I'm Alive

You guys are watching "The Substitute" right now...

So I'd like to hear what you have to say about it.

My Smoke Monster/MIB theory

This is covered a little in the Lostpedia site where all of the theories about the "Evil One", or the Man In Black (MIB) are posted. Nemesis Theories

So the one that closest follows my thinking is the one titled:

Jacob's Nemesis is the Smoke Monster in human form.

Based on the very little information we have about the MIB, we know for a fact:

- He has been on the Island for a very long time, at least 150+ years

- He knows who Jacob is, and he wants to kill him

- For reasons unknown he needs to find a ‘loophole’ to kill Jacob, because he cannot do it himself

- He is able to look like someone else; someone dead. Specifically Locke after his corpse is brought back to the Island.

These points have lead me to believe that the MIB is in fact just one of the many human forms that the smoke monster assumes. Each of the items above (in my humble opinion) seem to support this idea.

He has been on the Island a long time

We already know that he has been around a long time thanks to his conversation with Jacob at the beginning of the Season 5 finale (The Incident Part 1).In this scene, the four toed statue is still a full statue, and it appears that The Black Rock is sailing on the horizon. The ship was last seen off the Island in 1845 before it disappeared so we can guess that this scene took place close to that date. Not ageing is a theme on the show, but it only has been seen with Jacob, Richard and the MIB (who actually changes forms as opposed to aging). We know that the smoke monster has been on the Island a long time too, (it is integrated in the temple for example) so it could be that it took form as the MIB.

He knows who Jacob is and wants to kill him

The fact that the MIB wants to kill Jacob is not in question. He both says it directly to Jacob in the first scene of the S5 finale, and then makes it happen at the end of the show. There is of course a question of motive. Why does the MIB want to kill Jacob?

Here is what I am thinking:

- It is possible that because the smoke monster is the security system for the Island, that he wants Jacob dead because Jacob can bring people to the Island. This ability to touch people and in doing so setting them on a path to the Island makes the MIB’s job of protecting it ever more difficult. I do not know for sure what Jacob’s motive is in bringing people to the Island, then again, this post isn’t about him, it’s about MIB.

- There could also just be a simple confrontation in the past that has caused the two powers to be in this perpetual feud, escalating toward the events of the show.

For reasons unknown MIB needs to find a ‘loophole’ to kill Jacob

This is where (for me) things really start to get interesting. What would be keeping MIB from killing Jacob? Why does he need a “loophole”? I think that there might be rules that the smoke monster follows that create this situation. Let’s look a little bit more about what we have seen of the smoke monster.

- It has the power to kill stuff

o This is evident from the pilot episode when I kills, well, the pilot. Knowing that it has the power to kill your average human being, why can’t/won’t it kill Jacob?

- It can look like dead people (this deals the last point about the MIB; He is able to look like someone else; someone dead. Specifically Locke after his corpse is brought back to the Island)

o Often when we see someone on the Island walking around, who is known to be dead, the smoke monster is not far off. (i.e.Yemi,Alex) But the two are never depicted at the same time. I think that the smoke monster needs to have access to an (unburied) body in order to look like it. This is why it was able to take on the appearance of Christian during most of the series and most recently Locke.

o I am not sure how this process works, but I have given it some thought. I think it is evident that the smoke monster not only looks like these people, but also has access to their thoughts, or memories. I bring this up mostly because of the scene where Christian is helping Locke at the donkey wheel(s5e5 This Place is Death). Just before the light flashes and Locke leaves the Island, Christian yells to him “Say hello to my son for me.” Locke, not knowing this is the image of Jack’s Dad, asks “Who’s your son?” This is either proof that smokey can tap into those memories, OR just another mind game that he is playing on Locke.

o I know that there are appearances of other things on the Island that can be attributed to the smoke monster as well (Kate’s horse, I’ve even heard that the spider that kills Nikki and Paulo is ol’ smokie). This could challenge the need for an unburied body, to be fair, I don’t have answers for everything.

- There are places it can’t go

o Namely through Dharmaville when the fence is turned on. Whatever makes that fence work, keeps the smoke from passing through. Which makes me wonder…

o Is this what the ash is for around Jacob’s cabin? Is the fact that the line of ash is broken what allows the MIB/Smoke monster to enter and use the cabin?

- I likes taking you underground

o What it does with you once you are there is between the two of you… Although it does seem, from what we know in season 5, that once it takes you to the temple wall, you are sold out for the Island.

So back to the loophole business, what does that mean? Well we know that when evil Locke/MIB enters Jacob’s home with Ben, Jacob’s response is “WellI guess you found your loophole.”But what is the loophole? Is it that Ben is there to kill him? That seems like thecase. But why Ben? Is it just that it has to be a human who kills Jacob? Not a smoke monster. Is it that the smoke monster can only kill those with sin and Jacob may lack that? These are still huge questions, that I’m am confident will be answered.

All told, this is just a theory, but the more and more I think about it, the more it makes the most sense. If anyone has any other input or disputes to this, please comment.