Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
After the submarine deaths, Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley look for Desmond. Jacob gathers them around a fire containing his ashes and explains that he chose people who were alone and unhappy. This time he offers a choice about protecting the island rather than imposing the role. Jack volunteers and drinks the water Jacob gives him, accepting responsibility for the light at its heart. At the Barracks, Miles flees and the smoke monster attacks Richard. Ben reveals where Widmore and Zoe are hiding. The Man in Black kills Zoe, threatens Penny and extracts information about Desmond before Ben shoots Widmore.
In the flash-sideways, Desmond beats Ben outside the school, provoking memories of an earlier encounter. Ben tells Locke that Desmond claimed he was helping him let go, and Locke decides to accept Jack's surgery. Alex and Danielle invite Ben to dinner, where Danielle thanks him for being a father figure to her daughter. Desmond turns himself in and joins Kate and Sayid in custody, then uses Hurley's help to arrange their release from a prison transport. He tells Kate they are going to a concert. On the island, Ben accompanies the Man in Black to the well and finds Desmond gone. The Man in Black announces that Desmond's resistance to electromagnetism can help him destroy the island.