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Just another guess on the meaning and ending of Lost

I haven’t posted a lot of theories on this site but with the finale just days away I thought I’d throw one last shot out there. Having thought about the ways the producers and writers have presented ideas and attempted to answer questions I’ve put together a prediction on the end of Lost. It’s not really how I want it to end, but rather my guess as to what we’ll be given.

I think the idea of a single candidate to replace Jacob is a red herring intended to get us to focus on something that isn’t going to happen. Like a magician misdirecting your gaze to the lady in the stage while he manipulates the real prop, Lost has consistently talked about the need to work together to achieve a greater goal. Jack’s constant reminder to “live together or die alone” was a clue. In the end I don’t think Jacob is looking for a single person to replace him, but rather one to be able to help him repent for his own transgression – killing his brother. And that person is Desmond.

I believe that Desmond’s real purpose isn’t to change the past – but rather to help Jacob avoid a mistake. Mrs. Hawking said “You can’t change the past Desmond” but she never said the past couldn’t be changed. The Universe may course correct when men interfere but we’ve seen Jacob bring Locke back to life after he was thrown out of an 8 story window. Jacob altered Kate and Sawyer’s futures by interacting with them and setting them on the path that led them to the island. He has consistently changed people lives, even killing many innocent people in his efforts to bring his candidates to the island, all in an effort to achieve his own goals. He clearly can and will change events when it suits him so the “rules” Mrs. Hawking proposed don’t appear to apply to Jacob.

I believe Desmond’s purpose it to stop Jacob from throwing his brother into the cave. I think that action freed the Smoke Monster allowing it to roam the island and possibly caused MIB to be absorbed or to merge with smokie to become something far more powerful and evil.

Desmond will need to find a way to get Jacob to find his faith and stop him from taking an action that puts life in jeopardy. As Locke said once, the island is a place for redeeming your past sins – why shouldn’t this also apply to Jacob? The image of a young Jacob appearing to MIB with blood on his hands is symbolic of his need to repent.

The hard part for Desmond will be to find a way to get Jacob to realize the mistake. I think when Widmore exposed Desmond to the electromagnetic “test” Desmond saw Jacob and understood what he had to do. After his experience in the test he was a different person – focused, with an understanding of what needed to be done and a commitment to doing it. Something happened in those brief moments and I think it was due to Jacob explaining why he was there and what he needed to do.

And that brings us to Jack. He’s found his own way to understand his role on the island. The man who so desperately needed to get off the island did so and found he needed to go back. Given a chance to leave again he’s refused and is equally committed to doing what he has to in order to achieve some yet unknown goal. I think Jack is the means by which Desmond gets the opportunity to intercede and Desmond is the loophole that Jacob needs to right his wrongs.

There’s always been a link between the Desmond and Jack whether they are aware of it or not. From the first time they meet at the stadium, Desmond has made comments about seeing him in another life and I think that’s not an accidental phrase. It’s been repeated enough that we should know it’s some kind of foreshadowing. So there it is, Jack is going back to continue to fix what’s broken. If Desmond can’t or doesn’t convince Jacob not to throw MIB in the cave, then Jack gets to do it all over again to give Desmond another chance to change what “can’t be changed”.

And my prediction for the final scene of Lost….. the same as the first scene. Jack transported back in time to the moment of the plane crashing on the island. He opens his eyes and they dilate and we see him laying in the jungle while the rest of the survivors are huddled on the beach. It explains his tattoo “He walks among us but isn’t one of us” and his statement “I’m not going to let him do this ….. not again” when he decides to go after Ethan Rom after he kidnaps Claire and Charlie. Jack has been here before although he doesn’t realize it all the time. He has a little of Desmond’s flashes going on too but he doesn’t seem to understand them. Jack and Desmond are the keys to Lost and will work together to try to alter Jacob’s actions. “It only has to end once… everything else is progress.”

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Jukin

10 thoughts on “Just another guess on the meaning and ending of Lost

  1. I like this one! But I don’t see Jacob seeking redemption, if only because of the cocky smile that kid Jacob occasionally gives MIB. The blood on his hands is a good clue, but later it’s not very well supplemented. Still, I like this theory and I like the idea of Jack having flashes. It would be pretty awkward for them to say “oh, by the way, he’s been having these all tbis time…”, but Lost has done that to us a few times already.

  2. thanks rabidrage. I’m not sure Jack has had them the whole time but it would be easy enough to show him having some kind of ‘deja vu’ type experiences that confuse him and serve as his reason for being such a hard and fast “man of science”. He may be trying to ignore them and this is why he and Locke butt heads so often. Locke is a man of faith but Jack needs proof in order to avoid being overwhelmed by his own lack of understanding about his sense of purpose and feelings of what needs to happen.

    As for Jacob and needing redemption, I think it’s clear that he knows the man he had breakfast with on the beach as they watched the ship come in was not his brother (since he placed his brother’s dead body in the cave.) He must understand that this form is not real. Jacob’s purpose on the island is different than that of his “Mother”. She was determined to prevent anyone from finding the cave while Jacob’s mission appears to be preventing MIB from leaving the island. I believe this is the burden he bares for releasing the smoke monster. Everything we’ve seen Jacob do is strictly to keep MIB on the island and find a replacement to take over when he’s gone. He doesn’t appear concerned about people finding the island – in fact he takes steps to bring them there. This is in direct contrast to what his mother did. She in fact has disdain for humans using the same words MIB uses to describe them. Jacob clearly has s different goal than she did and it would appear his entire purpose is to contain MIB and not allow him to leave the island. This is why I think he’s looking for a way to change what he did. I guess we’ll know in a week! (I hope!!)

  3. i think that the fact that they hav all had flash backs means we already no that no one remains on the island i believe that as desmond is the electromagnetic guy he will blow the island up resetting time possibly not a candidate as he dosent have the credentials(pearents) etc and MIB didnt know who he was or why hes important. guessing eloises knowledge of time travel and both worlds tipped charles off on desmonds importance. I think desmond was brought for a purpose and kept in the bunker for an emergency like now to sink the island thats the sacrifice!!!

  4. it’s a good theory, but I don’t believe they will start us from the beginning with jack in the jungle. That would be to much of a direct rip-off of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.

    Personally, I think Desmond will turn the light back on (it is off now as evidenced by the donkey wheel being frozen). And then Jack will be left to protect and all will be fixed (what was broken was Jacob releasing Smokie and turning the light off).

    but who knows..

  5. sorry i didnt really explain myself the flashbacks in the sideways flash i ment they are off the island i dont believe its a seperate time line i believe it is life after the island has been destroyed time has reset everyone lives are back the way they would have been hence the island under water

  6. I believe jack (obviusly) will be THE candidate bc it looks like thats where it is heading…and the show will end with either the island sinking and the losties living “happily ever after” in the other timeline OR it is giong to end with jack staying on the island trapping locke/MIB while the final scene is them sitting on the island talking watching the next group of people coming to the island….i take the first one

  7. I have to agree with Rabidrage that Jacob doesn’t SEEM to be a person seeking redemption. In “Across the Sea”, Jacob actually seemed a bit thick-headed. I really don’t understand Jacob. I hope we will get a bit more explanation before it’s too late.

  8. Jukin, some interesting thoughts here…but I would be hesitant to say that Desmond’s main purpose is to help Jacob find redemption.

    I think Desmond’s main purpose is to resolve the issues at hand and restore the natural order and balance required. Light vs Dark.

  9. Well I got the part about Jacob’s goal being about redemption. We’ll see how Desmond plays into it. Maybe I got his and Jack’s roles reversed. We’ll see on Sunday.

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