For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.



Two sides.

One is light.

One is dark.

Blah, blah, blah.



I'm sure we have all read into this metaphor ad nauseum by now, but it seems to be the defining theme of the show - conflicting opposites.



By now we can assume this is a metaphor for Jacob and the temporarily named Esau AKA The Man in Black. Jacob wears white and appears to be inherently good, while Esau wears black and appears to be inherently bad. These colours are symbols of good and evil, whilst also representing yin and yang - a metaphor for their polar opposition as well as their co-existence, and even possibly their co-dependency.



But it is not just simple metaphor that I want to discuss. It is an altogether much more elaborate and larger theory in retrospect of the last five seasons.



We are talking games here. A game of chess will suffice to begin with. Two players. Two sets of pieces on a board. One is white. One is black.



The first player makes a move to further their postion on the board whilst enticing their opponent into making a strategic mistake. The second player makes a move to counteract his opponent’s first move whilst thinking five to eight moves down the line. The idea is; How will one single move lead to an eventual and inevitable checkmate?



In the game of chess you could argue that to be good at the game you need to be a good con man. To lull your opponent into thinking a move they made with one of their pieces was their idea to move it in the first place. But as Sawyer once said, “It’s not their idea, it’s your idea.” Making them believe that was their own choice is the con. And that is what Esau does so well; manipulating, deceiving and conning, where as Jacob tries to play more fairly by treating his chessboard pieces with more than just a mind for using them to make tactical moves.



He wants them to make moves on their own, out of their own choice.



Our Losties and indeed the entire Lost ensemble are these pieces. What Jacob’s endgame consists of is not entirely certain, but Esau seems to be lusting after power and control over the island. His endgame seems to be one that does not involve happy endings. For him, all of his chessboard pieces are pawns to get him where he wants to be in the game; the last piece standing on the board.



Many people have established that Jacob and Esau, whatever they really may be, are extreme opposites, but peers. Neither can kill the other. There are rules to this game, which they seem to be playing and have been engaged in doing so for a very long time.



Now I am going to get into the meat of my theory. So far, after five very good seasons of storytelling we have discovered that there are TWO main power sources on this island, seemingly made up of “unique” properties.



One source of great power is located beneath The Swan, or The Hatch as it is commonly referred to.



The second great power is located beneath The Orchid, behind the frozen wheel.



Both sources of power are located deep beneath the island.



Both powers are electromagnetic in origin, yet both have very different functions and purposes.



Here we go.



Jacob’s origin as an entity, or his source of power, is from the electromagnetic energy beneath The Swan. It is more powerful than The Orchid, according to Daniel Faraday anyway. It draws things to the island such as Oceanic 815 and perhaps even The Black Rock. It wants people to come to the island. Esau claims Jacob brought The Black Rock to the island and in a sense he did. Through the electromagnetic forces he is apart of beneath the surface of The Swan. The energy, or rather Jacob’s energy, under The Swan is powerful, unstable even, but ultimately used for good.



The Orchid is where Esau’s power or indeed Esau himself resides in some form. If you believe that he is the smoke monster then that explains why the smoke seeps out from a vent in the ground deep beneath the temple. The power of the Orchid/the wheel is used to keep people AWAY from the island. It moves the island in space and time to keep the corruption of mankind off its shores. This fits in with Esau’s philosophy. He does not want man to come there. To him the island is obviously above the worth of human beings and that people as a species are undeserving of it.



The Swan and The Orchid are opposite forces with extremely different intentions just like Jacob and Esau, but both are apart of the same energy. The same matter. Neither can destroy or negate the other.



Getting back to the chessboard; Esau said he needed a loophole in order to kill Jacob, and we assume he found it in John Locke, but really he found it in Ben Linus. Locke was apart of the con, but he wasn’t the primary manipulation. Ben was.



Ben’s cancer was not a freak. It was not given to him by Jacob. Esau was the one to give Ben cancer so that it would plant the seed of doubt in his faith in Jacob, and because he was thinking six to eight moves ahead of game; to give Ben a reason to kill Jacob further down the line. But just like a good opponent Jacob counteracted Esau’s move by bringing Jack Shepherd the spinal surgeon to the island that ultimately saved Ben’s life. He counteracted Esau’s move, whilst also thinking six to eight moves ahead in terms of Jack’s function and destiny on the island. To cure Ben's cancer was not Jack’s only purpose of course, but a pattern emerges throughout the show when watched back that all of the more unexplainable island events could be explained by the power struggle between Jacob and Esau, and their struggle for influence over the Losties.



One makes a move, the other makes a move to counteract. It’s a game, but with real people as the chess pieces.



Locke is an interesting character to look at now. Just like any other character he had freedom of choice because that is how Jacob wanted it. I no longer subscribe to the idea that Locke was conned from the moment he set foot on the island (pardon the pun). Perhaps it was not Esau’s power that healed Locke’s paralysis. Maybe that was really Jacob. But Esau found a way to manipulate Jacob’s chosen pieces. So he took away Locke’s feeling in his legs in Deus Ex Machina (the episode that I believe holds the key to the series) to get a particular outcome. Was that outcome Boone’s death? As Locke said himself, Boone's death set off a chain of events that led them to blow open the hatch, so perhaps that was Esau's desired consequence from the dream he gave Locke.



However, we must also remember that if it were not for these events then Locke would never have been at the hatch door pounding on it and that in turn would not restore Desmond’s faith that the outside world still existed. Without Locke up there to inadvertently get Desmond’s attention, the world may very well have ended there and then. The energy beneath the Swan is apart of Jacob, and maybe he drew Locke back to the hatch that night to prevent this. His counteracting move against Esau who gave Locke the dream of the plane in the first place.



As a side note; if Esau and the smoke monster are one and the same then I believe people get the dreams or visions on the island through the smoke monster actually being present over them while they dream. I think the smoke particles actually enter through the mouth or nose when a character is asleep and give the dreams directly in this way. Could this be one of the final smoke monster reveals? Notice how most of the dreams are not actually dreams, but nightmares. Claire and Locke’s dreams are disturbing for both of them. Sounds like Esau’s work to me. And speaking of dreams, who was giving Charlie's dreams in Fire + Water about Aaron being in danger. Jacob or Esau? And what was the significance of Aaron needing to be baptised? Will we ever know the answer to this? Possibly not.



Locke represents the idea of fate vs. freewill. He may have been a pawn, or a piece on a chessboard, but in the end he could have been a pawn for either side.



Light or dark.



Unfortunately, the moment he set foot in the cabin for the first time and heard the words “Help Me,” and believed them to be the words of Jacob, he began to be directly led astray by Esau, whose long con was also a very long shot that seems to have paid off. Yes, Esau may have manipulated Locke from very early on, before this event, but he asked John to help him. Even Ben believed this is where Jacob resided. Somehow Esau had convinced Ben that the cabin was still occupied by Jacob, which in turn convinced Locke. A long con. Why would a dead man a la Christian Shepherd need to “speak on Jacob’s behalf”???? I always found that strange and suspected "Christian" to have villainous motives.



There is a theory going around that there are two Christian’s. Good and Bad. One is possessed by Jacob and the other is possessed by Esau. I doubt this is the case. Christian is and always has been Esau. Always.



Think of it this way –



Esau possess the dead. Whether he is the monster or not, it doesn’t matter. Esau is the one making dead men tell tales. And they are always leading people to their deaths or judgement in some way. Even the on-island apparitions. First he was Christian, then he was Yemi (manipulating Eko to put Locke back on the path he needed him on). All the people who have died on the island, when seen, are most likely Esau using their actual bodies to meet his own ends. Leading Jack (the leader) to the cliff edge and almost to his death in White Rabbit, manifesting as Dave (Hurley’s imaginary friend) to try to lead him to his death, perhaps even Walt’s appearance to Shannon was Esau leading her to her death.



Yemi spoke the words to Eko “You speak to me as if I were your brother,” almost with contempt for Eko. And Eko’s response? “Who are YOU?” The very same response that became Michael’s last words on the freighter – “Who are you?” to Christian. Both of their deaths mirror the suspicion that they were both used. Michael in particular served a purpose and as soon as he was done, BOOM, he died. Whether he had a death wish is besides the point, the point is if Christian is always Esau then Michael died meeting Esau's ends.



So how does Jacob counteract/match Esau’s body possessions and manifestations? Well, I think all of the ghosts that Hurley sees are Jacob entities. They are good in nature and intent like the Charlie at Santa Rosa or the Ana Lucia by the roadside, or even the Libby telling Michael not to push the button to blow up the ship. Jacob manifests “ghosts” to give choices to the characters like “They need you,” or “Don’t do it Michael.” Never an order. Always a choice. Esau merely possesses corpses and masquerades as their previous identities. Esau may have their memories (much like Miles does when he communes with the dead) but he is not them. He is merely using their images to futher his own agenda. The ghosts that appear to Hurley are said to be blessings by Jacob himself. Perhaps they really are the ghosts of his friends?



It is unclear whether or not the Walt manifestations can be attributed to either party or even Walt himself. Whatever happened to that kid anyway? He used to be important. Let's hope he returns next year (it was the first Lost season finale ever that didn't feature an appearance by the elusive young man).



Anyway, major tangent walking I am going off on. The point is simple through all of the complexities of the story.



Jacob and Esau have their origins from the two powerful underground caverns –

Jacob – The Swan

Esau – The Orchid



IMPORTANT NOTE:

The smoke monster may not be Esau.



It may have originally been the island’s security system in that very basic sense, and it was always neutral to the battle between Jacob and Esau, but somehow Esau got it on his side and it became his tool of judgement. This is just as possible as Esau being the monster himself as we have never psychically seen the monster take the shape of anything other than black smoke. It has only been suggested OFF-screen. Perhaps, that is for a reason? Perhaps, the writers want us to jump to this as a conclusion. I don’t know, I’m just venting an idea there.



As for this war that Widmore was telling us that would be coming – the war between Jacob and Esau seems a safe bet as to what he was referring to. But, getting back to the long con idea – I don't believe Widmore was lying about the island needing Locke, nor was he lying that if Locke did not return to the island the wrong side was going to win. He meant all of this. It's just Widmore is not playing for the same side John was playing for.



Locke wanted to do good ultimately. He wanted acceptance, recognition and affirmation as a man. So yes he was used. Christian told him down in the frozen wheel cavern “That’s why they call it sacrifice” in reference to Locke saying he was told he was going to die, which we know now was by Esau himself (impostor Locke) via Richard. He was not offered the choice to die, he was told YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. It was a command.



There is a split belief system on the island. If Jacob commanded so many followers, surely Esau split the vote too. If they are both peers, then they would both be followed as separate “entities.” Esau is worshipped and followed just as much as Jacob, or perhaps, he USED TO BE worshipped in that way, but lost his following somewhere along the line. I still find it hard to believe Jacob would sign off on the mass killing of the Dharma folk. Widmore was still in charge and I believe he was doing Esau's bidding.



Charles Widmore is a believer in Esau. Richard Alpert is a believer in Jacob. Ben was always on the fence, whihc Esau manipuulated to meet his own ends. The Others have always been split by these two opposing forces. Widmore wanted Ben to kill a young Rousseau and her new born baby because like Esau’s philosophy – they do not deserve to be there on the island. People do not belong there unless they are "chosen." But it was not a choice Ben was given to kill Rousseau and Alex. It was an order. Finish the job the smoke monster started with her team. But Ben chose to save them. I suspect this is what happened to Henry Gale as well. Only he didn't get so lucky.



Now Widmore was apart of Esau’s long con, knowingly. When he said he sent the freighter and the mercenaries to the island to remove Ben Linus so that Locke’s time could come to pass as leader, he was half telling the truth. He wanted Ben gone, but he needed to send a boat load of trouble to provide enough of a reason for that frozen wheel to be turned. MOVING the island was apart of the long con, to make sure the record would come unstuck and that Impostor Locke could manipulate events in time by telling the Locke of the Past that he needed to die. To make sure Locke followed the pattern Esau wanted him to.



He posed as Christian Shepherd on numerous occasions to ensure this is what would happen. As long as Locke believed it was Jacob in that cabin he would follow his orders unequivocally. But as Illana pointed out Jacob had not used the cabin for a long time. Who else but Esau would want to pose as Jacob?



“You have to make them believe that it is their idea, but it’s not their idea, it’s your idea.” Remember these words. The Long Con episode set up this concept and continued the con-theme from Deus Ex Machina. It was not just a filler episode like we once thought. It was a demonstration of what was going to happen. It is one of the themes of the show.



Ben is a big part of Esau’s loophole. He pushed the wheel that moved the island. This made it possible for this loophole to be opened by making the record come unstuck. And since the frozen wheel taps into a large part of Esau’s power it gave him the freedom to skip the Losties through time to the exact points he chose. To change the course of events significantly enough to allow himself the chance to win this game, essentially by cheating.



But if Ben, by pushing the wheel, created the loophole or became the loophole Esau needed, then that would lead us to Desmond.



Desmond is Jacob’s loophole as he turned the key that destroyed the hatch, which unstuck him in time. This will be important in the final season. This is why Eloise Hawking told Desmond the island was not done with him. Because Jacob’s contingency rests with Old Desmondo just as much as it does with the Oceanic 6.



I won’t make full predictions for Season 6 based on my ramblings here as it is already highly convoluted, but I hope it makes enough sense to people and sheds some light on the details of seasons past. If any of this is on the right track of course. Which, knowing Lost, it probably isn't. I used to believe the smoke monster WAS the island and that the island was made up from its particles. That idea seems like a looooong time ago now.



For every move Esau made, Jacob counteracted and vice versa. The evidence for this is clear in retrospect and Locke’s story has a very interesting new reading when viewed again with all of this in mind.



To summarise best, in the scientific based words we are all probably accustomed to “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Cause and effect. Decisions and consequences. Light and dark. Good and evil. The Swan and The Orchid. Two players. Two potential outcomes.



But there will be only one checkmate come the end because as Jacob said “It only ends once." And what that ending may be is still unclear.



Thanks for reading.