We were talking Lost today and my Honey asked if I thought Ben saw the ghost of his mother or was it Smokey? At first I said Smokey. Jack and Mr. Eko saw Smokey as dead family members. (At least that's what the writers said.) I figured it made sence, untill he said, "Then how did Smokey get past the fence?" I was at a loss. Maybe Smokey can pass through it? Then why did he stop this last time with Juliette? Was it set low the night it came to visit Ben? Or is it really the ghost of his mother? What do you think?

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Hope is a very dangerous thing to lose. - Sayid

I do what my Rice Krispies tell me to. - Anonymous

That is such a good question, unless someone had the fence turned down or off and that is why he was able to get through...

In Answers the producers said that Smokey scans people and then they said the Island can create the apperations.. Maybe they are not exactly one in the same either... Maybe Smokey just collects the info and in Eko's case does the dirty work but the apperations are something else..

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Please don't give up, Des. Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for
you. Always. I love you, Pen

DESMOND: I love you, Penny. I've always loved you. I'm so sorry. I love you!
PENNY: I love you too.
DESMOND: I don't know where I am, but--
PENNY: I'll find you, Des--
DESMOND: --I promise--
PENNY: --no matter what--
DESMOND: --I'll come back to you--
PENNY: --I won't give up--
BOTH: I promise. I love you.

Couldn't that just have been Jacob being an apparition?
but that IS a great question

maybe the fence was set on "low" frequency

that's what mikhail gave as the reason why he did not die when he
went through it (pushed by Locke)
so sometimes it is set to low
and that's how smokey got through