Eh, I guess Jacob could have put some protection on them, but I'd have to say it isn't against smokey, but more likely just from dying before they could help him protect the island from smokey. Also, the temple others said a couple times that they needed to stay in the temple and trust them because they would protect them.

I think a better answer for why smokey killed Echo and not Locke is that smokey knew he needed Locke to kill Jacob later. He only killed the people he needed to in order to get the losties on the right "destiny"

I definitely hope this isn't a BSG ending though. They CLAIM they have had the show written since the begining, unlike BSG which was cut early. I hope their isn't this really rapid explaination in a few episodes where all the characters basically just spell everything out. I have faith it will be better than that, but god damn, get the ball moving, this is not the time to start new shit. WRAP IT UP B!

Interesting idea. Seems to be true so far. Does that mean we could also see Smokey take the form of Jacob, now that he's dead? Is it possible that the Jacob that appeared to Hurley telling him to take Sayid to the temple was actually Smokey incognito? I don't necessarily think that's the case, but it would be an interesting twist.

Agreed. I expect there will be a lot of minor loose ends we won't see wrapped up. Apparently Damon and Carlton have even said they have no current plans on bringing Walt back in the final season. They could still address that story arc without him though, I suppose.

you guys are crazy

Is Christian actually dead? I don't think they've ever really shown him dead in a flashback before have they? From what I remember all the flashbacks are only Jack referencing that his father died in Australia and the last thing I remember from the flashbacks where Christian was alive was him getting out of the car with someone I can't remember who that he met at a bar or something and had come with him for protection or something I can't really remember.

In the flashes where the plan lands they said his father was never loaded onto the plane and they have no idea where the body is - is that something new in this timeline where they never went to the island or was it like that from the start? I'm fairly certain his coffin was never found in the original wreckage.

The only thing I don't buy about smokey taking over dead bodies is that if he can do it to anyone, why are there two Lockes and not two Christians etc

I can't remember when this was, but I have a memory of Jack going to a morgue or some place and identifying Christian's body. They actually showed Christian's dead body.

That's new to that timeline. Early on, maybe S1 or S2, they find his coffin on the island. When Jack opens it up, it was empty. So it was definitely loaded on the plane in the original timeline. Hence why they take Locke's body on the Ajira flight during their return to the island.

Are we sure the Christian images were Smokey in disguise? I'm still not sure which side Christian is supposed to be on. I kinda thought he was somehow a good guy, working with Jacob. I have to believe the show will end with some kind of reconciliation between Jack and his father, and I don't see that happening if Christian is a bad guy.

I hope this means Daniel Faraday comes back as a bad guy.

That's what I mean Asano, I don't think anyone other than Locke was taken over by Smokey.