And Found:
Lost - "Dr. Linus" (6.07)

Ben’s alternate life mirrored his island life perhaps more than any of the other character’s we’ve seen so far this season. On the island, Ben was always struggling to gain or maintain his power—no matter what the cost. He even made the fatal choice of putting the island before his adopted (read: stolen) daughter Alex, and watched as she was shot in the head. In his alternate life (or flash sideways, or what have you) Ben must also choose between Alex’s well-being or placing himself in a position of power. (Although the stakes are considerably lower in this life: Alex is his student, not his daughter, and she’s not in a life or death situation, just trying to get into Yale. The position Ben stand to gains is that of high school principal, not supreme island boss.)

Even stranger about Ben’s alternate life is the appearance of his father—who Ben murdered, along with a host of other Dharma employees, on the island so long ago. But in a life where Ben and his father went to the island and left, things are different. Ultimately, Ben is a better person for having left the island. In the end he chooses to do the right thing: helping Alex instead of sneaking his way into a better job, and he and his father seem to have a good relationship. Again this could be a sign that the candidates are the ones who truly need to be on the island, and everyone else would be better off—or at least alright—without it.

One of Lost‘s nagging questions was finally answered… or at least this episode began to chip away at the iceberg of the mystery that is Richard. For so long we’ve wondered why he never ages (and why it appears he’s always wearing meticulously-applied eye liner). Apparently, Jacob gave Richard this gift. And, as is usually the case with fountain-of-youth-type stories, it turned out to be more of a curse in the end. We’re still not sure why Richard was granted this gift, other than it allowed him to serve Jacob for many long years. But we do know how he received it: through Jacob touching him. Which, of course, brings up a new batch of questions. Does everyone Jacob touches receive a gift? If so, is it always the same thing? Is there another reason why Jacob wanted Richard to be eternally youthful?

It may be that Jacob has bestowed the gifts on all of the candidates, as we see when Jack and Hurley encounter Richard on their way back to the temple. Instead of leading them to the temple, a skittish Richard takes Hurley and Jack to the Black Rock. Why does Richard go to the old ship? Well, why does anyone on the island ever gone to there? Because they want to blow something up. In this case, Richard wants to blow up himself, but he can’t do it alone. Even after Jacob’s death, he’s still trapped by the gift bestowed upon him, and is unable to kill himself. Jack agrees to light the fuse on a stick of dynamite, but doesn’t run away and leave Richard to die. He tells Richard that he’s sure he’s not going to die. And he’s right. It seems that Jack and Richard are in the same boat—stuck on the island and struggling to figure out their purpose there.

The idea of the island and Jacob and the Man in Black as some sort of religious symbols was rather prevalent in the “Dr. Linus” episode. Richard wants to end his life after spending so many years in service “to a man who told [him] everything happened for a reason,” but now that man is gone, and Richard’s life has no meaning. Bummer.

Finally, we see Ben make a choice that is quite unlike his former power-hungry self. After Flocke frees him from the shackles Ilana placed on him, Ben ultimately chooses to go back with Ilana and company on the beach rather than joining Flocke and his motely crew of followers.

Oh, and the episode closed with an unexpected twist that left mouths agape and brains spinning. Charles Widmore rolls up to the island in a submarine with a strict mission in mind. What exactly that mission is, we don’t know.