Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
The Man in Black, still wearing John Locke's appearance, approaches Sawyer at the Barracks and offers to explain why he came to the island. Sawyer recognizes that this is someone else, but follows him despite Richard's warning. Their journey takes them past a mysterious boy who reminds the Man in Black about rules he must obey. They descend a cliff to a cave containing names and numbers. The Man in Black identifies the surviving names as candidates to replace Jacob, then presents Sawyer with a choice between accepting that responsibility and leaving. Sawyer agrees to join his attempt to escape the island.
The real Locke's body remains with Sun, Ben, Ilana and Lapidus. Before seeking safety at the Temple, they bury him at the survivors' graveyard, where Ben admits that he murdered him. The flash-sideways follows a living Locke returning to Helen after his unsuccessful Australian walkabout. Randy fires him for missing a work conference, but a chance meeting with Hurley brings a referral to a temporary employment agency. Rose urges him to seek a job he can realistically do rather than deny his limitations. Locke also admits the truth about Australia to Helen, who reassures him that she loves him. He starts work as a substitute teacher and meets history teacher Ben Linus.