The Candidate Must Die to Save the World by twittertracker

This might be kind of long, but stick with me. I will try to explain my take on events in the series, and how next Sunday's finale will end.

I'm not one of the people that was on board with the FSW being the epilogue, or the fact that Darlton changed their take on WHH out of the blue in The Variable. But after seeing 6.15 and 6.16, I'm convinced that WHH still holds true and the FSW is, indeed, how the story will end. There is only one way to change the past, and that is by manipulating the Light on the Island. Whenever someone messes with the Light, the universe goes about on its way to course correct.

For a long time, I've had the opinion that all supernatural events that occur in Lost are a result of the universe course-correcting. Michael could not shoot himself because WHH and he still needed to go on the freighter, etc. After a character fulfills everything they need to do to fall in line with WHH, they are allowed to die (i.e. "You can go now, Michael.") For many, this coincides with them finding peace with their lives.

But still, course correction can only get you so far. If the man with red shoes doesn't get hit by a taxi, he will slip in the shower the next day, etc. But sometimes, if a change is too large for normal events to fix it, the universe will resort to the supernatural. Take the detonation of Jughead for example. It makes little sense that Jack and co. didn't die in the resulting explosion. They had to be teleported to the present in a supernatural occurence because there was no ordinary way for them to survive.

All supernatural events and abilities are born from the universe's need to course correct. And all supernatural events are caused by proximity to the Light. This is why birth on the Island is such a big deal, as you have a much greater chance of being special. MIB was born "special." Miles was born with an ability. Hurley was given an ability after being on the Island (perhaps because the universe saw he was the only person capable of playing this part).

The Light is what created the smoke monster. It's effects are not limited only to people. The water that runs through the Light is likely connected to the fountain in the Temple, giving the Island it's healing powers. The glass panes in the Lighthouse are able to bend this unique light through time and space, giving Jacob the power to watch over people's lives. So on, so forth. The Others don't understand what the Light is, other than the fact that Jacob needs to protect it. They look for special children because of Jacob's lists, not knowing he is searching for a new candidate. This is why they kidnapped Walt. But Walt was never special. They mistook coincidence for fate with Walt. Hence, they let him leave the Island.

As I said earlier, the Light is the one constant in the universe. While everything else changes, the Light remains the same. Jacob throwing the Black Man into the source was the "first sin." This was the event that changed the world and doomed this universe to destruction. This was never supposed to happen. Everything that has happened in the original timeline has been course correction to fix the mistake that resulted in the creation of the Monster. The FSW where Oceanic 815 lands is the way the world was meant to be.

Because of this one event, the Island has been a place where two events constantly repeat throughout history. When someone approaches the Light but fails, it is called The Purge. We have seen many purges, such as the one Mother executed 2,000 years ago, the one Richard implored over the solidiers in the 1950's, and of course, the one by Ben over the Dharma Initiative in the 1990's. However, when someone manages to reach the Light successfully, it is called The Incident. Examples include the creation of the smoke monster 2,000 years ago, the detonation of Jughead in the 1970's, and the three "purple sky" events caused by Desmond's turning of the failsafe as well as the turning of the wheel by both Ben and John Locke.

The will of the Island is synomous with the will of the universe and the will of the Light. I do not mean to suggest the Light is sentient but it is essentially a god-like existence, that actively wishes to continue existing. It is the Light that did not heal Jack's appendix problem because it didn't want him to leave. It is the Light that gave Desmond his future flashes so that he could help it's attempt to course-correct. It also gave Locke the ability to walk again. There are exceptions to this healing, such as Locke's legs being taken away in "Deus Ex Machina" and Ben getting cancer in season three. But look at those two characters. They were the ones being played by MIB, and considering the Monster's relationship with the Source, he is likely responsible for blocking the Island's power from these two in an attempt to manipulate them.

The goal of the Light is to create the world that was supposed to exist: to fix the mistake that was the creation of the smoke monster and return the universe to a place where no supernatural events occur. This is the FSW. The Island has done everything it has to create this place where the monster doesn't exist and where 815 lands safely. When they say "the Island isn't done with you yet," the reality is that the Light still needs you to ensure the safety of the FSW.

With that out of the way, here is what I believe will happen in the series finale of LOST:

We have heard our characters say many things over the course of this finale season. Mother tells Jacob that if the Light goes out here, it goes out everywhere. Jacob tells MIB that it only ends once. Faraday asks Desmond if these were the lives we were supposed to live. These are all the most relevant quotes to the ending of Lost.

The Island always wanted the Losties to create the FSW. The big problem is how they created it: by detonating Jughead and sinking the Island. The alternate reality is the world the way it was supposed to be, all except for one thing: The Light is gone. Sunk at the bottom of the sea and dead. And as Mother said, everything will cease to exist if the Light goes out. As of right now, the FSW is a world not bound for this universe. It is living on borrowed time. It may be able to survive for a little while, as it was only just born, but eventually it will die because the Light doesn't exist.

It can only end once. There can only be once universe. One Jack, one Kate, one Locke, one Sawyer, etc. This falls in line with WHH and the rules of time travel established in the show. For two identical beings to exist, and possibly contact each other would be catastrophic according to Dharma. But the biggest reason why only one world can exist is because, no matter how many universes there are, there can only be one Light -- one Island. It is the Constant that keeps everything together.

In Happily Ever After, Desmond finally learns the truth, what his purpose is, and what the purpose of the Candidate is. Desmond learns that the lives they were supposed to live are the ones that are in the FSW, but they are stuck in the original timeline because the Light only exists there. The series finale will revolve around getting the Light to the FSW so that the original timeline collapses and the FSW will exist permanently.

The first thing that must be done is to kill the MIB once and for all. While Jacob makes some of the rules for the Island, I believe that the MIB has some control over the Light as he is the one who touched it. The Light is the "magic box." It will do whatever you want. MIB wanted it to allow him to leave. This is why turning the ancient wheel banishes you from the Island. The MIB must first be killed so that this rule does not apply, restoring the Light to its pure form. The new protector of the Island must then touch the Light and create their own rules, including what the magic box grants them.

In 6.17 and 6.18, every single character will die fulfilling their purpose, which is to get Jack Shephard to the Light and make a new wish as the Leader. Sawyer and Ben are both being set up to make huge sacrifices, Kate and Hurley will die some other way, and Richard and Miles will likely get completely owned as they are irrelevant at this point. Desmond will fulfill his destiny, to use his special ability to kill the smoke monster, and then he will die. At the same time, everyone in the FSW will finally get their memories back and understand what happened. Charlie, Juliet, Eko, Ana-Lucia, Faraday, everyone that died will be alive in this world. It's okay for the original timeline to be erased because people like Penny, who are off the island, will still exist in the FSW.

The only person who will not get their memories back is Jack, and I think this is the bittersweet ending that we believe is coming. With Desmond and everyone else gone, Jack will be the last person left alive on the Island. He is now the Protector. He will touch the Light and create his own rules, wishing for all of his friends to be saved and granted happiness. He will change the frozen wheel from being an object that banishes you to an object that chains you to the Island forever. In the end, Jack will turn the Frozen Donkey Wheel and move the Island to the flashsideway universe, allowing the original timeline to collapse and die.

With the Island and Light now existing in FSW, the universe has successfully course corrected everything. Whatever was supposed to happen ended up happening. Everyone is happy, everyone has their memories, and the universe will continue to live. But the true Jack must remain on the Island forever. I believe the reason alternate Jack keeps seeing blood on his neck is because he will die at the end of the series. There can only be one so new father Jack must be erased. While his son might never understand why, everyone from Oceanic 815 will remember what Jack did for them. He got them off the Island like he promised he would, and he will the one that had to sacrifice his happiness in the FSW. One Jack will "let go," allowing the other Jack to "fix everything."

At the end of "Through the Looking Glass," Jack, and Jack alone, is the only man to visit Locke's funeral. I think Lost will end with Locke, who can now walk thanks to Jack's surgery, along with everyone that survived the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 visiting Jack's funeral, knowing deep down that he will remain on the Island for the rest of his life.