Im pressin charges…… where my du-rag at.

I personally get conflicted because I know that they COULD do some big flip twist thing on us and reveal that Jacob was ‘the bad guy’ now that the easier choice is to perceive him as the good guy.

But I also strongly believe that the tension that they could be building to isn’t so much about it only being about Jacob vs his Nemesis, or Jack vs Locke or Ben vs Widmore… we all have to debate and decide and CHOOSE what we think is right. (Just like AES’ ‘who would you follow?’ question.) So, that’s where the discussions will get passionate and interesting as people find evidence to support their line of thinking. That’s what I meant when I said about the Unholy Trinity post of mine…since I tend to think toward that line of thinking…then my mind easily goes to how it could work for Smokey and Nemesis to be the same. It doesn’t mean that it’s right, it also has yet to be proven wrong, but once I start going down that path of thought then I’ll probably find other things to support it. Just like you don’t think they are the same, I am sure you will come up with some great line of thinking as to why they aren’t. And then it will be fun and thought-provoking, for me at least, to consider all the options!

For as much as they have alluded to black and white all along, I think it was to groom us to believe that we have to choose a side…where perhaps the ultimate twist at the end is to undo that and say that black and white doesn’t ‘exist’ in this context of Lost. Who knows….

So far, I have mainly heard that everyone is connecting the smoke monster to Jacob’s Nemesis, and depicting Jacob as good, and his Nemesis as evil.

The writers are very clever, and I don’t think they are going to make things so black and white for the viewers.

After 5 seasons of Lost, they have at least taught me that!

I’m not trying to make you think they are the same. As you said, people are making the connections, but you don’t think it’s true. You think they are distinct.

I’m looking forward to hearing all the different ideas because we’re all trying to figure it out and finding clues/ideas to unpack it… Especially now that we’ve seen yet another ‘manifestation’ of a dead person but now it’s in the context of Jacob’s Nemesis.

We know the smoke monster is able to take on the form of anyone’s dead body. That tells me, they are not likely the same.

I did not say that Jacob’s touch would prevent the smoke monster from using their bodies, I said it would prevent Jacob’s Nemesis from using them. Quite a difference.

I do not think there are multiple forms of the same being.

I think they are distinct in nature. It’s a matter of sorting them out logically, and we have 8 months in which to do that!

But he did take the form of Locke’s body once Locke actually died…whereas, since Jack, Kate, Hurley, etc. are alive, he can’t take their form…as he did with Walt while Walt was alive.

(It would be interesting if Jacob actually knew that Locke would be “the proxy” for The Other Guy – and so when he touches Locke after Locke’s fall, it would give multiple meanings to “I’m sorry this happened to you.”)

I understand the desire to want to connect the Smoke Monster to Jacob’s Rival…because Smokey still remains such a mystery that people WANT to connect those dots. And now we have months and months to go back and put it in context with all the past seasons.

If what you are saying is valid, that Jacob’s touch protects certain people from being able to be ‘used’ by Smokey, then it actually would work for Smokey to be the Rival.

And honestly for me, it reminds me of the “Unholy Trinity” post I wrote awhile back….where there are multiple forms of the same being, with different yet connected purposes. That is my line of thinking on ‘how’ it could work for the man on the beach to be the same as Smokey.

Plus, I think there could have been some foreshadowing that the writers gave us that they are the same.

It’s not for certain by any means, but definitely worth dissecting to come up with theories that are for or against it!

Everyone is suggesting that the Fake Locke is the smoke monster, but how can this be true. The smoke monster can take the form, of anyone’s dead body!

I think we have to look deeper into the meaning and implications of ‘free will’, and what is being referred to by both Jacob and his Nemesis.

Once again, the writers have provided us with a very fine line of distinction!

And we share the same thought on how the devil tempts (twists, distorts, lies, deceives) to prey upon the very empowering ‘gift’ of free choice/will…so that’s why the scenes between Ben and “The Other Guy as Locke” were so significant. It was Ben being manipulated into choosing to kill Jacob, but as “The Other Guy” said, he would have tried to convince him…

We know that Jacob’s Nemesis does NOT inhabit Locke’s body. Instead, he duplicates it.

We have seen the smoke monster take form in some of the bodies of the dead, but did use Walt’s body once, (while still alive to talk to Locke in the pit).

My point is this, maybe part of the ‘touch of Jacob’ implies that his Nemesis cannot take their form.

I’m not sure about the ramifications of this, but it’s certainly worthy of consideration.

Just to play ‘devils advocate’ on the issue of free choice, doesn’t the devil tempt man with the free choice God grants them?

Food for thought!