S5: Whatever Happened, Happened

Ben has been shot!  He's going to die!  Time and space are going to unravel!  At least that's what Hurley is thinking, and maybe the audience, but Miles explains (albeit poorly but we get the gist) that Ben must have been shot in the past and the Losties didn't know and experience it because even though it's their present it's Ben's past.  With Ben hanging by a thread, Kate takes action and Sawyer helps her because Juliet tells her to.  They give Ben to Richard Alpert who says that Ben won't remember and he will lose is innocence.  He then proceeds to take him to the Temple.

Two great scenes in this episode.  1)  Jack refusing to help dying Ben.  Kate tries to convince him saying that she doesn't like the new Jack, one that doesn't take action and she misses the old Jack.  He throws it right back into her face telling her that she didn't like the old Jack.  Boom, Kate!   In your face!  2)  Kate building up the courage to let Aaron go and give him to his grandmother, his rightful guardian.  Great scene and great music.

This is an example of an episode done right.  There were a few off island scenes with Kate and Sawyer's ex, which weren't cool, but added to the backstory of off island activity.  

The episode ended with Ben waking up in 2007 to Locke sitting by his bedside.  Hopefully the next episode might give us a little more on that situation, but I'm not sure.  So far we've seen full backstories for Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Sayid, Kate, and a little bit of Sun/Jin I think.  I'm hoping to see some Faraday soon as well.  I will fight the urge to look at the title of the next episode as this sense of wonder will be my work-out motivation for tomorrow!  My interest in Season 5 started to dip a little bit but thankfully this episode has turned that dip back upward.  I hope the next episode continues the trend.