I think the entire thing was a set up. Whether they really were/are going to kill Sawyer, I'm not sure. I am leaning to yes. And they wanted Kate to know that so she would get off the fence already and realize she loves Sawyer and better DO something before it is too late. They made it so she could get out of her cage, they beat the stuffing out of him, Alex told her they were going to shoot him, ALL of it a set up to get Kate and Sawyer together. (And maybe showering her up and putting the sexy dress on her just to make double sure Sawyer wasn't in denial of his feelings for Kate) Then they set it up for Jack to 'escape' his shark tank, see them on tv acting out a scene in Roadhouse and Jack now just wants to leave the island, so the deal is made to do the surgery on Ben. Ben wins. Of course Jack threw a monkey wrench into the scheme in the end...but I believe Alex is on Ben's side and all of it was manipulation.