Jack and Hurley - The Two Real Candidates by BrokenLightHouse815

So this is going to be a short theory on who I believe could be involved in the big actions of the endgame for the season. There are 6 (Locke? Sayid?) candidates left, and one of them is going to have to take over for Jacob before the show is over, and that is coming really really soon.

So, I know this may sound redundant, but I think there is good reason for it being true: Jack will take over Jacob's job as protector of the Island. Let's start with the basics: Jack is the main character of the show. He is the man of science, he is the man of faith, he is the embodiment of a character being emotionally damaged by his past, and needing the Island to fix him.

This was Jacob's goal. In "Ab Aeterno" he tells Richard that when you get to the Island, your past doesn't matter. You can be start fresh, not be burdened by your the demons that haunted you in the real world. Now I am not saying it hasn't taken Jack a long time to get there, but he finally is. He left the Island, confused and angry, desperate to LEAD his people home. But soon after that, he finds out it was a huge mistake. He becomes addicted to alcohol and pills as a way to cope. He finally learns the only way to redeem himself is to go back to Island. In "Lighthouse" he tells Hurley he came back to the Island because he was hoping it would fix him.

It didn't seem like it was working, but then an episode later, when Jack lit the stick of dynamite with Richard inside the Black Rock, we can see that Jack is FINALLY starting to believe. He knows he is important (from seeing the Lighthouse) and he is finally ready and willing to accept his fate, and find out what the Island has in store for him. This is EXACTLY what Jacob wanted. He wanted people to figure it out for themselves and learn to change, and become who you are supposed to be. Of course, Jack has had some help, which leads me to my second point of this theory:

Hurley will be the new Richard. Jacob tells Hurley that "you can't always hop in the back of someone's cab and tell them what they're supposed to do." But he sure could do that with Hurley, couldn't he? Sure, he needs to use Hurley because he is dead, and Hurley is the only one who can communicate with him, but think about it. He described Richard's job as an intermediary. Someone to talk to the people so Jacob doesn't have to. What has Hurley been doing this whole season?

He has taken to giving Jacob's directions quite well. He ordered them around when Sayid needed saving in the Temple. He told Jack exactly what needed to be done, and it was all from Jacob. Hurley is already acting as the new Richard. I think once Jack (similar to Jacob, yes?) takes over for Jacob, his first order of business will be to make Hurley is long-living consilierge. As for every other character, I have no idea.

But, for a final thought: Couldn't you imagine the last scene of the entire show being Jack sitting on the beach, eating fish, and then Flocke (MIB now trapped in Locke's body) asking if he can sit, telling him how much he wants to kill him, and that he will find his loophole. And Jack telling him he'll be right there waiting for him.

I'd be pretty happy with that.