Nail on head.
I, too, don't think its Ben. Somebody has been down this stinky pinkie road before and knows all the tricks and is feeding poor Ben the hooey. Well, it sure didn't work and after the initial patter it all fell apart pretty darn quick. And i think Ben still believes he has a company that can pull it all together somehow. He's been waiting for a miracle himself. I think he's started to wise up about this shadow mentor and pull away. But R/S has to be in the near future to pull off any sort of restoration. It's going to be a horse pill to swallow.
Woody, rope a tangled mess.