It's been said on the show that Jacob is the protector of the Island. But like MIB said, why does the Island need protecting?

Is it because the Island can be moved through time and space?

Is it because the Island can be sunk?

Some have posted that the Island should be the bottle, and Jacob the cork - and I do see Jacob as the "gate keeper" of sorts.

But it's not like smokey was able to leave immediately after Jacob's death.

I'd like to hear ideas.

Same reason Dogan was needed to keep Smokey out of the temple?

OMG, you're right! The island sunk in alt and that probably means that the gennie is out of the bottle! HUGE mistake! They all might be better off but the world isn't!

The island must be the prison and Jacob the prison-keeper. Why not just walk away and throw away the key? Smokey is inventive. With Jacob gone he will find a way to leave. And I have an obscure notion that light and dark must balance each other on the island.

All I can think of is the "rules." There are specific protocols that Jacob and the MIB are bound by.

Good point about Dogen. The ash didn't seem to inhibit Smokey from entering the temple once Dogen was slayed.

Perhaps Smokey will need to do something to the island in order to finally leave. How do you make an island disappear?

What about the sonar fence? How did THAT manage to keep smokey out?

Interesting correlation to Dogen and the ash. Jacob could be the "energy" or "force" that allows the Island/cork to do it's job in containing Smokey/evil.

If we consider the Island the walls of the prison, then yes, you need a prison guard to keep the walls intact.

And yes, my first thought last night was that everyone, and I mean all of humanity, is screwed in Universe B. I said a while back I thought the "End of Days" was coming in Universe B, and it seems more probable now. Unless, rather than escaping, Smokey/evil sunk with the Island and is forever trapped.
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What about the sonar fence? How did THAT manage to keep smokey out?

Scientifically I'd say that sound waves compress air, and the air is so compressed that Smokey particles can't get through it, at least not without becoming jacked.

OMG, you're right! The island sunk in alt and that probably means that the gennie is out of the bottle! HUGE mistake! They all might be better off but the world isn't!

The island must be the prison and Jacob the prison-keeper. Why not just walk away and throw away the key? Smokey is inventive. With Jacob gone he will find a way to leave. And I have an obscure notion that light and dark must balance each other on the island.

So would that mean the show ends with all of humanity dying? That would suck! For humanity I mean.

Some have posted that the Island should be the bottle, and Jacob the cork

This seems like a much better analogy to me, but perhaps we should thing of it this way:

A cork only stops the bottle if no one can pull it out. Corks aren't that difficult to remove. There has to be someone there to prevent the MiB from simply un-corking the bottle.

As we have seen, even with Jacob dead, the MiB is still wandering around the Island, he hasn't simply been able to vacate the Island right away.

There has to be some reason he is gathering recruits and is still on the Island.

Same reason Dogan was needed to keep Smokey out of the temple?

The only thing i can come up with is the knife....how Dogan ended up with Smokey's knife?:confused:
Did jacob gave it to him?

So would that mean the show ends with all of humanity dying? That would suck! For humanity I mean.

I hope not, they still have a chance to get their act together on island. :biggrin:

And since you asked, I really couldn't fathom the ending right now. Say someone - *cough* Jack *cough*, replaces Jacob and reinstates law and puts MIB back into "prison"... it seems like such a flat ending. What about ALT? The universe course-corrects and then what?! No cataclism at all?! So to answer your question, all humanity dying is just not out of the realms of possible in my opinion. Can't possibly imagine what the big finale will bring.

This seems like a much better analogy to me, but perhaps we should thing of it this way:

A cork only stops the bottle if no one can pull it out. Corks aren't that difficult to remove. There has to be someone there to prevent the MiB from simply un-corking the bottle.

As we have seen, even with Jacob dead, the MiB is still wandering around the Island, he hasn't simply been able to vacate the Island right away.

There has to be some reason he is gathering recruits and is still on the Island.

I agree, The island metaphorically is a cork to keep MIB in the bottle, and Jacob is on the island to make sure the bottle stays corked. TPTB could have easily described the relationship more literally as a prison where the MIB is the prisoner, the Island is the cell and Jacob is the guard. I'm pretty confident Its nothing more than a metaphor and should not be taken to mean anything more.

OMG, you're right! The island sunk in alt and that probably means that the gennie is out of the bottle! HUGE mistake! They all might be better off but the world isn't!

The island must be the prison and Jacob the prison-keeper. Why not just walk away and throw away the key? Smokey is inventive. With Jacob gone he will find a way to leave. And I have an obscure notion that light and dark must balance each other on the island.

But if the prisoner is destroyed, then you would no longer need the prison.

I hope not, they still have a chance to get their act together on island. :biggrin:

And since you asked, I really couldn't fathom the ending right now. Say someone - *cough* Jack *cough*, replaces Jacob and reinstates law and puts MIB back into "prison"... it seems like such a flat ending. What about ALT? The universe course-corrects and then what?! No cataclism at all?! So to answer your question, all humanity dying is just not out of the realms of possible in my opinion. Can't possibly imagine what the big finale will bring.

Why can't it just be the End of Days in Universe B - leaving us only with Universe A, where someone - *cough* Sawyer *cough*, replaces Jacob and puts MIB back in check?

This seems like a much better analogy to me, but perhaps we should thing of it this way:

A cork only stops the bottle if no one can pull it out. Corks aren't that difficult to remove. There has to be someone there to prevent the MiB from simply un-corking the bottle.

As we have seen, even with Jacob dead, the MiB is still wandering around the Island, he hasn't simply been able to vacate the Island right away.

There has to be some reason he is gathering recruits and is still on the Island.

from what I get from Jacob's words is that the Bottle is Hell, the air surrounding the bottle is US, our world, Smokie is the Wine and the island the cork....

It is pretty clear, actually....

Why can't it just be the End of Days in Universe B - leaving us only with Universe A, where someone - *cough* Sawyer *cough*, replaces Jacob and puts MIB back in check?

Because Sawyer is a cop and not a jailkeeper? :p

As for if you destroy the prisoner, you don't need the keeper anymore, you'd think if that was possible - or desireable - Jacob would have managed to do it by now... But I don't think that destroying evil for good is a solution. There is a balance that must be maintained. Bits of darkness in the world, in people is a necessity :rolleyes:

Well we are seeing two Jacks, two Sawyers, etc.

Are there two Men in Black, one in each universe?

Doesn't it only end twice (now)?

So would that mean the show ends with all of humanity dying? That would suck! For humanity I mean.

I don't know about the show ending that way, but the possibility of the end of humanity seems to play a role in the story. There have been many allusions to the island as the fountain of youth, or eternal life, and the whole Valenzetti equation thing is a formula for extending the life of humanity.

But what a way to end a show, by wiping out all of humanity. That would actually be kind of awesome. It's always a happy ending where everyone is saved. I like the idea of humans being erased from existence and then <boom> Lost.

As for if you destroy the prisoner, you don't need the keeper anymore, you'd think if that was possible - or desireable - Jacob would have managed to do it by now...

It was desirable and possible for the MIB to kill Jacob, and yet it appears to be more complicated then that.

I think its the pocket of energy thats keeping smokey anchored to the island

This seems like a much better analogy to me, but perhaps we should thing of it this way:

A cork only stops the bottle if no one can pull it out. Corks aren't that difficult to remove. There has to be someone there to prevent the MiB from simply un-corking the bottle.

As we have seen, even with Jacob dead, the MiB is still wandering around the Island, he hasn't simply been able to vacate the Island right away.

There has to be some reason he is gathering recruits and is still on the Island.

I agree, MIB is capable of removing the cork as was symbolized when he smashed and broke the bottle after Jacob gave it to him to "pass the time". Jacob does have a sense of humor sometimes.

MIB has to kill all the candidates before he can leave the island. He can't leave any "good' on the island. Or, he has to find out who "the" candidate will be Jacob's replacement and manipulate someone to kill him.

Maybe that's why MIB needs recruits. MIB can't kill a candidate directly much the same as MIB needed to manipulate Ben to kill Jacob.
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I think its the pocket of energy thats keeping smokey anchored to the island

Well, if the island is a cork, then it must be plugging up that pocket of energy which connects to similar pockets all over the world.

MIB has to kill all the candidates before he can leave the island. He can't leave any "good' on the island. Or, he has to find out who "the" candidate will be Jacob's replacement and manipulate someone to kill him.

If the MIB's only remaining task to freedom was to kill all of the candidates, why would he save Sawyer from falling off the cliff? Why go around trying to recruit people to his side? Why stop Claire from killing Kate?

There seem to of been many ways he could of disposed of the candidates already, yet he has chosen not to.

I think there is more to it than that.

But what a way to end a show, by wiping out all of humanity. That would actually be kind of awesome. It's always a happy ending where everyone is saved. I like the idea of humans being erased from existence and then <boom> Lost.

I agree. I don't want a happy ending....

However, they still have 2 universes to show 2 different outcomes. I completely agree that one of them is doomed because of the MiB.
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MIB has to kill all the candidates before he can leave the island. He can't leave any "good' on the island. Or, he has to find out who "the" candidate will be Jacob's replacement and manipulate someone to kill him.
I think you are onto something there...

that will mean that is Lostie against Lostie at the end. The question is who are they?

What would be more shocking?

Kate killing Jack?

Kate killing Sawyer?

Jin killing Sun?

Claire killing Aaron?

Sawyer killing Jack?
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this might make no sense at all, but I just have to say it:


what if, what if, what if THE candidate is....


MiB himself!


He doesn't know it yet, of course, but Jacob has for a very long time.


The idea behind this crazy though comes from the now popular theory that Aaron is actually the MiB who time travel to the past and there he become the smoke monster....

So what if Aaron is the candidate?

the problem with this idea would be that MiB should remember that he is the candidate, unless that happened in the alternate timeline.....

Or he might not know that he IS Aaron......