Here are a bunch of theories I have about what might happen in the series finale of LOST, “The End”.
Jack
Apart from all the questions we’d all like to have answered, I think I’m going to go a bit against the flow here in what I’ve been saying and what a lot of other people have been saying. There have been arguments back and forth about whether Jack will truly be the next Jacob, or whether someone else will end up taking over for Jack in the end. Any of them could, including Ben.
But that’s not what I think will happen.
A commenter in a another thread, John, pointed out that the cut on Jack’s neck that keeps bleeding in the “sideways” timeline could be a cut that Jack sustains on his neck in the “real” timeline. And I think that’s quite likely.
How could this be? Well, now we know that Jack is the “new” Jacob, having whatever powers Jacob has. Given what we’ve seen on the island, I think it’s quite possible that Jack is now unique in the sense that what he does and what happens to him could change the way things happen in other timelines. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Man in Black and Jacob both had this power all along.
His bleeding must be significant, since they keep bringing it up throughout this season. Does he just get nicked? Probably not. As that commenter, John, pointed out, Jacob told Jack that he has to do his new job “for as long as he can”. That may very well be just long enough to allow Desmond to do whatever he needs to do.
As for Kate taking over for Jack…? Well, I don’t think that will happen. I think it’s probable that The Island will be destroyed.
The Island
You might be thinking “What? The Island destroyed?” Yep. I think that’s where this is going. We’ve known since the beginning of the season that The Island in the sideways timeline is destroyed. It could very well be that The Island is in the process of being destroyed in the “real” time line and the whole catastrophic event that takes place causes it to be blown back in time where it ends up, destroyed, at the bottom of the ocean.
But that won’t be the end.
Desmond
Desmond is intent on making sure all the 815ers known about this alternate timeline, and is just one of the reasons that he’s working to get them all together, probably at the concert. It’s probable we’ll see Charlie recognize Claire from the stage where he’s playing. It’s also probable that Sayid will see Shannon and become “island aware” too. Considering they have to have a very traumatic experience (Ben’s beating), or a real connection with their own “constants” in the “sideways” timeline (Hurley and Libby) to realize they know about the alternate timeline, I would think that something, possibly even a bomb will go off during the concert to make some of this happen.
Desmond isn’t snapping them all into this realization just for the fun of it. He’s not thinking “Hey guys, we’re getting the band together again!” He wants these people to do something. Possibly even help the people in the “real” timeline… more on this in a bit.
Eloise Hawking
I think some of the solution to this will hinge on Eloise Hawking herself. Ever since we’ve seen her, she seems to be acutely aware of the way things are supposed to play out. She’ll be instrumental in this finale episode.
I think that it’s entirely possible Desmond has been trying to get the 815ers back together again, to realize what has been happening because he intends to help the “real” timeline change things so that The Island ends up NOT being destroyed.
In other words, I think we’ll see the events that cause The Island to be destroyed in the “real” timeline, but it will be “fixed” by the 815ers in the “sideways” timeline so that they interfere and end up saving it.
Ben
Ben’s famous words, “I always have a plan”, and I think he does. Ben doesn’t like getting played for a fool by anyone, and considering what The Man in Black has put Ben through, I’m certain Ben wants to exact revenge.
He’ll wait for the right time, and he’ll probably end up dying for it, but he’ll do something to really screw up the Man in Black’s plans. I think we’ll look back at Ben being the hero for what he did to save everything.
Jacob and The Man In Black
A question I’ve had since the beginning of the season…. If the island is at the bottom of the ocean in the sideways timeline, where the heck did Jacob and The Man in Black go?
No idea. Could The Man in Black be masquerading as Widmore in the sideways timeline? Could be. I’ve alway thought that Widmore, for all the time they put into that character and the mystery surrounding him, deserved a little more on screen time to find out what he was really up to, and what his motivations really were.
Well, that’s enough rambling. Any theories out there you’d like to share?