“The Substitute”

Written 18th February

Firstly, I am a newbie and I have to say what fab site this really is. I have been reading some of your brilliant theories for the past two months and thought it was about time I contributed.

After watching this episode I pondered on the significance of the title. As with most (if not all) Lost episodes, the name of the episode has great significance.

Are we, the audience, really lead to believe it’s just background character information that we are seeing in the flash sideways? Is this episode simply informing us that John Locke in the alternative timline is now a supply teacher? I think not. Are we really to believe that the flash sideways are just showing us how our Losties lives would’ve been/are after the island has sunk? Again, something doesn’t sit quite right with this idea. The fact that all the characters we have come to love (and hate) over the past 5 seasons are still crossing paths, even though the island appears to no longer exist (sunk) appears to be implying their paths are crossing for a reason. Coincidence or is there reasoning behind it?

John Locke to Ben Linus “I’m John Locke, The Substitute”

It was this response that leads me to believe we haven’t seen the last of the real John Locke on the island. Ok, so we saw his body finally buried – again, something didn’t quite sit right. Interesting that Ben showed redemption at the grave though. That aside, we’re now to believe JL is finally dead and buried – or is he? Wasn’t it JL himself in ‘What Kate did’ who implied to Jack that it’s only a body – the soul is elsewhere? Whether JL’s soul is elsewhere or whether he has merged with his sideways self, remains to be answered. What is clear from this episode, the sideways JL is a “substitute” for someone or something, but what or who?

Let’s look at the word “Substitute”

—noun

1.	a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.

2.	(formerly) a person who, for payment, served in an army or navy in the place of a conscript.

3.	Grammar. a word that functions as a replacement for any member of a class of words or constructions, as do in He doesn’t know but I do.

—verb (used with object)

4.	to put (a person or thing) in the place of another.

5.	to take the place of; replace.

6.	Chemistry. to replace (one or more elements or groups in a compound) by other elements or groups.

—verb (used without object)

7.	to act as a substitute.

Synonyms:

1. alternative, replacement, equivalent

Interesting hey?

We now know that our Losties are candidates to replace Jacob. Flocke is now lead to believe that John Locke (one of the candidates) is dead thus him crossing his name off the list — no longer a potential candidate or threat. This, I believe is lulling Flocke into a full sense of security.

Without speculating too much on how I think the show will play out as it could go in any direction at the moment (beauty of Lost), I believe the flash sideways to be Jacob’s plan B.

Thoughts?