"Lost" Conundrum

This week's Lost was quite good, I thought. I tend to like Sun & Jin episodes -- though their backstory is as cliche-ridden as everyone else's, at least they're both strong actors and their relationship has complexity and intrigue. Plus, Sayid's cool -- I always like it when he gets some screen time.

But this week's episode raised a central conundrum facing the show: Ben/Henry Gale showed Jack a tape of the Red Sox winning the world series. That isn't the conundrum, it was just awesome. But after that, he told Jack he'd take him home, off the island, if Jack just does something for them (presumably, make the show last a few more seasons).

But why would Jack want to go home? His life sucked. His wife left him, his dad died, he seemed miserable. We started talking, and that goes for everybody on the island:
Kate - wanted felon
Sawyer - also a criminal
Locke - stole that money from those people
Eko - also a criminal
Hurley - makes bad things happen
Charlie - addict with no life
Claire - supposed to give baby away (granted, she could probably benefit from some medical attention)
Sun & Jin - on the run from Sun's dad, Jin maybe a criminal
Rose & Bernard - if Rose leaves island, terminal illness
Sayid - I can't remember if his woman is still out there or not, is she dead? I think so, otherwise he wouldn't have hooked up with Shannon, right? Anyway, former Iraqi torturer, prospects not good
All the extras - they get to hang out in Hawai'i and hope for speaking roles

So for all these people, they need to stay on the island. And besides that, what a plane full of miserable people! I've often suspected that I'm on a plane with a bunch of horrible human beings, but never that they're all on the run.