Ben meets Danielle Rousseau, gets emotional about Alex

At the school, Ben is struggling to get to his keys since his left arm is in a sling. He drops them and Alex comes over to help and inquires about what happened. She asks why anyone would want to hurt him since he's "like, the nicest guy ever."

Alex insists that he shouldn't drive since he only has one hand like Napoleon. She asks her mother who is in the car near-by if they can give him a ride home. As expected, Danielle Rousseau appears (it's the first time we've seen her since she was shot by Keamy's team in the season 4 episode "Meet Kevin Johnson"). Danielle says that a ride is the least they can do for Ben after the help he's given Alex.

Alex then asks him if he wants to come to dinner and Danielle insists, saying even if they have to kidnap him (a nod to the fact that Ben kidnapped Alex on the island).

Later at the Rousseau home, Ben is helping clean up after dinner. Danielle says that it is nice to cook for someone other than just Alex. Ben asks what happened to her father, and Danielle says that he died when Alex was two (very different from the island timeline). Danielle says that's probably why Alex is so attached to Ben since he's the closest thing to a father she's ever had.

Ben looks at Alex in the other room working at a desk and starts to get choked up. When he returns to the kitchen, Danielle asks if he's alright, and Ben says that it must be the onions. She says that she'll have to use less next time and they share a look like they're about to kiss as we hear the infamous sideways woosh.

So it's interesting to see Ben and Danielle have a budding romantic connection in the sideways. It's nice to see Ben as a humble, emotional character that he doesn't show in the island timeline.

Ben, Richard & Miles get C-4 from the barracks, discover Widmore & Zoe

We finally see Ben, Miles and Richard again, making their way through the jungle towards the barracks. Miles questions whether Ben's short cut is accurate and Ben says he lived at the barracks a long time and he knows how to get there. Mile hits back saying he lived there 30 years ago, "otherwise known as last week." It's nice to see a little humor return to the show.

Once they arrrive at the barracks, Miles starts getting that dead body feeling and says that he get "wonky around dead stuff." Ben asks him if he has something to share and before Miles can say anything, Richard says that Alex is buried there. He says that he buried Alex's body after Ben left the island. Ben pauses and looks down at the ground then thanks Richard.

They then enter Ben's old house where he immediately moves the bookcase, revealing his secret room. Miles notices the door where Ben summoned the smoke monster and asks what it is. Ben says that it is where he was told he could summon the smoke monster, but he now knows that it was really summoning him.

Behind the hanging shirts, there is a safe that Ben opens to reveal six bricks of C-4. Ben asks Richard if they want to cripple the plane or "blow it to hell," and Richard chooses the latter, so they take a six bricks.

They suddenly hear a noise, and leave the room to discover Zoe in the kitchen. They point their rifles at her and Ben asks who she is. Then Charles Widmore enters house and says that she' with him. Ben looks completely stunned to see Widmore.

Ben chooses Alex's well being over job as principal

Back at the school, there's a misdirection where we initially are led to believe that Ben has taken Principal Reynolds job, but then Alex enters, coming to thank the principal for writing her a glowing recommendation. Ben denies having anything to do with the recommendation, even though he did.

When Principal Reynolds enters and questions what Ben is doing there, he says he's just dropping off the  detention sign-up sheet. They he makes a minor power play by telling Alex that the History Club is back on and pushes Reynolds to agree.

Outside, Ben is approached by Arzt who wants to know if he did it. Ben says no and when Arzt whines about not getting his parking space, Ben offers him his. Ben then sees Alex come out of the building with a wide smile. He seems pleased and content with her happiness and walks away.

In this timeline, we see Ben choose Alex over his power. Ben is in a way, redeemed in the flash sideways timeline for his poor decisions on the island, but will he have a chance to redeem himself on the island?

Ben must once again choose between power & Alex

Ben goes to Principal Reynolds office to make his play to become principal. He presents him with the emails describing Reynolds an the nurse's inappropriate actions. Ben tells him that he wants his job. More specifically, he wants Reynolds to resign and recommend to the school board that he take over as principal.

Then things get sticky. Principal Reynolds shows Ben an email from Alex asking him to write her a recommendation for Yale. He tells Ben that if he continues with his plan, he will "torch" Alex's future.

In this scene, Ben is once again presented with the option of choosing what is more important, Alex or his own ambition and power, just like when Keamy killed Alex in season 4. Reynolds even uses the word "torch," which is what Keamy was going to do to the island.

Alex studies with Ben at the library, reveals principal's secret

At the school library, Ben is quizzing alex on Lord Cornwallis and the East India Trading Company. Alex panics about the test and says that her mother has to work two jobs to pay their rent. This poses the question, how different was Danielle Rousseau's life if she was never on the island? Is Robert dead or alive?

Alex has aspirations of attending Yale and hopes that Principal Reynolds will write her a letter of recommendation since he attended the school. She inadvertently refers to him as a pervert, causing Ben to worry. Alex reveals that she hear the principal having sex with the school nurse during a visit to the nurse's office. Ben is repulsed and promises not to tell, but the wheels in his brain start spinning.

Ben takes care of aging Roger Linus, Alex stops by

In the flash sideways, Ben is making frozen dinners for himself and his elderly and ailing father Roger Linus. Ben tells him about having to watch detention as he switches out Roger's oxygen tank. Ben wonders if he's more of a loser than the burnouts in detention.

Roger then says that maybe if they stayed on the island with the Dharma Initiative, then maybe Ben could have become something greater and had a better life. He say the ironic line, "Who knows what you would have become?" As we know, on the island, Ben ends up killing his father.

Then, the doorbell rings and we get another surprise. It's Alex at the door, wondering what happened to history club. Ben agrees to meet her before school instead of after so she can study for her AP test. This is the first time (I believe) that Alex has seemed happy to be around Ben.

But back to the big question. So if Ben and Roger still went to the island, when did they leave and what were the circumstances of the departure? And what does this say about the effects of the hydrogen bomb? In theory, Ben was still on the island with the others when Juliet detonated it, so the depth of the changes seem to dig deeper and deeper into the past.

Under the temple wall #4: Alex tells Ben to follow Locke

After the monster disappears, Ben's torch relights. He then hears a voice say "Daddy?" and he turns around to see his dead daughter Alex. Ben tells her that he's "So, so sorry. It was all my fault." Alex says "I know" and then grabs him by the collar and throws him against one of the pillars. She says "Listen to me you bastard! I know that you're already planning to kill John again. I want you to know if you so much as touch him, I will hunt you down and destroy you. You will listen to every word that John Locke says and you will follow his every order. Do you understand?" Ben nods and Alex grabs him and screams "Say it! Say you'll follow him." Ben says "Yes I will, I'll follow him I swear." Alex pushes him again and she backs away. Ben starts to cry again and then looks up and Alex is gone.

Ben picks up his torch and then hears Locke calling him. Locke lowers a vine for Ben to climb up and he asks him what happened. Ben says in a weak voice "It let me live."

This part of the scene is similar to when Mr. Eko was approached by his brother Yemi in season 3. It seems that Eko was not spared by the monster because he refused to admit that he had sinned while Ben was remorseful and apologetic for the mistakes he made with Alex. Will Alex's stern warning be enough to make Ben change his stripes and follow Locke? It seems like it might.

Under the temple wall #3: The smoke monster shows Ben Alex's life and death

This one's a doozy. As Ben is standing and the back of the room, his torch suddenly goes out and we can hear the signature sounds of the smoke monster. The smoke starts to slow seep up through the holes in the grate. As the smoke moves towards him, Ben moves back until he seems to realize there's no where to go. The smoke surrounds him at his feet and then moves up to encircle him. The head of the monster rushes through him and we can see the trademark electrical flashes moving through it.

After a few bright flashes, the monster starts showing Ben his history with Alex. First he's sees the moment where he argues with Charles Widmore about bringing Alex back to the other's camp as a baby. Next he sees himself pushing Alex on the swing. Ben shows a smile very briefly until he's Alex yelling at him saying that she hates him and that she wishes he were dead. Next he sees Alex asking him if the freighter people are more dangerous than he is. Last, he sees Alex begging for her life on the walkie with Keamy holding a gun to her head. We hear Ben's voice say "She's not my daughter. She means nothing to me, so if you want to kill her, go ahead.." We hear the shot and Ben drops his head and weaps.

The smoke monster then starts to go back into the holes in the grate. The big finish is coming up next.

So the monster is judging Ben based on his care and treatment of Alex and his willingness to save her as a baby probably saved his life now. The monster did torment him by making him relive Alex's grusome death though.