THE PAST

A man rides through the jungle on a horse, then accosts Richard, wanting to know why he brought the boy to the Temple. The man is Charles Widmore.

THE PRESENT

Ben is woken up by Locke and surprised the man he killed is alive, but says he still thought this would happen ... just shocked that his beliefs turned out to be correct. Deep down, you can see Ben is completely thrown off by everything, as we have never seen him act before.

He explains he was on his way to the main island to atone for coming back, which he wasn’t supposed to do after being banished. He must be judged by something that the Others give no name, but Locke & Co. call the monster.

THE PAST

We see Ben steal Alex from Rousseau. He finds her camp, aided by young Ethan and enters her tent at night, taking Alex for no real reason. Danielle wakes up and is given a warning - if she wants Alex to live, do not follow him and run the other way every time she hears whispers.

THE PRESENT

Ben is playing mind games with Cesear, making him think John Locke is a dangerous man, one who may have even been on this island all along!

Ben and Locke discuss the fact that, you know, Ben offed him. Ben explains exactly why he did it, and Locke sort of smugly says he's just looking for an apology.

The two plan to take a boat back to the main island so that Ben can atone for whatever it is he must atone for, but are stopped by Cesar.

He refuses to let them leave, but Ben promptly shoots him with the shotgun he stole from him at an undetermined point in the recent past. Awesome.

The two row to the main island, where John posits that Ben isn’t going back to be judged for "breaking the rules," but for Alex’s death.

THE PAST

Ben returns to camp with baby Alex. Charles Widmore is still on the Island, and wants Ben to kill the baby, as was his mission, but he refuses.

THE PRESENT

Locke and Ben arrive at the barracks and see a light on in Ben’s old house. He goes in finds Sun. She explains that Christian told them to wait there until Locke showed up to help them get back to her husband (in 1977).

Ben acts shocked (but who knows if he really is) at the photo of Hurley, Jin, Jack and the rest of the gang in the DHARMA initiative.

Frank says they are waiting for John Locke, but since he's dead, that's not going to get them very far. Then Ben tells them to look out the window and see for themselves.

Lapidus is freaked and wants to go back to the plane. Locke convinces Sun, though, that staying with him is the only way to find her husband, so she stays.

But before that, Ben has something to do.

He goes into his closet, reveals the secret stone door and pushes his way through. He crawls through a cave-like tunnel until he reaches a small puddle of water.

There, he reaches in and presses something that drains the water out. He says, to no one in particular, that he will be waiting outside. This is awesome.

Outside, Sun asks Ben about Locke. She thinks he must not have been dead for real, but Ben assures her Locke really was, and he’s just as terrified and confused by his rebirth as she is.

THE PAST

Ben is pushing toddler Alex on a swing when Richard tells him the sub is about to leave. Yes, Ben goes to see Charles Widmore’s banishment.

The reason for his epic ouster? Widmore has been leaving the island on a regular basis, and has even fathered a child with an outsider.

Widmore tells Ben that killing Alex was what the island wanted, and that it will eventually happen, leading to Ben’s own banishment.

THE PRESENT

Ben says he only knows how to summon the black smoke, not where it IS. But Locke seems to know the answer to that, and they hike into the jungle along with Sun. Ben hates that Locke seems to have the upper hand now.

They arrive at the temple, or according to Ben, the wall around the temple that is still another half-mile inside. Locke says they are not going through the wall, they’re going under it through a crevice.

Before he and Locke climb down, Ben makes Sun promise that if she ever gets off the island, tell Desmond Hume he's sorry. He'll know why.

THE PAST

It's the morning of the Ajira 316 flight. On a pier in L.A., Ben calls up Widmore and says he's gonna kill Penny right about now.

He hangs up and starts walking over to her boat but is stopped by Desmond, so Ben shoots him in the chest, or so it would appear.

After shooting Desmond, Ben meets Penny and prepares to off her because her father is a very bad man. She pleads for mercy, and, the sight of little Charlie Hume makes Ben pause for a split second.

That's when Desmond jump on him from the back, tackles him, punches him in the face repeatedly and they go crashing off the dock into the water.

THE PRESENT

Returning to the second island, Lapidus returns to find Ilana and others gathering their guns. She asks "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"

He has no clue what she's talking about, so she knocks him out.

In the cave below the temple wall, Ben admits he's really there to be judged for Alex's death, as Locke theorized. Just then he falls through the floor into a dark room with hieroglyphics all over the walls.

Locke goes to get something to pull Ben out, but Ben walks forward to see a grate on the floor, which slowly pours out black smoke that surrounds him.

Ben is shown images of his relationship with Alex. After her death is shown, he cries and the smoke retreats back into the grate.

He turns around and Alex is standing there.

He apologizes for letting her die, and she hurls him against the wall. Alex says she knows he's planning to kill John Locke a second time, and makes him swear he will follow Locke's orders or she will destroy him.

A petrified Ben agrees.

As Locke helps Ben up from the cavernous room he fell into, he asks what happened. Ben replies simply, "it let me live."

BONG.