I've finished the first four seasons of Lost. Here's my two cents on some of what's going on...
A couple of quick notes about the DHARMA stations and my impressions first:
The Swan - Originally was just a menial experiment until something went horribly wrong leading to the button scenario. It was harmless at first, but they went too far. Locke gravely misunderstood the purpose of the Pearl and the fact that things had changed since the initiation videos were taken. This should be a solid lesson not to trust that anything the DHARMA Initiative did is the way it was.
The Arrow - This one is very interesting. This is where the tail survivors were staying. It was mark "QUARANTINE" like the Swan, but the station was mostly empty. I believe something important will happen here.
The Pearl - Here's a very interesting one. They said that it's a surveillance station and we know they had cameras in the Swan and the Flame. The interesting thing is that they were supposed to write everything down and put it in a tube that we later find out goes to nowhere. I'm starting to believe that they were the ones being observed not the other way around.
The Orchid - My favorite station. Love that they covered a physics lab with a garden. I'm interested to see if this station survived. Wondering if it looked so dilapidated because of having to move the island before took it's toll on the station.
The Tempest - I want to know more about this! I think that this was one of the biggest down sides to season 4 being so short. There are a lot of questions that I have. What kind of gas was there? When's the last time it was used? Is this why Kevin Inman was in a gas mask when he rescued Desmond? I want to know more!!!
Why does the Island seem to discredit the known laws of physics?
I think that the island is a land mass of some kind of "anti matter" which has made it into a sort of worm hole. This is what led to the DHARMA experiment at the Swan to go so horribly wrong that they had to continue pushing the button. They got too close to this "anti matter heart" in the center of the island. This is also what allows the frozen wheel to essentially move the island. It also would explain why people coming and going from the island experience a break in time (ie Desmond's episodes). I also think this is why they had to add Faraday to the characters.
Did the Island really move?
It moved in space/time, but maybe not so much physically. Islands are known to move with the tectonic plates. For instance all of the Hawaiian islands were formed from the same "hot spot" but the plate moved over it causing the archipelago. Now if this is true the question is whether everyone on the island shifted in time as well, Season 5 may very well disprove this theory.
What is the "smoke monster"? Who is Jacob?
Oh the smoke monster. The smoke monster is an interesting thing. I'd like to remind you that when Locke saw it originally he described it as a bright light. This is the direct opposite of what we've seen in its many appearances. This leads me to believe that it is intertwined with the mystery of Jacob. Locke has been "chosen" by Jacob, we're not told why yet, and this I believe is why Lock see it's as light while everyone else sees it as darkness. I believe it's a physical manifestation of Jacob's judgement. It killed Eko for not repenting his sins. The mercenaries killed Ben's daughter and then it took vengeance on all of them. The interesting thing is that the monster also appears to be able to take on human forms, as was the case with Eko when it took the form of Yemi and gave him the opportunity to repent. This makes me thing that the smoke monster is more than just a mindless entity controlled by someone else, but may in fact be the one that is in control. The smoke may very well be a sub-part of Jacob. And Jacob may very well be a God-head figure.
What's going on with Benjamin and Widmoore?
Benjamin and Widmoore have sort kind of game that's playing out. This is made clear when Ben appears in his room in the middle of the night and questions why he "changed the rules". So there was a pre-existing agreement between the two of them. This being the same reason that Ben doesn't just kill him, because he can't. I'd venture to guess that because Widmoore seems to have a pretty good idea about the island (ie the location of the orchid) he's probably been there at some point. Which makes me thing that he's very aware of Jacob. Now could it be that Jacob is the one who placed these two men against each other. Is this part of some plan to play out a war between good and evil? If so which is which and who is who? I'm thinking it's more likely that Widmoore is answering to some other figure that we haven't been introduced to yet. Something that brings balance to Jacob, but is unhappy that the balance exists. This goes back to the struggle of good and evil that Locke first mentions shortly after the crash.
What is Christian Sherpard's place?
This is the one character that has thrown me through a loop. He can appear anywhere at any time. He speaks for Jacob, but says he is not Jacob. He died in Australia but walks the Island as if he never died. I personally think that he is dead. I'm starting to think that Christian's body may be inhabited by Jacob. Which would make for a very interesting parallel to the Christian (notice his name too) faith. If Jacob is supposed to be some sort of God-head, it would be as though Christian is the father and the Smoke Monster is the holy spirit...who is the son? Jack seems too obvious. I'd put my money on Locke.
