“One side is light, the other dark.”
They are playing a classic game. If you are old enough, think Spy versus Spy. You need to kill the other guy but you can’t do it directly. Or like chess, the pawns do the work while the King sits in his castle.
Props to the guy who developed the “its all a game” theory back in season 1. You are more right than I was willing to give you credit for.
The game is: Jacob vs. Blackshirt. My theory won’t address why they are playing the game (though its hinted at in the first scene of the finale), rather, I want to look at how exactly Blackshirt got the check-mate.
In this game, the 2 players can’t directly interfere. It’s a game of gods, its who can get their followers to accomplish their will. Jacob can’t directly interfere, so he give subtle pushes throughout the losties lives at moments that matter. Rather than throw boulders, Jacob seems to be shaping the world with well timed ripples. Just a little here, just a little there.
Black shirt is playing the game as well. To what end, we do not yet know. But part of his aim is to kill Jacob, which he can’t do directly. He needs followers. But I imagine he was never able to draw the followers that Jacob was. Jacob’s subtle ripples have kept him surrounded with loyal folks, especially Richard. In fact, Richard serves as the gate-keeper to Jacob. If you are Blackshirt, what to do?
First, you need access to Jacob. That’s a tough one, he has lots of friends and they only let in their own leader. Blackshirt can’t very well kill Jacob himself can he? So Blackshirt needs to become leader, or at least let one of his boys become leader. Lets assume that Blackshirt can’t become leader on his own merits. Lets also assume that he is just way too unlikeable to get one of his boys in as leader or even convince a leader to switch to his side. His only option is to REPLACE the leader with the only person he can trust, himself. Let us further assume that Blackshirt can’t directly interfere with the others just like he can’t with Jacob. He can’t lift a blade to slit the leader’s throat, he can do no direct harm. The first element of his loophole plan was he needed the leader to die in a way that allowed him to replace the leader without suspicion and without doing the deed himself.
Here comes the first part of the plan. John Locke. Blackshirts involvement may go way back in Locke’s life (think how Jacob made his ripples). Even if it didn’t and Blackshirt just got lucky, here was a guy who gained the ability to walk just by being on the island. Couple that with some time traveling trickery (Locke going back in time telling Richard he was leader), and Blackshirt had the Others eating out of Locke’s hand. Blackshirt now has a future leader to manipulate. Perhaps Locke’s connection to the island was given to him by Blackshirt? Now Blackshirt has want he wants but the problem is, he needs Locke to die and die in a way that allows Blackshirt to seamlessly replace him.
So the plan was to get Locke off Island and kill him off island, which would allow Blackshirt to assume his identity. The hole in my theory right now, and it will take some time to mull over, is how much of Locke’s preparation to return was manipulated by Blackshirt and how much was against his interests. Did Blackshirt intend for the plane to crash with all save the losties to die? If that was his plan it was a good one as there would be no witnesses to his return and no one to bring forth the body and expose him. I would imagine that the Shadow of the Statue folk were not part of the plan. Ben probably wasn’t either (though he made a hell of a manipulatable target once they did get back to the island).
So now the plane crashes and Blackshirt is on the island posing as Locke, with a bunch of strangers he wasn’t quite prepared to deal with and Ben Linus. Perhaps Blackshirt was counting on Ben the entire time? Perhaps he just saw a great big fat opportunity? Either way, Blackshirt got Ben to the Temple, screwed with Ben’s head a little (dead daughter tells you to follow Locke? I am assuming that Blackshirt moonlights as the smoke monster) and now Blackshirt has access to Jacob virtue of being the leader. Furthermore, he has a loaded gun in Ben. Now its time for Jacob and loaded gun to meet. Loophole indeed. Game set match Blackshirt.
