SEASON 5 - Dead is Dead - As the Smoke Monster made Ben relive all his past transgressions, so did the creature in "Shangri-la" do to the General.

In this episode Ben ventures into The Temple and the Smoke Monster appears and forces Ben to relive many of his past transgressions all at once, including the death of his daughter, Alex.



Ben blames himself for the death of his daughter and begins expressing extreme remorse and guilt in an emotional way we have not seen from Ben before.



In the end the Smoke Monster takes on the form of Ben's daughter Alex and assaults Ben by throwing him up against the wall of the chamber.



A very similar scenario occurs in the novel Shangri-la when the General and his men are seeking the hidden land of Shangri-la and its Temple. While in their camp a horrible hard to describe creature appears and causes mayhem amongst the soldiers. It also brings with it a sense of sadness and regret that permeates the men and causes them to feel regrets for their past transgressions and manipulates their minds and actions. It especially affects the otherwise cold and hard General to the point of tears, just as Smokey did to Ben.

This is just another example of the similarities and connections between the mythology of both the worlds of Lost and Lost Horizon and further proof of my theory.