The Cost Of Living - Season 3x05

[Kiowa Warrior]

THE COST OF LIVING

The fifth episode of Season 3 is Mr. Eko’s flashback, where we learn more about his time as a Priest in his home town. It begins with Eko stealing food to give to Yemi but is then caught and forced to confess. Eko takes over from Yemi as the priest in Yemi’s church and when some militia drive up to the church demanding where the shipment it, Eko learns that the village gets a vaccine shipment and that most of it must be given to them. Eko plans to follow in Yemi’s footsteps and work outside of the country but before he does he tries to sell the vaccine on the black market himself, but the militia find out and tell him they are going to cut of his hands. Eko fights back and takes a machete off one of them and, despite their pleas, kills them all. The village is horrified and closes the church down, and Eko is told that he owes Yemi a church.

Meanwhile on the island Eko sees a vision of Yemi that tells him to confess and he runs off into the jungle, still injured. Locke realises that he’s going to the crashed plane and he, Sayid, Desmond, Nikki and Paulo go after him. Locke asks Eko if he saw the same thing as he did in the jungle: a beautiful bright light, but Eko says he saw something different, They go down into the Pearl station where Sayid fixes the tv feeds and they have a brief view of a man with an eye patch on one of the stations, but they then hear a noise and rush back up. While they had been down there Eko had seen Yemi again and had followed him into the jungle, where he told him that he was not sorry for everything that he had done; that he had only done what was necessary to survive. Yemi is angry, and before Eko can do anything the black smoke appears and smashes him into trees and the ground, killing him. Crouching over him Eko whispers something into Locke’s ear, which was ‘You’re next.’

In the Hydra Ben admits to Jack that the x-ray showing s spinal tumour is his, and that his plan to break Jack had failed. Later on Juliet comes to talk to Jack about agreeing to do the surgery, but as she does so she shows Jack a silent video where Juliet is holding up cards that say Ben is a liar and that if he botches the surgery no-one ever has to find out about it.

This isn’t a bad episode, even though Eko’s death does feel rushed. And it still hurts when Nikki makes Locke look like idiots by pointing out that there is more than one tv so maybe they show other station! I just fail to believe that neither Locke nor the technology expert Sayid had failed to realise that. If they wanted to give Nikki something to say or do that shows she’s not just a pointless pretty face fair enough, but I think it’s unforgiveable to do it at the expense of such well established characters.

[Easily confused]

I kinda of like this episode and I kinda don’t like it as well

Good points

Its an Eko flashback - I like his flashbacks as they are so different to everyone elses (apart from his Australia one)

It introduces Mikhail in a (imo) very clever way

Bad points

Nikki and Paulo

I don’t get why Nikki says to Paulo (might he the other way around I don’t care) well you always want to go on these adventures and then later on we find out that they have already been everywhere and done everything and worse than that they did it all before Locke or anyone else (I have to say I feel really cheated by finding that out and I will do lots of complaining in the Expose re-watch)

[D-Roc]

Great choice of picture Ki

Poor sweet Eko..

[The Wizard]

The thing I like about this episode is when Locke says that anyone can go on their mission, unlike Jack who only allows certain people to go... although Jack's way may be more sensible... it is a free island

[Lost Lewis]

Good image Ki. Probably the best you could've picked!

Urmmmmm, average episode (which is still very good). It should've been very good but it seemed rushed in the madness of the 6 episode mini-series.

I wasn't that keen on Ekos flashback this time around. It seemed too similar to his flashback in The 23rd Psalm. I don't know - it just didn't do it for me.

I liked the journey to the pearl again. Nikki and Paulo too...those jokers! Nice to see Lockes different approach to leadership.

Jack was left in a situaton wasn't he?! Does he just listen and trust and let somebody else die? What a terrible responsibility to have.

And this is funny > 'For a long period of time, it was rumoured amongst fans that this episode was to be a Rose-Centric episode, although in fact her first appearance for this season is Episode 21 (Greatest Hits)' < How random really!

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

The thing I like about this episode is when Locke says that anyone can go on their mission, unlike Jack who only allows certain people to go... although Jack's way may be more sensible... it is a free island

All inclusive Locke rocks, power to the losties
But let's face it, if there was a boring trek into the jungle and Nikki wanted to go, who wouldn't let her tag along?

[The Wizard]

Originally Posted by KoR-evo

But let's face it, if there was a boring trek into the jungle and Nikki wanted to go, who wouldn't let her tag along?

Erm... oh wait I know this one... Jack!

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Erm... oh wait I know this one... Jack!

touche

[D-Roc]

Daniel: "Are you a bad man?"

Eko: "Only God knows"

Love this quote. For me it signifies Eko knowing that what he did in killing those thugs 'was' bad, but that ultimately only God can pass judgement.

Looking back at this episode it is certainly the weakest of Eko's three. There are moments which make me cringe, for example:

Terry blatently walking near to the tree so that Adewale could pin him up against it - too obvious Terry!

Nikki patronising Locke's intelligence by pointing out that 'projects' means plural.


However despite a few critisms this episode is actually still very good. It somehow gets better and better as the episode unfolds. There are some seriously golden moments -

Eko struggling to take on the mantle of his brother - the expectation and the guilt which he placed upon himself was interesting.

His encounter with Island Yemi was amazing and very revealing in terms of the trajectory of the show (in terms of Smokey/visions). I appreciate the fact that Yemi's body had apparently 'gone missing' and moments later Eko sees Yemi all dusty..but only his clothes..as if Smokey ressurected Yemi's vessel (body) in order to assume the role of Yemi. It's certainly interesting to consider that Smokey needs dead bodies in order to become those people in dreams or visions. Or perhaps this line sheds more light on the subject than any other line relating to possibly Smokey connections:

"You don't need another life on your conscious"

Thinking about this it ties in with my thoery that the dead are partially manifested by the sub-conscious of the island residents..it could be argued that if someone feels 'guilty' for the death of another person, then they will be invaded by manifestations of that dead person. This pattern is nearly water tight:

Locke feels guilty for the death of Boone - Boone manifests to him.
ditto Ben and Emily
ditto Eko and Yemi and those thugs and the woman selling the Virgin Mary Statues
ditto Jack and Christian

With the islands 'magic box' digging into the subconscious of people and making things happen, it could be argued that 'guilt' is a BIG motivator for the visions and manifestations - How much is the islands fertility problems down to Ben's 'guilt' at having killed his mother in child birth?

So I've come out of this rewatch with more clarity both in terms of how I believe the visions/manifestations work in terms of the dead people, Smokey/island and the subconscious of the living.

--------

I also liked hearing Ben ask Jack whether he believes in God, and Jack's extremly prompt response. I'm stull unsure as to whether Ben was yanking Jack's chain, trying to manipulate him, or whether Ben actually does believe that God (island?) brought Jack to him. I suspect though it's a bit of both.

Sad to see Eko die, although more and more disappointed by how such an integral character was despatched into the sunset.

Re-watch value 7.5/10