J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof unleashed Lost in 2004, and their insanely expensive pilot premiered on ABC to over 18 million viewers. From there, a sprawling survival mystery box unraveled, surrounding a roster of fantastic characters, including Matthew Fox’s Jack Shepard and Terry O’Quinn’s John Locke. It was such a hit that the series had gained another 6 million viewers by the time its second season premiered with the episode “Man of Science, Man of Faith.”
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Yet it was the second episode of season 2 that introduced one of the show’s most intriguing characters: Mr. Eko, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. While Lindelof and Abrams seemingly had big plans for the mysterious Nigerian priest, who was found with the tail section survivors on the other side of the island, his run was cut short on November 1st, 2006, when he was abruptly killed off in Season 3’s “The Cost of Living.”
Mr. Eko’s Integral Role in Lost Season 2
As Mr. Eko once said, “Do not mistake coincidence for fate.” During his brief one-season run, Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Mr. Eko became the new spiritual center of Lost. A former warlord, Eko, brought yet another layer of mystery to the chaos of the Island. His backstory included killing a man to protect his brother as a young boy, and eventually smuggling drugs via Virgin Mary statues in a plane flown by that same brother, who had taken the opposite life path and become a priest. When he finds said plane crashed on the island, his story becomes an essential part of the show’s narrative. His arc from violence to unshakable faith was the perfect foil to Locke’s own faith beginning to crumble. In many ways, Eko became the new “man of faith.”
Eko’s final episode in season 3, “The Cost of Living,” pushed his faith to its furthest limits in a fitting goodbye that came too soon. In the flashbacks, Eko had become a priest to replace his brother. Yet, in an act of violence, the church is desecrated, and Eko repents once and for all, making a deal with God to build his brother a new church. On the island, Eko has visions of his brother, and in true Lost fashion, as Eko confronts his sins, his brother is revealed to be the smoke monster, who judges and subsequently kills him. The rest of the islanders, whose storylines involve the Pearl station and Hydra island, are left with a final message from Eko relayed by Locke: “We’re next.”
Why Did Lindelof and Abrams Kill Off Mr. Eko?
The episode has everything one might want in a Lost hour, including a beautiful self-contained character study, a fun B-plot, and larger mythic implications. However, Eko’s abrupt death left several lingering questions. What about his mysterious connection to the Island? His bond with Charlie? His growing role in the show’s Man of Science/Man of Faith dichotomy and its broader spiritual philosophy? While unconfirmed, fans have speculated that Eko and Charlie were paired so closely because it was intended that Eko eventually receive the premonitions about Charlie’s death which later went to Desmond. It appears Lindelof and Abrams might have gone so far as to consider Eko an integral part of the ending, with a fate similar to Locke’s. Many even think Locke’s crossword clue, linking “Enkidu” to “Gilgamesh,” suggested Eko as Locke’s spiritual counterpart that would eventually align with Jacob and the Man in Black.
These theories may have some truth to them, because behind the scenes, it was revealed that the creators never wanted to kill off Eko, but that Akinnuoye-Agbaje had requested to leave the series. After the death of his foster parents, the actor reportedly felt isolated filming in Hawaii and wanted to return to London, even suggesting that his character’s death be sudden and violent. The writers respected his wishes, but it likely forced them to abandon major storylines and may have contributed to Lost’s later story problems. Nearly twenty years later, fans are still mourning the Eko arc that could have been. While it’s true the character’s exit was premature, “The Cost of Living” remains a great hour of Lost, one which probed Eko’s deepest regrets and quest for redemption.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
