The episode began with the delivery of some precious cargo. Christian Shephard, whose body has been MIA (both on the Island, and in the flashsideways) was delievered to what appeared to be The Lampost church during a musical montage featuring many of the characters. Desmond and Kate were on hand to see the body being delievered. Kate really doesn't show much interest, and wants to know why she's here. Desmond tells her that no one can tell her why she is in this place. He tells her that even though she doesn't realize it, she is his friend and he wants to leave. Kate wants to know what this means, and Desmond decideds to show her.
*WOOSH* On Island, Jacob is now gone, and Jack is the protector of the Island. Jack tells his freinds that he has to protect The Heart of The Island. If the Man in Black puts out The Source, then everyone will die. Sawyer guesses that Flocke needs Desmond to put out The Source, so they have to get Desmond before Flocke does. Sawyer sets out to get him, while everyone else heads to the bamboo forest.
*WOOSH* Sayid and Hurley are parked in the Motel parking lot where they had their adventures in Season 5, off-Island. Sayid doesn't remember anything. Hurley goes to one of the rooms and finds a drunk Charlie. After Charlie turns down playing at the concert even though Hurley says "It's the most important thing you will ever do", Hurley tranqualizes him. Hurley's going to take him to the concert now.
*WOOSH* Sawyer watches Flocke and Ben as they all find out that Desmond is not in the well. Someone else has let him out. But Flocke is curious as to why Sawyer is there. Sawyer tells him he was going to rescue Des from Flocke, who wants to use Des to destroy the Island. Flocke admits to this, but plans to leave before destroying it and Jacob's Candidates. But Sawyer tells him there are no more Candidates, but a new protector of the Island. Flocke is surprised, but doesn't go after Sawyer when he leaves. Instead he plans to go find Desmond. Ben is surprised about the destruction of the Island, for Flocke promised him he could have it. But, it is evident later that Ben never believed Flocke at all. Still, as the two leave, they come across dog prints.
It turns out Rose and Bernard rescued Des and brought him to their "house". They told him about traveling from '77 to 2007 when "the sky lit up". They want to serve him breakfast, but after that he must leave because they don't get involved anymore. Rose and Bernard don't want any drama. But it's a little too late. Flocke comes strolling in with Ben, and threatens to kil Rose and Bernard and "make it hurt" if Des refuses to come with him. Rose says Des doesn't have to go anywhere with Flocke, but Des agrees to go if he won't touch them. Desmond says he will do whatever he wants. As they leave, Ben's walkie makes a sound.
It's Miles trying to communicate with him. He found Richard Alpert, (thankfully) alive. Richard checks to see if Miles stil has the C4, and tells him that they need to go to Hydra Island to blow up that plane to keep the Man in Black from leaving.
*WOOSH* Miles is seen at the setup for the concert when he sees Sayid there as well. He calls Sawyer and tells him and notifies that the captives never made it to prison. He suggests Sawyer go to the hospital to protect Sun, the one witness to the crime. And he takes that advice.
At the hospital, Juliet comes in to check Jin and Sun's baby. While performing the sonogram, Sun has a memory flash and remembers Juliet doing the same thing to her on The Island. Jin also has memory flashes. Jin and Sun remember everything that happened to them, and remember their deaths. In the first really emotional part of the Finale, Jin and Sun cry with joy. Juliet just believes that they're happy to see the baby, and asks if they want to know what sex the baby is. In perfect English, Sun replies, "It's a girl". Jin then adds, "Her name is Ji-Yeon".
*WOOSH* On the Island, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, and Kate finally come face-to-face with Ben, Desmond, and Flocke. Kate angrily starts shooting at Flocke shouting, "You killed them!" although it does no good. Flocke suggests he save the bullets and stop shooting. He then walks up to Jack and asks "So, it's you", adding that he is surprised at Jacob because it seems like the obvious choice, though Jack says he volunteered for the duty. Flocke assumes Jack is there to stop him, but Jack says he wants to go with him to The Source. Jack is there to protect the Island and keep Flocke from destroying it. Instead, he's going to kill him. Flocke says only one person will be right, and we have to wait to see who is.
*WOOSH* Jack prepares Locke for surgery. They talk a little, and Locke wonders if they ever found his father. Jack tells Locke he got a call from Oceanic this morning, and he is being shipped home. Locke hopes this will give him peace, but Jack tells him the only way he will be at peace is if he fixes him. Out in the hall, Jack runs into Juliet- David's mother! She is there to take David and Claire to the concert while Jack performs the surgery. David and Juliet leave together.
*WOOSH* As Miles and Richard prepare to go to Hydra Island in an outrigger, Miles finds something surprising: Richard has his first grey hair. Richard is emotional after realizing he is beginning to age again. He tells Miles that he wants to live. As they paddle over to Hydra Island, they come across a very much alive Frank Lapidus. They rescue him, give him water, and Frank convinces them to not blow up the plane. Instead, they can fix it and get the hell out of there.
On the Main Island, the group comes across the opening to the bamboo forest. Flocke suggests that only Jack, Desmond, and himself should continue on. Hurley goes up to Jack and says, "I believe in you, dude". And with that, they leave as Flocke comments on the bad storm approaching.
*WOOSH* Sayid and Hurley are once again seated in the car, but this time in a dark alley. Hurley tells Sayid that he thinks he is a good guy, despite what people may have told him. This appears to be put to the test when a a man is getting beat up. A woman comes begging for the attacker the stop beating his brother, but is pushed down by the attacker. Without thinking, Sayid runs to the resuce. After taking care of the attacker, Sayid rushes to the woman who is revealed to be Shannon(!). When they touch, they too have a memory flash of everything that happened to them on the Island and imediately start kissing. Boone then comes over to Hurley commenting on the beating lasting a little too long and the trouble it was getting Shannon here from Sydney. But they both agree it was worth it, and then decided to let them have a moment togethere before they all leave.
*WOOSH* Miles is able to reach Ben and he tells them not to blow up the plane. Miles says Lapidus is going to fly the Ajira plane off the Island, so everyone needs to get there now. But his meassage is interuppted by gunshots. Claire comes out, and is worried that Flocke sent them to kill her. When they insist they are just trying to leave, Claire doesn't believe them. Claire doesn't want to leave.
As Flocke finally reaches the stream, Desmond tells Jack that none of this matters, for he saw a place where they were free from the Island, and when he goes down into the light he'll be in a place where everyone is alive again. He tells him that he believes the Jack he saw on Oceanic 815 was happy, and the plane never crashed. Desmond wants to change it. But Jack has already tried and learned tha there are no do-overs; whatever happened, happened.
Flocke secures a rope to a tree and ties Des to it. Jack and Flocke lower him down into the hole where The Source is. Flocke comments on how it's like old times- Des in a hole in the ground, and if there was a button they could argue about pressing it. Jack angrily disagrees, stating that The Man in Black is not John Locke and disrepects his memory by posing as him. Jack states that Locke turned out to be right about everything, and regrest not telling him this when he was alive. Flocke disagrees, saying John Locke was wrong about everything and is going to prove it to him when the Island is at the bottom of the ocean. Suddenly, the rope goes slick as Des reaches the bottom of the hole. Flocke and Jack stare down into the hole, and the camera slowly goes down the hole, in a nice throwback to the Season 1 finale when Jack and Locke stared into the Hatch.
*WOOSH* Juliet recieves a message and has to go back to the hospital. She leaves David and Claire to enjoy the concert. She has to go back to the hospital. And once there, something very emotional happens.
*WOOSH* The Heart of the Island is revealed to contain a large pool where the very strong light emerges. Around it are ancient carvings and structures, as well as many skeletons of people who have long been dead. The light is brightest in the center, where a long object is placed. Desmond wades into the pool as it begins to grow brighter and brighter. From above, Jack and Flocke hear his screams as he wades. Desmond reaches the large stone and has trouble removing it. He finally is able to, and we see that the stone is carved with cuniefom, and ancient form of writing from Mesopotamia, showing that the Island was first inhabited around 5000 BC. The ancient people obviously knew the Island was important and constructed this place too keep the electromagnetic energy safe. That is why Jacob's Mother protected it; she is from a long line of people who lived on the Island to protect The Source. After lifting it, the water begins to drain and the light goes out. The bottom of the pool begins to grow red with molten activity, possibly connected to that darn volcano. Earthquakes begin to occur. From above, Flocke tells Jack that he was right. Desmond is also confused, as he believes he was supposed to travel to the flashsideways.
Flocke leaves, and Jack angrily follows him. Jack attacks Flocke, but something strange happens- Flocke starts to bleed. Jack realizes he was right, too, and can now kill The Man in Black. But before anything happens, Flocke knocks Jack unconcious and flees to the boat. Meanwhile, one of the tremors knocks a tree down and traps Ben. Surprisingly, everyone tries to help him.
*WOOSH* At the concert, Claire is surprised to be seated with Claire, and Claire is surprised to be seated with Kate and Desmond. Meanwhile, backstage, Charlie is woken by Charlotte. Charlie goes onstage to perform with Daniel (Faraday) Widmore, after a breif intro from an elder Pierre Chang. As Charlie begins to sing, he stops and stares at Claire. She stares back. But then, a contraction hits. She tries to find a bathroom, but stumbles backstage. Meanwhile, Eloise is angry at quite the "violation" that is occuring at her party. It's clear that Eloise knows whatever the hell is going on as she asks Des, "Once they know, then what?". Des tells her that they're leaving. When Eloise asks if he'll take his son, he responds, "Not with me, no".
Kate and Charlie find Claire backstage in labor, and Kate sends Charlie to get water and blankets. As Kate is coaching her through the labor, she sees the memomory flashes. She sees herself on The Island helping Claire deliver Aaron. Upon seeing Aaron, Claire also has a memory flash. Charlie then comes back to find an overjoyed Kate and Claire. As Claire takes his hand, he too has memory flashes of the events on the Island. Charlie is happy to be reunited with Claire and Aaron and they hug and hold each other. Kate looks up to see Des standing over them. She asks him, "Now what?".
*WOOSH* Jack awakens and runs after Flocke to where the ladder to Jacob's Cave is. As Jack catches up, Flocke turns and removes his knife and they both stand for a moment before charging after each other. The storm is full-blast now. The fight is hard and brutal. Flocke looses his knife for a moment as Jack tries to strangle him, but then plunges the knife into Jack's side. He then starts to cut Jack's throat in an oddly similar pattern as the cut in the flashsideways. The again, that gash in his side is similar to the "appendectemy scar" in the flashsideways. Flocke then tells Jack he's about to die for nothing. But a shot rings out. Blood tringles out of a hole in Flocke's shirt. Kate shot him with the bullet she saved. Jack climbs to his feet, but Flocke says she's too late. Jack then kicks Flocke down to his death as he smashes into the rocks below. The smoke monster has been defeated. The Man in Black is now... dead.
But the tremors don't stop.
*WOOSH* At the hospital, Locke wakes up after his surgery. Locke tells him the surgery worked. He is able to move his toes, and as he does, he witnesses a memory flash. He becomes very emotional and asks if Jack "saw it". Jack has a momentary memory flash but resists. Locke asks him to come with him, but Jack says he has to meet his son, to which Locke replies, "You don't have a son". Jack is upset and confused, and begins to leave. Before he exits, Locke tells him he hopes someone does for Jack what Jack did for him.
*WOOSH* The rain ceases and Ben, Hurley, and Sawyer join Jack and Kate. Jack realizes that whatever Des turned off has to be turned back on to save the Island. But if his plan doesn't work, everyone needs to be on the plane to leave. Kate begs Jack to come with them, but Jack knows his destiny is to stay. Ben gives Sawyer the walkie because he doesn't want to leave, and if the Island sinks, he is going down with it. Hurley also is with Jack. Jack tells Kate to get Claire on that plane. Sawyer shakes Jack's hand and thanks him for everything. Jack and Kate share a sad, tearful goodbye, for they both know this is the last time they will see each other. Jack and Kate kiss and profess their love for each other. Sawyer and Kate jump off the cliff to get to the boat to take them to Hydra Island. On Hydra Island, Frank, Miles, and Richard prepare the plane for flight and takeoff while there is still ground.
*WOOSH* Sawyer finds Jin and Sun, who are leaving the hospital. He offers his protection, but Sun declines, saying she doesn't need it. Jin adds, "we'll see you there". Sawyer then goes to a vending machine to get an Apollo Bar, but it becomes stuck. Juliet sees trouble, and shows him how to get it unstuck. As she hands him the bar, their fingers touch, and they each have a memory flash. They remember each other, and everything Juliet says mirrors what she said to Sawyer shortlet before she died in "LA X". Overwhelmed, they kiss and hold each other.
*WOOSH* Back on The Island, Jack, Hurley, and Ben go to The Source. Jack insists he will go down alone, and makes it clear he wil not survive the journey. Hurley becomes very sad, and says he will not let Jack die. Plus, Jack has a job to do. Jack tells Hurley that The Island needs him to protect it, and he believes in Hugo being the Protector. Hurley agrees, but only until Jack returns. Using an Oceanic water bottle, Jack performs the ritual (minus the incantation) and after Hurley drinks, Jack tells him "Now you're like me".
On Hydra Island, Kate find Claire sitting on the beach. At first, Claire doesn't want to leave because she doesn't want Aaron to see how crazy The Island made her. But Kate convinces her she'll help her, and they go to the plane. Sawyer, Kate, and Claire are able to flag down Lapidus before he leaves. They all climb aboard.
Back on the Main Island, Jack reaches the bottom of the cavern. He finds Desmond, and Desmond apologizes for everything. He says he will go, for the electromagnetic energy will kill him. But Jack tells him he has suffered enough. He tells him to go home to his wife and child. Jack then tells him, "I'll see you in another life, brother".
*WOOSH* Jack finally gets to the concert, but it is over. Kate is there and tells him how much she has missed him. They talk, and she touches his face. But Jack is taken aback again when he has the memory flashes. Jack doesn't understand what is happening, but Kate says he will if he comes with her.
*WOOSH* Jack is able to plug the hole after much struggling. But nothing happens- just yet. On Hydra Island, Lapidus is able to get the plan in the air and they soar over the Island. In the cavern, the water begins to flow again. Jack smiles as he is engulfed in bright light and water. When Hurley and Ben see the light, they begin to pull the rope up, and pull Desmond up. Hurley realizes that Jack is now gone. Ben comforts him by telling him he did his job. Hurley begins to doubt himself, but Ben says Hurley will do what he does best: take care of people. Hurley doesn't have to run the Island the way Jacob did it. Maybe there is a better way to run things. He can send Desmond home. Still, Hurley is worried, and asks Ben to be his "Number Two". Ben says he would be honored.
*WOOSH* At the Lampost church, Locke arrives in a cab and emerges in his wheelchair. Ben is sitting outside, and the two exchange greetings. Ben tells him most of "them" are inside. As Locke wheels in, Ben tells him he is very sorry of everything that he had every done to him, especially when he killed him. He was jealous of everything Locke had. Ben tells him he isn't going in, for he still has stuff to "work out". If it makes him feel better, Locke forgives Ben for everything. And it does make Ben feel better. Ben then tells him he doesn't need the chair anymore, and Locke emerges from it, and walks into the church. Just then, Hurley comes out of the church and Ben tells him he isn't going in. Before Hurley returns, he tells Ben that he was a really good "Number Two", to which Ben responds that Hugo was a great "Number One".
Jack and Kate pull up to the church. She tells him that she brought him here because this is where Jack was going to have his fathers funeral. He can go in through the side, and she'll be waiting for him, "ready to leave".
Jack goes inside. He find's Christian Shephard's coffin. He touches it, and he has another memory flash. He opens the coffin, and finds it empty. Christian is behind him. Jack wonders how his dead father could be here, and Christian wonders how his son could be here. Jack realizes he is dead, and is very emotional at this realization. Christian explains that he is real, Jack is real, everything that happened to him is real, and everyone in the church is real. They all created this place to find each other after they died. Everyone in the church is dead- some died before Jack, some long after him. The most important part of Jack's life was the time he spent with these people. Jack needed all of them, and they needed Jack. They needed to remember, let go, and "move on". Jack wants to know where, and Christian responds, "Let's find out".
At this point, there is only one last line spoken. The musicsl montage begins as Jack goes into the church and evryone is there. Rose. Bernard. Sayid. Shannon. Boone. Sun. Jin. Claire with baby Aaron. Charlie. Desmond. Penny. Libby. Hurley. Juliet. Sawyer. John Locke. Kate. They all begin to embrace each other and are happy they are finally reunited. John Locke speaks the last line of the show and tells Jack, "We've been waiting for you". After a time, they all take their seats in pews in a simialr seating arrangement as a plane. Christian walks down the asile, and after pausing at Jack, continues and opens the doors of the church. White light pours in over everyone, and they are all absorbed by light.
This emotional ending is mixed with Jack's final moments. He was washed out of the Source cavern, and walks around in pain. He passes through the bamboo forest, past the white sneaker hanging in a tree that we saw in The Pilot episode. He lies down in the spot he woke up after the crash. He hears a noise, and Vincent comes running over to him and lies down next to him, proving "Live together, Die alone". As he stares overhead, Ajira 316 is seen carrying his friends home.
He smiles. His eyes close.
The End.
