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The Rules & What They Died For by Alexander

Well, this is my first theory but I guess I'll just get into it.

The infamous rules: We've been hearing about them since sometime way back in season 3 (season two, even?) and yet with only the finale to go we still have no clue what they are! Y'know why? Because they don't exist. That's right there aren't really any rules. Well, at least that's my theory.

From the time Mother stole Jacob and MIB from Claudia until they were thirteen, the boys had absolutely no contact with anyone else. So, from the time they were young, Mother drilled these "rules" into their heads and the boys ate it up. I hate to use this analogy but it works, I think. It's like children who have abusive parents but think everything's "the way it's supposed to be." It's because they don't know anything else. That's all they've seen. By the time, Jacob and MIB meet some one else, they're young adults (I know, I know, not by today's standards but on that Island--at thirteen you're a man). At that point Mother's rules would have been drilled REALLY deep into their heads.

So, for 2,000 years these men have been playing by a set of rules they only perceive to exist. There's nothing actually keeping them from hurting each other other than the fact they don't believe they can. I think the writers have even alluded to this. Between Jacob pummeling MIB when they were young to his "death" at the hands of Jacob. Also, they seem to be hinting at it with Backgammon. Why do the rules of a game work? Because we believe we HAVE to play that way. (Since I don't know jack about Backgammon, I'll use Checkers) It's like if you're playing Checkers and rather that moving diagonally, you move vertically. There's nothing to actually stop you from doing it other than the notion that it's against the rules. Hell, if your opponent agreed you could actually play an entire game this way.

I firmly believe that had MIB grabbed that knife, walked into the foot and shoved it into Jacob's chest he would've died just as he did when Ben did the stabbing.

There are a few sore points to this:

1) Jack and Richard in the Black Rock: Well, you DID have two of Jacob's most important people in one spot, maybe he intervened. That or maybe the dynamite actually did fizzle. It was old. That would actually work well with the theme of "Don't mistake coincidence for fate" that we keep hearing repeated.

2) The bomb in the sub: To this, I simply say that the writers left it intentionally ambiguous as to whether that bomb would have exploded if Sawyer had left it alone. Maybe Jack was right when he said that MIB killed them, not Sawyer.

3) Off-Island Michael when Tom found him: This one I have to most problem with because that gun DIDN'T go off and the car crash didn't kill him. Also, Tom seemed to know that it wouldn't, but then again, he would've been indoctrinated into Jacob's Rules (I'll elaborate on this) being an Other. Honestly, I can't do much better than with my first argument about the dynamite--maybe the gun jammed. Fate VS coincidence?

The rules of the Others would simply be an extension of the rules Jacob and MIB believe to exist and the Others follow them because, well, you listen to a guy that's immortal. The Others DO seem less convinced of the Rules--like when Ben more or less says "Screw it!" after Keamy kills Alex.

By now, I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with what they died for. Well, if Jacob FIRMLY believes he cannot kill his brother (or whatever's left of him) then he needs some one else to do the job. If Jacob hadn't been brainwashed by Mother, this thing could've ended a long time ago and Jack never would have had to drink the magic Kool-aid. Jacob owns up to his fault in last night's episode and if he knew he were capable, I think he'd clean up the mess himself but he doesn't think he's able to. Yet, he knows it has to be done, so he's bringing in outside help.

Obviously Jacob is immortal, but that has to do with the Kool-aid, probably something about consuming more of the light. Hence why Richard's now immortal after Jacob gave him a sip in Ab Aeterno.

 
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