I think one of the most interesting aspects of the smokey scene was that the smoke passed through the little vent holes. Up until this point I was under the impression there was something mechanical or at least corporeal concealed inside the smoke. I guess that makes sense since we have seen it flying and actually passed inside it when Eko was being judged, yet there are other scenes that have mechanical ratcheting noises when Locked and Montand are dragged down into the holes.

Yeah I think the sounds are just bogus. They almost kind of imply what the monster is doing but don't have any kind of visual counterpart. Kind of freaky actually.

I recall a podcast several years ago where someone said the sounds made by Smokey were clues to its nature and composition. Smokey always sounded like a roller coaster to me -- and the way it pulled Locke and Danielle's crew mate through the jungle seemed mechanical to me.

Having Smokey be summoned from underneath a statue through vents blows all of that conjecture out of the water.
Smokey is organic, or from another time or place having very advanced nanobots.

I believe Cerberus is the underground device that Dharma built in order to limit Smokie's mobility. That is the origin of the weird sounds....

good point fierro-
i was thinking similar thoughts.

I believe Cerberus is the underground device that Dharma built in order to limit Smokie's mobility. That is the origin of the weird sounds....
But the sounds the monster makes seem reactionary. For example when it bumps into the sonic fence, it lets out a sort of scream of pain/frustration.

I think I remember hearing that the sounds used for Smokey were gathered from New York subways. In season 1, when they first hear him, Rose mentions that the noise "sounds familiar." People have wondered if this is significant to the story or if it's just an easter egg since Rose may or may not be from New York.

So, something occurred to me while I was in the shower (as it usually does), and this seemed like the most appropriate place to post it without starting a new thread.

Riddle me this Batman: how exactly does one go about constructing a building around a murderous living column of smoke?

This episode was the first time we've seen something that is more or less Smokey's "living quarters."
Assuming the Temple and the rooms underneath it were constructed by people, how the heck did they do it with a smoke monster hovering about?

If, as many have supposed now, Smokey was seen by these ancient and possibly Egyptian people as a god-like entity that is to be feared above all else and avoided at all costs, why would they venture close enough to its place of residence, and hang about there long enough to construct a temple?
Or, if it is just a "monster," wouldn't it have killed them in the process?

This has really blown my mind...

I think I remember hearing that the sounds used for Smokey were gathered from New York subways. In season 1, when they first hear him, Rose mentions that the noise "sounds familiar." People have wondered if this is significant to the story or if it's just an easter egg since Rose may or may not be from New York.

Right after Rose said it reminded her of home, she mentioned that she came from NYC-
she mentioned the borough by name, but can't remember for sure if she said, "The Bronx".

unless I totally dreamt it...

So, something occurred to me while I was in the shower (as it usually does), and this seemed like the most appropriate place to post it without starting a new thread.

Riddle me this Batman: how exactly does one go about constructing a building around a murderous living column of smoke?

This episode was the first time we've seen something that is more or less Smokey's "living quarters."
Assuming the Temple and the rooms underneath it were constructed by people, how the heck did they do it with a smoke monster hovering about?

If, as many have supposed now, Smokey was seen by these ancient and possibly Egyptian people as a god-like entity that is to be feared above all else and avoided at all costs, why would they venture close enough to its place of residence, and hang about there long enough to construct a temple?
Or, if it is just a "monster," wouldn't it have killed them in the process?

This has really blown my mind...

I've already heard people pondering whether the Temple is actually a fairly recent construction and the heiros are just a "smoke"screen to outsiders. Anyway, I suppose it all depends on how old the Others are. They seem to have some kind of relationship with Smokey. I can see how they would construct an elaborate temple and mechanisms for communicating with it. It's still entirely possible that the Temple is not for Smokey.

I think I remember hearing that the sounds used for Smokey were gathered from New York subways. In season 1, when they first hear him, Rose mentions that the noise "sounds familiar." People have wondered if this is significant to the story or if it's just an easter egg since Rose may or may not be from New York.
I know that at least some of the monster's sounds are from a taxi cab's receipt machine. That is, whoever designed the sounds for the monster used the sound of the machine.

Rose said she thought the monster sounded familiar and she's from the Bronx, so she probably rode a lot of taxis.

What this means is hard to say. Maybe Rose's line is a small joke from the writers, or maybe within the show's mythology the monster was designed by someone to sound this way, or something along those lines.

Since it's been implied the monster is very old (unless there's more timespace trickery going on) I think what Rose said was just an in-joke from the writers.

This episode was the first time we've seen something that is more or less Smokey's "living quarters."
Assuming the Temple and the rooms underneath it were constructed by people, how the heck did they do it with a smoke monster hovering about?

If, as many have supposed now, Smokey was seen by these ancient and possibly Egyptian people as a god-like entity that is to be feared above all else and avoided at all costs, why would they venture close enough to its place of residence, and hang about there long enough to construct a temple?
Or, if it is just a "monster," wouldn't it have killed them in the process?

This has really blown my mind...

Yeah, I thought the living quarters were very cool. They had to have some kind of place where a character can go and meet the smoke monster and the vents were the perfect way to do this because it sets up something visual as a front for the unknown. Smokey clearly comes from the Island and pouring through the vents was the perect way for showing a point of origin for something that emanates from the Island.

The scene with Ben and smokey really reminded me of the Hall of Ma'at, where Anubis would weigh the soul of the deceased against the weight of a feather. Very cool. If Smokey is acting in this capacity, it is understandable that the ancient Islanders would want to build a temple to it.

I'm glad you mentioned Anubis, pibbsneaker (I am probably spelling your name wrong, so please forgive me!!). Anubis was the Egyptian god of the dead, also he judged souls to see who was worthy to pass into the underworld (weighing of the hearts). I see the picture of Anubis with the smoke monster and wonder, is Smokie so old that he judged Anubis to be the god of the underworld, or was it another god the Egyptians worshipped along with Anubis?

Smokie passing through the vent holes just below that image seemed to me that that is where Smokie lives. I think the temple was built to honor Smokie, just as any other temple is a place of worship and honor. I believe that place that Ben was in was the room where the worshippers of the temple would go to be judged.

I liked how they associated Anubis who judges, with Smokie, who also judges.

I'm glad you mentioned Anubis, pibbsneaker (I am probably spelling your name wrong, so please forgive me!!). Anubis was the Egyptian god of the dead, also he judged souls to see who was worthy to pass into the underworld (weighing of the hearts). I see the picture of Anubis with the smoke monster and wonder, is Smokie so old that he judged Anubis to be the god of the underworld, or was it another god the Egyptians worshipped along with Anubis?

I really like that idea. Somehow, Egyptians or whoever end up on the Island and then they encounter Smokey. They then believe that this being is the judge of their god.

Smokie passing through the vent holes just below that image seemed to me that that is where Smokie lives. I think the temple was built to honor Smokie, just as any other temple is a place of worship and honor. I believe that place that Ben was in was the room where the worshippers of the temple would go to be judged.

I liked how they associated Anubis who judges, with Smokie, who also judges.

I agree, except for the part about that's where smokey lives. I was kind of thinking that the temple was a medium for the ancients to have direct contact with the monster, but it actually lives in the Island.

I've always thought that having the smoke monster be anything else other than a manifestation of the Island would really be a step in the wrong direction. I'm glad that this episode reinforces that idea.

Smokey sorta reminded me last night of Raiders of the lost art, at the end of the movie... anyone?

My theory (which has also been mentioned by lots of other people) is that Smokey takes on a form with elements from the minds of its "victims"...so you have the sound of taxi meters that Rose recognizes, images flashing inside of it that relate directly to the people in its vicinity, the sound of Locke's adding machine from his employment at the box factory, etc.

-steve

I recall a podcast several years ago where someone said the sounds made by Smokey were clues to its nature and composition. Smokey always sounded like a roller coaster to me -- and the way it pulled Locke and Danielle's crew mate through the jungle seemed mechanical to me.

Having Smokey be summoned from underneath a statue through vents blows all of that conjecture out of the water.
Smokey is organic, or from another time or place having very advanced nanobots.

That was the one thing that bothered me about this episode...what happened to the normal Smokey "noises" and are they repudiating those "mechanical" noises now?
100%
My theory (which has also been mentioned by lots of other people) is that Smokey takes on a form with elements from the minds of its "victims"...so you have the sound of taxi meters that Rose recognizes, images flashing inside of it that relate directly to the people in its vicinity, the sound of Locke's adding machine from his employment at the box factory, etc.

-steve

So I guess all of Ben's "talking" in that scene is the sound of him lying? ;)