Ok, so this week’s episode wasn’t a game changer. It also didn’t make people suddenly like Nikki or Paulo, and they didn’t turn out to be Rose and Bernard in a different time or anything cool like that. Also, a lot of people are questioning the timelines i.e.: plane on or off the hatch cover, Walt kidnapped yet or not. Personally, I don’t think any of that matters.

 

As has been said by many, I think this was the writers acknowledging the viewers wishes and doing a little “course correction” of their own. If you think about it, this episode puts a lot of what’s happened in a different light. First, we now know that Ben was hot for Jack from way back. We can also be pretty sure that Ben wasn’t headed to the Swan to get Locke when he got caught as he had said originally. It would appear now that he deliberately got caught to:

 

A.)  Set the wheels in motion to get Jack, Kate and Sawyer.

B.)   Plant the seeds of doubt and jealousy in Locke’s mind that brought about the destruction of the hatch.

 

For some reason it seems that although Ben wants things to go a certain way, he either isn’t allowed to physically interfere with matters, or he wants to give the impression that none of this was his idea. Covering his tracks?.

 

It also allows the writers a little wiggle room in the case of Walt and Michael. If Walt gets too big or Michael refuses to come back, they can steer the story by saying that the kidnapping of Walt was staged just to eventually get Jack.

 

Another thing it made me ponder is this: Did Ben use Rousseau by deliberately getting caught in one of her Rube Goldberg traps or was she helping him?

 

Lastly, it was also another nod to Stephen King. Check out the short story Autopsy Room in the book Everything’s Eventual.