and know that he was being watched since he was a kid. He doesn't know why, but if Jacob went to all that trouble, he brought Jack to the island for a reason. They watch as the fuse burns closer to the dynamite... And closer... They only have a few seconds left... then FSSST. The fuse fizzles out. Jack asks if Richard wants to try another stick. Richard asks since Jack seems to have all the answers, what do they do now? Jack says they go back to where they started.

At the beach camp, Ben continues digging when he hears the TIKKA TIKKA TIKKA sound of the smoke monster. He looks around but doesn't see the smoke monster. Then behind him Locke walks up and asks what he's doing. Ben says digging his own grave. Locke got what he wanted, and now Ilana is going to kill him. But Locke doesn't want Ben to die. He went back to the statue to get Ben, but he had already gone. Locke is gathering a group to leave the island for good, and once he's gone, he's going to need someone to be in charge of the island. He can't think of a better man for the job than Ben. Locke points to the shackle -- it's no longer attached to Ben's ankle. Ben is free. Locke tells Ben he'll be waiting at the Hydra island. Two hundred yards inland is a clearing with a rifle leaning against a tree. If Ben goes now, he'll get there first. Don't hesitate to shoot because Ilana won't. Locke leaves, and Ben scopes out the situation. Ilana is off in the distance. She looks up and see Ben. They make eye contact... and then he bolts into the jungle! Ilana yells and chases him.

WHOOOSH to Principal Reynolds' office as Ben confronts him with the emails about his affair. It's quite lascivious stuff. Describing an act that took place on school property. An act that the school board would not approve of, not to mention Reynolds' wife. Reynolds asks what Ben wants. Ben says Reynolds has to resign and recommend Ben as his replacement. Reynolds then reads Ben an email from Alex, one where she asks for a letter of recommendation to Yale. Funny thing about recommendations is they work both ways. So he puts the ball back in Ben's court. Is power that important to him? Ben can go for his job, but doing so will torch Alex's future. Reynolds ask if Ben can live with that type of collateral damage.

WHOOOSH to the jungle as Ben reaches the rifle, grabs it and whips around, aiming at Ilana. She screeches to a halt, shocked to see Ben armed. She drops her rifle and waits for Ben to shoot her. Ben explains that he knows what Ilana is feeling because he felt it, too. He watched his daughter die in front of him... and it was his fault. He had a chance to save her, but he chose the island over her. All in the name of Jacob, a man he'd never met but whom he had pledged his allegiance. Ben sacrificed everything for Jacob, and Jacob didn't even care. So Ben stabbed him. He was angry. Confused. Terrified that he would lose the only thing that mattered to him, which was his power. But the thing that really mattered was already gone. He apologizes to Ilana for killing Jacob and knows she could never forgive him because he can't forgive himself. Ilana asks what he'll do, and Ben says go to Locke because he's the only one who'll have him. Ilana thinks for a moment and says that she'll have him. She turns and heads back to the camp. Ilana is the first person to show Ben any mercy, and he follows her.

WHOOOSH to the high school principal's office as Ben enters. Did he sell Alex out and become the new principal? Alex knocks and comes in, surprised to see Ben there. She tells him that Principal Reynold wrote her an incredible letter of recommendation. She asks if Ben had anything to do with it, and Ben says no. She's a great student and did it all on her own. Reynolds comes in and asks what Ben is doing there. Ben says just dropping off the detention sign-in sheets for the week. Ben says he'll see Alex in history club. It's back on, right? Resigned, Reynolds says yes. As he leaves, Arzt comes up to him and asks if he did it. Ben says no. Arzt is disappointed and asks about his parking spot. Ben decides to give Arzt his own.

WHOOOSH to the beach camp as Ben returns with Ilana. He offers Sun some help, and they set up her shelter. Then Hurley, Jack and Richard walk out of the jungle and join them. It's a bittersweet reunion... and as the camera cut to the ocean, a submarine periscope juts up out of the water. Below in the sub, a crewman is watching the reunion on the beach. He asks if they should stop... and Charles Widmore is sitting next to him. He says no, proceed as planned.

BOOM.