Is Juliet dead?

There is no evidence that Juliet is dead. After all, no one died when the Swan station left a 30 foot crater in the ground. On the contrary, we found Des running around naked. Perhaps Juliet will show up next season naked as well. Added to that, the writers told us one of our loved characters will die. Ummm. It could be argued that's Locke.

There is no evidence that the bomb actually went off. Perhaps the electro magnetic field just finally burst, as in the Swan Incident. On the contrary, the bomb was rigged to blow up on impact, but it didn't. That would mirror why Walt's gun wouldn't work, and if it's true, means even Juliet's pounding didn't set it off.

There is no evidence the Locke, Des, Ecko Swan incident pushed anyone into the future. Although they did take a day to be found, and who knows what happened then; they could easily have flashed somewhere and eventually returned. After all Des was naked:) So we have too few facts to predict where the present Swan situation will take the Losties.

Until Season 6x1 comes along, I'm not sure what we saw in the Finale.

Finally, I was non plussed by the Darlton's use in the Finale of romance to drive actions of huge significance. While we are all aware that love plays a significant role in everyone's life, I find it unreasonable and out of character that either Juliet or Jack would make incredible decisions affecting everyone on the island because of it.

The Incident and WHH

PREMISE

The Finale leads me to WHH. Changing the past would make a mockery of Jacob / free will. Mulligans and do overs are not allowed. This is also the reason Jacob refuses to interfere in island goings-on. Only Dark interferes with dead bodies and Smoke Monsters.

OBSERVATIONS

1. When Locke didn't push the button in "Live together, Die Alone", the ensuing Swan blast left a 30 foot crater in the ground and yet no one died, even those folks at the epicenter of the blast. For over a day, Locke, Des, and Ecko were missing. Charlie went nowhere, but he didn't die either. Des was found naked (What's up with that?) Locke could not speak, and Ecko was being dragged by a polar bear. The smoke monster eventually killed him, for reasons we now know.
2. Walt couldn't commit suicide. His gun wouldn't fire. Likewise, the bomb was set to detonate on contact, but did not explode even after falling from a great height.
   
3. We saw Jacob touch Locke, Kate, Yin and Sun, Sawyer, Hurley. They all ended up on the island.
   
4. The janitor in front of Faraday's office told us he was working on the effect radiation had on memory retention during time travel. Let's assume he was genius enough to figure it out.
5. The DI may well be the first time in island history where regular island visitors come without being invited by Jacob.

QUESTIONS (estimated chance of 'yes'):

1. Did Ecko, Des, and Locke travel somewhere else we have yet to see, before ending back in their present? After all, Des was naked. If so, no one has memory of it. (90%)
   
2. Did Charlie not 'go' anywhere because he wasn't chosen / touched by Jacob, even though he survived the horrible blast? (80%)
3. After TT in the Swan Blast, did EM eventually return the chosen 3 to their present? (90%)
   
4. Did they live because Jacob touched them? Further, if you're touched by Jacob, can you die on the island at all? Remember, Locke was killed on the mainland. All island attempts failed. (10% Jacob's touch brings you to the island, nothing more)
   
5. Does the special nature of the EM blast ensure your survival? (90%)
6. Did Jughead in fact remain inert? Walt's gun refused to work... Jughead was set to go off on impact but did not. Perhaps Juliet did not spark the bomb because she couldn't. (80%)
   

THEORIES REGARDING THE FINALE

1. Like the Swan disaster, we suspect they have other experiences during the Swan blast (e.g., perhaps Kate will return naked).
2. It is possible they will not ultimately flash in time. The Swan survivors all returned to their time. It could also be interpreted that the Swan survivors all returned to their present. In the Finale, if the Swan blast returns people to their present, that will mean 2007 on the island. Their memories will be intact. The island, as usual, repairs various wounds, some faster than others depending on your faith.
   
3. The addition of Jughead appears to add a variable. I am discounting it for now due to WHH reinforced by Walt's gun.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Here's the big kicker. It is during the flashes elsewhere immediately after the blasts, both of them, that saving the TL and Jacob is accomplished. After all, there are two Lockes, and ATL doesn't do that.
2. Locke is part of the solution after all. Dark told him he couldn't do something:)