Smoky and the Others

[Thinker]

This kindof fell into place for me with the whole Jin and Danielle bit.

1) Smoky is a Guardian - maybe just for the temple, maybe for the island as a whole.

2) Smoky lives (or at least is based) at the Temple.

3) Smoky evaluates people, sets up tests for them. Some pass (and live), some fail (die).

4) Time and again, certain critical people have said words to the effect 'I did it for the island'. Ben and Locke being prime examples. Protecting the island against all intruders seems to be one of the things the 'Others' are consistent about: they murdered the US soldiers in the 50's, wiped out the Dharma initiative, and Ethan was out to kill anybody who might have survived the crash of the drug smugglers plane. The 'Others' also have what appears to be a self centered definition of 'Good' - until you realize that for them, 'Good' means preserving the island at all costs from all intruders.

5) This is the critical bit: of the French group, Danielle was the only one who did not decend into the smoke monsters lair. Later, she regarded her former crewmates as being diseased - yet a more accurate word would be 'possessed' - Smoky had turned her crewmates into 'Others' (defenders of the island). This carried with it an imperative: they had to either kill or convert everybody else (meaning Danielle). (also, last season, Ben speaks of the temple as a place for the others).

So what we have is a weird guardian creature (Smoky) that for whatever reason recruits select humans as ...assistants... to help it protect the island. It does so through what might be termed 'possession'. Some folks (Jacob, Richard Alpert) have been under Smokies control long enough to have attained some sort of special status.

Worth noting that some of the lostaways - particularly Locke - are also probably 'possessed' by Smoky, and at least to some extent would be inclined to act like the rest of the 'others'...eventually.

There also appears to be definite limits on just what Smoky and his
'special' agents cannot do: they cannot, for example assume direct control over the rest of Smokies people (though they can act as advisors), nor can they directly manipulate some of the islands most critical elements (like the 'wheel' that 'moves' the island). This inability to do certain manipulations is something of a source of frustration for the likes of Richard Alpert (he complained to Locke last season that Ben was concentrating his efforts on 'unimportant' things).

 

[plum]

5. = wooooah humdinger!

though the bit about Losties being possessed seems a bit far-fetched. I'm not sure about the rest of that, but I do think your observation about those who go to the temple becoming defenders of the island makes sense

 

[Nitron]

Maybe going in Smokey's lair immunizes people against time flashes?

 

[Thinker]

A few further observations:

There seems to be a bit of a hierarchy thing amongst the Others. Julliette was amongst the Others for three years, yet does not seem to have been to the temple. Likewise, Bens 'daughter' (Alex) was also ignorant of the significance of the temple, though she was born on the island. Then again, we have Tom and Ethan (if I remember right about him) who were downright fanatical about defending the island, but also had the ability to leave it if need be. So..for the more mundane 'Others'...

rank 1) Novice. A new recruit, or somebody with a special service to perform. With the others, but has not yet gone to the temple (and been possessed). This catagory would include Juliette and probably most of the captured lostaways from the tail section. (I would speculate that failing the 'final exam' for the novices would be fatal).

rank 2) Ordinary. An 'Other' who has been to the temple and who is possessed...but doesn't seem to have gotten much out of the package. Most of the 'Others' proper fall into this catagory.

rank 3) strawbosses and special agents. These are the Others who actually know something about what is really going on. Their 'benefits' include knowing how to leave the island and return under 'normal' conditions. Tom and Ethan fall into this catagory.

rank 4) da boss - whoever that is at the moment. It was Ben, but I suspect that with Ben gone and Locke currently deceased, some rank 3 Other who has been only barely mentioned so far is 'filling in'.

Besides this, we have the more mystical aspect: Richard Alpert, Jacks Father, and Jacob. This bunch supplies the ...religious motivation... for the Others but cannot assume direct control themselves. (Sort of like tribal shamen, actually).

I find myself wondering here: Ben, as `da Boss', but properly indoctrinated, should have had almost no tolorance for people being on the island who were not also 'possessed'. Yet he had a longstanding aid (Juilette) and a adopted offspring (Alex) who he cared very much about that were not possessed. Possibly he was trying to 'play games' of some sort with the 'spiritual' side of the Others...and he did seem to think that Jacob didn't like him very much. If he was resisting here, it is likely he was resisting elsewhere as well, which would mean that Richard and Jacob would be keeping an eye out for somebody who would be willing to take a stab at their pet projects.

---------

As to some of the Lostaways proper being possessed...

Locke knew there was something special about the island almost from the moment he arrived. Way back in Season I, he spoke about 'looking into the soul of the island' (more or less) which could be interpreted as a 'possession' experience. He certainly went to great lengths to keep people from leaving the island (disrupting Sayids early experiment with the radio, blowing up a Dharma station and a submarine, killing one of the boat people) plus he has demonstrated 'intuitive knowledge' that would be difficult to account for otherwise.

Hurly is another one that might be possessed...sort of. He was having regular conversations with dead lostaways (Charlie and Ecko) plus there was the whole 'numbers' thing, not to mention the 'Dave' thing. Granted this could be purely mental problems, but still...

One that is not possessed (probably) but likely will be before all is said and done is Jack. I suspect that what ever the spiritual side of the others wants done, has decided it will require *two* people to do it - one being Locke, the other being Jack. (yes, I suspect Locke will be coming back from the dead, more or less).