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BBC MUNDO RADIO
Mystery solved! Sorta. We now know that the numbers in the all-important Valenzetti Equation each stand for a potential Jacob replacement. Who should get the gig? Doc Jensen and Co. weigh in
CANDIDATE NAME: Locke
NUMBER: 4
MOST LIKELY: John Locke
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: He loved the Island, believed it was his destiny to be there, and can handle a diet of boar meat and palm frond water.
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Easily manipulated by anti-Island smoke monster and can be easily distracted with button pushing. If his father should pop up as a ghost, he might get flustered. Or crippled. Oh, and he's dead. —Jeff Jensen
CANDIDATE NAME: Reyes
NUMBER: 8
MOST LIKELY: Hugo ''Hurley'' Reyes
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: He's got faith plus driving skills, both capably expressed when he magically revived the dead Dharma bus in season 3. That ''I see dead people'' super power is pretty handy, too. And let's face it: the Island — with all its hydrogen bombs and smoke monster madness — is sorely in need of a leader able to deliver a humorous quip or two.
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: His sheer size might make it difficult for him to become adept at escaping Smokey's grasp. Also, might be averse to working with Numbers. —Kate Ward
CANDIDATE NAME: Ford
NUMBER: 15
MOST LIKELY: James ''Sawyer'' Ford
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: As a confidence man, Sawyer has an ability to swiftly take the measure of someone which would come in handy when judging a person's intentions with the Island. Plus, deep down, he's a real softie.
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: That softie is really deep down; usually, Sawyer just looks out for Sawyer, a trait Juliet's death only seems to have magnified. —Adam B. Vary
CANDIDATE NAME: Jarrah
NUMBER: 16
MOST LIKELY: Sayid Jarrah
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: Simply put, he's a badass who gets the job done, thanks to his military background and all-around MacGyverness. (Modify a hydrogen bomb right now? Done! What else you got?)
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Ever since he came back to life after being drowned in the Temple's magical-yet-malfunctioning spring, something's a little off about this dude. And his torture tactics couldn't have pleased the (seemingly) pacifistic Jacob. —Dan Snierson
CANDIDATE NAME: Shephard
NUMBER: 23
COULD BE: Jack Shephard?
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: He's a natural born leader who can make hard decisions for good of the group. And he's a healer by profession, surely a plus in the eyes of touchy-feely Jacob.
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Ummm, he led the charge to blow up the Island? We're pretty sure that doesn't fall under the category of protecting it. —D.S
CANDIDATE NAME: Shephard
NUMBER: 23
OR COULD BE: Christian Shephard?
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: He enjoys the Island so much, he came back from the dead just to wander around it. And to spend time with kids Jack and Claire.
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Might flake off if the kids leave. His preference for cloistered, shadowy locales (Jacob's cabin, the frozen donkey wheel cave) suggests discomfort with more outdoorsy aspects of the job. Also, he actually might be Smokey in disguise. P.S.: Boozer. —J.J.
CANDIDATE NAME: Kwon
NUMBER: 42
COULD BE: Jin Kwon?
WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: He's an expert fisherman, which means he can survive well during long stays in sequester at the Four Toed safehouse. He's had mobster goon training and is pretty kick-ass at martial arts, so he can fend off potential invaders/exploiters. He has great familiarity with the Island from his days as a Dharma security guard, and he's seen Smokey at his arm-ripping worst, so not easily Monster-spooked. Can swim. And if sperm count is an issue, no worries: Jin is now fully loaded!
WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Won't take the job unless wife and child are part of the deal. —J.J.
CANDIDATE NAME: Kwon
NUMBER: 42
OR COULD BE: Sun?
WHY SHE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: She's an expert gardener, which means she, too, can survive and thrive during long stays in sequester at the jungle cabin. She can be ice-cold ruthless if need be and ain't afraid of Charles Widmore, so she can go toe-to-toe with him should Chuck show up with merc muscle and go Grenada on her. At the same time, she's proven capable of working well with Others — namely (and especially) Ben Linus. And she has great familiarity with both the main Island and Hydra Island from her many, many, many episodes searching for Jin.
WHY SHE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: Won't take the job unless husband and child are part of the deal. Also, not a dude, which might be a deal-breaker given chauvinist boys' club nature of Island power-playing. —J.J.
CANDIDATE NAME: Kwon
NUMBER: 42
OR COULD BE: Ji-Yeon?
WHY SHE SHOULD BE THE NEXT JACOB: She was conceived on the Island, so she's most likely spiritually attuned to it. Her parents will be able to teach her their respective skills sets, turning her into, like, Super-Kwon! And it might be nice to have a young, idealistic female perspective guiding the Island for a change, don't you think?
WHY SHE SHOULDN'T BE THE NEXT JACOB: There's an immediate need for leadership, and at 3-years-whatever old, Ji-Yeon is simply too young. Also, she's been getting spoiled rotten by moneybag mobster couple Grandma and Grandpa Paik, so she's probably been corrupted by their worldly, materialistic values, if not turned into a tub of cookie-fattened kid lard because Grandma Paik is such an aces baker, thus rendering Jin-Sun spawn ill-equipped for jungle adventuring. Besides, she probably won't make a move without her future soul mate: Aaron. [Editor's note: Grandma Paik's alleged baking skills aren't canon.] —J.J.
CANDIDATE NAME: ??
NUMBER: ??
HEY JACOB, WHY DOESN'T KATE AUSTEN GET A NUMBER?
WHY JACOB SHOULD CONSIDER HER: She's scrappy, resourceful, an eagle-eyed tracker, and relentlessly pursues getting what she wants.
WHY HE PROBABLY LEFT HER OFF THE LIST: The wish (or command) that Jacob shared with Kate when she was just a girl: ''Be good, Katie.'' Yeah, she didn't so much live up to that, huh? —A.B.V.
