Smoke Monster Has Always Existed by Jayrock

Ok, so after watching "Across the Sea", I was a little disappointed at first, but I'm starting to like it the more I think about it. I think that Smokey has always existed on the island and is the thing that Mother is trying to protect the golden source from.

Smokey appeared to Jacob's brother as his dead mom, since he claimed her body/image and manipulated him into thinking that he needed to go back to his people and go home. He needed MIB to believe in this so that he can start the chain of events for building the donkey wheel, so that a time travelling/transporter device can be created down the well.

Mother has been testing out the "candidates" this whole time to see who will be worthy of replacing her. She planted games for the twins and watched them over with a keen eye, just as Jacob has done so with the 815ers. Smokey then later "claimed" MIB, manipulating him into the way of the darkside.

After Mother tried to stop MIB the first time by smashing his head against the wall, Smokey rescued him, then sealed the well and killed all the spear-wielding villager and as according to plan, MIB would eventually kill Mother. Why did Mother say "Thank you"?.. well, like Richard Alpert, who doesn't age, she was not able to kill herself and needed someone else to "relieve" her of the burden of protecting the island. She had enough and she already found her replacement, Jacob, anyway.

Jacob then proceeds with beating his brother and throwing him down the stream, where he dies by hitting his head on the rocks. Smokey then makes an appearance and runs out into the jungle. Jacob then buries both his mother and brother. So I'm assuming that Smokey can now take the form of MIB since he's dead.

Jacob really loved his brother. He felt sorry for killing him and took great care in placing both him and Mother in the caves. When we see the conversations we have with Jacob and "MIB", we don't get a sense of brotherly love, as if Jacob knows that his brother is really just Smokey.

Smokey is evil and has always wanted to escape all along. He just so happened to implant this thought into MIB, so that's why we all think they're the same.

I guess what Darlton is trying to tell us in this episode is that we're just gonna have to bite the bullet and "believe" in the island and take Mother and Smokey for what they are.. representatives of good and evil.