It's unfortunate that it took me so long to appreciate Eko-centric episodes, but better late than never I guess. It's safe to say that one's feelings toward The 23rd Psalm (from Season 2) will more than likely carry over to The Cost of Living, which is very similar in look and feel.
Flashbacks follow Eko's short-lived stint as Yemi's replacement in his hometown church. Drug smugglers are once again manipulating and frightening the citizens while claiming to be protecting them. The smugglers were expecting Eko to be as complicit as Yemi; little did the know they'd meet their bloody fate in the church instead.
On the island, a severely wounded Eko has yet another dream involving Yemi and is compelled to return to the beechcraft. Coincidentally, Locke wants to show Desmond and a few others the Pearl station underneath it. Eventually their paths cross and they trek to the beechcraft together.
The Smoke Monster manipulates Eko repeatedly throughout the journey, appearing to him as various people from his past including Yemi. When fake-Yemi demands a confession and Eko refuses, the Smoke Monster delivers a series of fatal blows. Just before Eko slips away from the world we see one last vision of young Eko and Yemi, walking together without a care in the world.
The Ben/Jack dynamic is further advanced when Ben admits the spinal X-rays were his. Juliet throws a bit of a curveball in a video she plays for Jack — she apparently wants him to botch the surgery and eliminate Ben.
In terms of writing this isn't a complex episode but it's an effective one. It bids a somber farewell to Eko, a man so wracked with guilt in the wake of his brother's death that he was ultimately consumed by it. Personal issues may have led to Adewale's early departure from the series, but Schapker and Owusu-Breen did their best to preserve Eko's legacy in the process.
At one time I didn't give much consideration to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's acting abilities. Even today I'm not sure how much of Eko was AAA and vice-versa, but I've come to realize that it doesn't really matter. Damon and Carlton seized on the opportunity to cast a man who was larger-than-life, an embodiment of sheer intensity.
His range may not have been all that impressive but I simply can't imagine anybody else playing the role. This was my fifth time watching the entire Eko arc, but this will be the first time I truly miss having Eko around.
Note: that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a big fan of AAA at this point. If the reports are true about his outlandish demands to appear in The End I'm quite glad the LOST powers-that-be didn't budge.
Guest actors Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Emeka) and Muna Otaru (Amina) did very well in their roles as kingpin and clinic worker respectively. The rest of the cast (main and guest) didn't have enough screen time to warrant a rating.
Back in The 23rd Psalm the Smoke Monster CGI reached new heights, swirling around Eko and flashing images from his past. This time the effects team took it another step forward, wrapping the smoke around Eko and slamming him into various trees. It's really quite an ambitious scene, helped along by quick cuts to avoid close scrutiny by nitpicky fans like me.
The Others' nighttime funeral featured some beautiful imagery. Torches everywhere, everyone dressed in white, people standing along the shoreline and waiting to send Colleen off to the distant sea. It was quite a ritual compared to the Losties' awkward eulogies.
I loved Jack Bender's work on the "cue card" scene, the one where Juliet does her best impression of INXS's "Mediate" video. The transitions were timed perfectly in switching between Jack, Juliet, and the video.
The loss of any major character is going to weigh heavily in signifance; I only wish that it hadn't happened in the midst of the Hydra arc. If AAA could've stayed on for just a few more episodes I think the impact of this episode could've been so much stronger.
The significance of Juliet's apparent rebellion is weakened by the events of future episodes, so no bonus points to be had there. A few points ARE in order for — I can't believe I'm saying this — Nikki's idea to switch on the remaining monitors in the Pearl. And hey, how about that, our first glance of Mikhail Bakunin.
Since my appreciation of The 23rd Psalm increased dramatically in this rewatch that positive vibe rubs off here as well. I still wouldn't pick it for a rewatch over anything from the second half of Season 3 but that's another matter.
For the first time ever the slow-mo of young Yemi and Eko walking together actually choked me up. Such a harsh life from beginning to end and it seems Eko was right — he didn't ask for the hardships that fell upon him, he simply made the best of what he was given.
Now that I'm appreciating the spiritual themes and parallels within LOST, it saddens me to know that Eko's time on the series was cut short. His faith compared to Locke's was an interesting contrast and the writers could've gone so many different directions with it.
I suppose the important thing is to simply appreciate the short time Eko roamed the island.
