Eko with his hulking stature was wired to protect and survive. Going along with the light/dark and good brother/bad brother themes, Eko embodies the core values of the show. I think there are two “monsters” on the island, one is dark smoke–the one that killed Eko–and another light one which came to John and according to him, was beautiful.

I liked Eko a lot and was sorry to see island claim him. While Eko always had good intentions (stealing food for Yemi, taking Yemi’s place as a priest in both Nigeria and London, apparently), he never really understood the sacredness that is being a man of God. To him, taking his brother’s place as priest was an obligation to Yemi, not taking into account the non-priestworthy things he’s done. He focused more on what needs to be done rather than whether or not a) he’s the man to do it and b) what the moral implications are. This is a continuing theme in his life from the first time we are introduced to him and he is forced to kill an old man at a very young age to save his brother from having to do it. He knew it wasn’t in Yemi’s nature to kill someone, a consequence that would lead to his own death and likely the deaths of others in the village. By young Eko shooting the man, he in turn saved several lives. Ironically, if you want to get highly analytical, that was when he “killed” himself. That incident proved to be the death of Eko’s innocence and innate goodness. His heart was in the right place but his actions were dark and immoral. When confronted by Yemi’s image (the monster), Eko says that he does not confess to having sinned, he “did what he needed to to survive” and I can’t say that I don’t agree. Because to me, he made the ultimate sacrifice that day as a child and solely for his brother.

Also interesting to note: the smoke monster seems to claim the physical remains of whom it’s portraying (Jack’s father, if you believe that was the monster, and I do; and this time, Yemi). There are also physical manifestations of wear and tear to the clothes of these people, for example, Yemi’s priest suit was grey and tattered. I don’t remember his outfit being so worn in Eko’s last episode when Yemi came to him in a dream. The casting director, once again, did such a fantastic job casting young Yemi and Eko…I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen actors that look more like their grownup counterparts.

Back at the Hydra, Juliet wants Jack to “accidentally” kill Ben. It seems the Others are more divided than we thought. They must have kidnapped Jack to do the surgery, Sawyer to use for organs should Ben need transplants/transfusions and Kate to use as a pawn to get everyone to behave. And BT dubs? I do not see the resemblance between Sarah and Juliet, save for blonde hair.

Comment away with your input.