I watch LOST for the good acting and interesting location and story. I don't care one whit about the mystery or figuring things out before the writers know. It's a waste of time. I'll just wait until they tell me what happened.

A lot of fans take the show way too seriously, get seriously weird with theories and generally suck any fun out of it by trying to make things fit their ideas. It's annoying, and I think it takes some of the responsibilities off the show itself to answer its own questions.

For example, we STILL don't know what the smoke monster is and it was in the very first episode. That's pretty stupid.

How can you blame a portion of the audience for being a little obsessive with this show when the producers themselves insert recorded backwards messages for us to dissect?

LOST is a show, similar to TWIN PEAKS, in that, I remember talking to my roommates at the time about each episode for days in between shows trying to figure out the meaning of certain scenes and dialogue.

The internet has added to the equation of course. People jump on and add their opinion instantly, often while a show is still on (I never do that).

I think we all watch the show for great storytelling and performances but guessing what might happen is absolutely a fun thing.

As far as the smoke monster, It's been established as the security system for the island. Most recently, Sun & Lapidus arrived there and Smokey checked them out and let them go, then Christian showed up and told them where their friends were.

That is not an answer: WHAT IS THE SMOKE MONSTER. What is it made of, how does it work, is it alive, is it old or new, why is it there, etc.

I'm just saying that people take the fun out of finding out the answers through rampant speculation. It's almost never right, or an actor gets a DWI and it screws up the plan anyway, the writers' strike happens, etc. So why bother?

After rewatching this episode last night and seeing the depiction carved above where the smoke monster came out you get more of a sense of what is going on. If you go back and look you will see a depiction of the smoke monster going face to face with another Egyptian figure. Now we have to wait and find out who that other figure really is.

Go here and at 2:46 you can get a good look at it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7y5kPeX-IQ

Maybe that other figure = Jacob

For some, the fun is the rampant speculation, despite knowing they'll probably be wrong.

Is your stance now that it's uncool to speculate? over a show like Lost? I'll be damned if I can think of any other show where its design from the ground-up hasn't been discussion and debate.

You sure told him!

Ten months later.

Oh don't you worry. Draven will get hardercore back before the year is done.