LOST: The Cost of Living

I haven't posted about LOST in a long time, but I've still been enjoying it. This season of LOST has struck a good balance between mysteries and revelations. I love episodes with island "mythology" and this one was a doozie.

Tonight's episode, "The Cost of Living" pretty much confirms that the "Smoke Monster" is able to assume any form - in this case Eko's brother Yemi. It's likely responsible for other manifestations like Jack's dad, Kate's horse, or Hurley's imaginary friend Dave.

Another revelation was that what Locke saw was not Smokie - at least not in that form. He saw a beautiful bright light, not a dark cloud - although a cloud once almost pulled him into a hole.

We also have confirmed that the x-rays Jack were Bens, and that Ben is going to die if the tumor isn't removed from his spine. Juliette probably intended Jack to "accidentally" see them - in fact that was the whole reason she brought Jack to the operating room. She wanted him to see them and spoil Bens plan to break and convert Jack, because she wants Ben to die. It could be that Ben and Juliette are both working on a con, but I don't think so. I think Juliette will turn out to be very, very dangerous - far more so than Ben. In fact I think Ben is "good". Remember what Sawyer said about her when she was holding a gun on Kate. She would have killed Kate with no problem.

Getting back to the Smoke Monster, it apparently acts as a judge, jury and executioner. It looked curiosly at the cross Eko held. After Eko's "confession" it said "You speak to me as if I was your brother" and walks away, shortly thereafter beating the crap out of him. Eko essentially was unrepentent, saying he did what he had to do to survive and he did the best he could. Earlier, when an alter boy asks him if he is a bad man, he says "only God knows." Did Smokie judge Eko by Eko's own conception of right and wrong or by it's own criteria? Would it have spared Eko if he had been repentent?

Ominously, Eko's last word are "You're next." Apparently all will be judged at some point.

Ben is always saying of the Others "We're the good guys", and there has been much discussion of what this means. My current theory is that "good" means they have been judged by Smokie and allowed to survive.