Did Jacob really crown his successor last night?

Is this the last we've heard about Charles Widmore?

Might Ben have made a Sideways World love connection?

All these questions and more are on our minds, a day after Lost aired "What They Died For." Join in the TV Fanatic Round Table discussion on it now...

Will Jack end up as the island guardian?
M.L. House: No. This was an anti-climactic scene. Who wants to take my spot? Anyone? You sure, Jack? Sweet! Considering the entire basis for the show is who succeeds Jacob in this role, it seems like a stretch for it to be decided permanently, prior to the finale, simply because Jack basically raised his hand.

LJ Gibbs: Yes. I was hoping this would take place in a more dramatic scenario, but maybe that's because the island will soon be sunk and the position won't matter anyway. But it would be rather cheap for the show to depict this scene, and then turn around and give the job to someone else on Sunday.

Mr. Probst: It certainly won't be as easy as "sure, I'll do it," but ultimately Jack will end up as Jacob's successor.  However, he will not have to defend the island nearly as long.  Something, either good or bad, will happen that doesn't require a protector anymore.

Is Ben pulling a long con on MIB or has he gone evil again?
M.L. House: I've gone back and forth on this and (for) now say: no. I think the memory of Alex's murder, combined with the sight of Widmore, triggered the dark side of Ben once more. And why shouldn't it, really? From his end, he's been manipulated by Jacob and the island for decades. Wouldn't you rebel against it?

LJ Gibbs: Can I go with selfish con? I don't think he has the castaway's best interests in mind, but I also don't think he's on Smokey's side. As always, Ben is looking out for himself and trying to survive via manipulation.

Mr. Probst: Ben is definitely in long con mode.  He doesn't trust anyone anymore, so the solution is to pretend to gain valuable insight into what they're really up to.  It is the only way he can make a decision on what to do that's best for him.

Eulogize Charles Widmore.
M.L. House: My dear C Dubs, I could listen to you utter the name "Benjamin" in disgust for hours on end. You were a complicated man, but I never doubted your good intentions. I hope to learn even more about you in the two and a half hours ahead, but if I do not: rest in peace, you've earned a special spot on the Black Rock in the sky. Also, your daughter is very pretty.

LJ Gibbs: You have a really cool accent. XOXO, LJ.

Mr. Probst: Charles Widmore led a lonely life filled with difficult choices, but ultimately a life that was vital to our survival.  We may not have always agreed with the methods that he used to bring about the result that were necessary, but in his death we realize that Charles did what had to be done for the greater good.  Including subjecting Desmond to electromagnatism.

Should Sideways Ben ask for Sideways Rousseau's number?
M.L. House: It must be tempting, but Ben should resist until Alex leaves for college at least. If she lived at home, and the romance fell apart, it would be like losing her father all over again.

LJ Gibbs: Absolutely. I hear she's into guns, torture and tying people up. Sounds kinky!

Mr. Probst: If shoplifting the pooty is bad, would this be the opposite and therefore ok?  Even if it was morally acceptable, Dr. Linus would certainly lose his job if he got involved with Ms. Rousseau.  However, perhaps that's the kick in the butt he needs to "let go."

Heading into the finale, give us your best guess: How will the series conclude?
M.L. House: Smokey will succeed in destroying the island. That's why it's sunken in the sideways world. But Desmond will also succeed in waking up the castaways there, thereby defeating Smokey and the loveless, subtly evil universe his actions have created. The enlightened castaways will be imbued with the love, lessons and revelations learned on the island. They will spread this light throughout mankind. Also, Sawyer will meet Juliet for coffee.

LJ Gibbs: It seems less likely than when I first came up with it weeks ago, but I'll stick to this theory: Jack, as the new Jacob, and Ben, as the new MIB, will sit on the beach, look out at a boat and recreate the iconic scene between Ben and MIB from the fifth season finale.

Mr. Probst: Originally, I thought the castaways would somehow prevent their world from becoming the sideways world, but too many people have died for that to be the case.  What is left is to somehow alter their pseudo-enjoyable, seemingly love-free (except Jack and his son) sideways world so that they can be happy in it. 

Most of the characters in the sideways world have what they pined for in the island world, but seemingly lack something else.  Jacob chose the candidates because they had little positive in their life prior to island life.  In the sideways world, they all have plenty to stick around for, but lack something.  The island world will merge into the sideways world, but with all of the characters having a Desmond/Hurley-like revelation.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.