Lost Episode Review: Season 3, Episode 12: Par Avion

Lost has consistently ranked in my top 2-3 shows over the last couple years. The ABC TV show is losing viewers with every episode, as people complain it offers too little explanation, etc. etc. While I tend to agree, Lost is still one of the most compelling, engaging and intriguing shows on TV, and while it often doesn't offer many answers, when it does, it makes the episodes well worth it.
The latest episode of Season 3 is called Par Avion, and while I won't go into details (if you watch the show, you already know what happened, and if you don't, you HAVE TO start from the beginning), it focuses on a back story on Claire, follows her attempt to implement an idea to save everyone and also look at the journeys of Sayid, Kate and Locke as they encounter a difficult new obstacle.
The last several episodes have been top notch, with exception to the Hurley episode which was probably the worst episode of the year. While of course it doesn't provide any absolute answers (does the show ever?), it provides plenty of partial truths and plenty to chomp on.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
What we get out of the episode is this: the patch-eyed guy alludes more to the reason why certain people have not been taken by The Others (they are not on the list due to being flawed) and, the doozy of the episode, that he knows Locke. Locke, having made a stupid mistake in the previous episode (was it a mistake?) continues to act suspicious and does more things this episode to cause animosity with his island mates, though in reality his moves here make sense and provide one of the coolest moments this season (don't walk through the fence!). In addition, the patch-eyed guy confirms that Ben is not the leader of The Others. Another shocker is the revelation of Claire's father, and yet another is that Jack is apparently not at odds with The Others as much as you'd expect.
All in all, there are plenty of twists and surprises in the episode, more so than in most. Thankfully, the episode does not end on a cheerful montage as many do; Lost should get away from that thing they do, and always end with some kind of shocker to keep us drooling for next time.
And now, here is the question I pose (MORE SPOILERS): Is Jack's dad the leader of The Others? We continue to see that he has connections with more and more of the people on the island, and he seems to be the only character that overlaps everyone. He's been seen on the island (granted, only by Jack in what was supposedly a hallucination). He is a doctor, and we know The Others spawn from some kind of medical project (but then, why did Ben need Jack to operate if his dad was available?). Furthermore, Jack's father is perhaps more flawed than anyone else, and perhaps he is trying to make amends by "helping" other flawed individuals?