Dr. Linus

Season six of Lost rolls on with another solid episode tonight. Though Ben wasn't part of Lost from the beginning, he quickly became one of the most interesting characters on the show, and tonight's episode didn't disappoint.

The Sideways Ben plot was a great one, showing that Ben's coercive, insidious nature is a part of him in any incarnation. And yet, this version of Ben, when it came down to it, ultimately could not make the selfish choice. It was a great use of his "daughter" Alex in this storyline as the focus for this revealing character moment.

Perhaps even more interesting is how this wasn't just revealing of Ben, but how it may be revealing of Jacob. After all, this Sideways version of reality is one in which Jacob never pulled people's strings to get them to the Island and alter their destiny. It was only as a result of Jacob's tampering, and of Ben's trip through the Temple resurrection spa, that Ben turned out the way he did. Crafty in any reality, but only actually carrying through with his plans in a world where he was touched by Jacob. Hmmm....

Of course, it's looking like perhaps Island Ben is turning over a new leaf. Actor Michael Emerson did an amazing job in the climactic scene where he broke down and confessed his guilt and remorse over killing Jacob. This moment really informs the glib eulogy Ben gave Locke just a few episodes ago -- you know now just how much all that was pure bluster.

Along with the great Ben storylines, we got a number of other good tidbits. Some were just purely entertaining character beats. ("Cheese curds.") Others were fun tie-ins to reward the long-time fans. (Miles using his psychic gift to discover the diamonds buried with Nikki and Paolo.) And then there were tantalizing hints at some things yet to be addressed. (It appears that the ageless Richard Alpert first arrived on the Island aboard the Black Rock... as a slave?)

Plenty of stuff to keep us thinking until the next new episode. Not the least of which is that final moment. How did Widmore find the Island? Is there any chance that he's the person Jacob alluded to in the Lighthouse episode when he told Hurley that someone was coming that needed help getting there?

Does anybody else think Jacob is looking a little less like the "good guy" with each passing week?