Lost from Lost

Which character do you miss from Lost? There’s been an awful lot of death on Lost, from the very first episode (remember the passenger that got too close to the engine or whatever it was? Still gives me nightmares.) to the last aired, when Michael (and possibly Jin) died. Sometimes the island won’t let you die – Michael’s death was delayed, and Locke appears to have 9 lives protecting him. But apparently, the island doesn’t mind letting a whole lot of others dying young. Some certainly seemed to die well before I was ready.

Which leads me to the character I miss most – Mr. Eko. Of all the Tailies, he was my absolute favorite. Part of the reason was the power of the actor, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who dominates any scene he’s in. The actor worked with the producers to help develop Mr. Eko. Mr. Eko was supposed to be a priest from Nigeria, but it turns out that he was also a former child-soldier, strong man, and drug dealer. He was capable of great violence, but was also very gentle. Eko went mute to atone for killing two Others who had tried to kidnap him. He ignored Ana Lucia to carry a wounded Sawyer to Jack, thereby probably saving Sawyer’s life. Because Mr. Eko listened to Charlie, he baptized both Aaron and Claire (the island must have wanted it). He knew things that others just didn’t seem to know, and understood that not all things were knowable. He seemed to have a connection to the island similar to Locke.

But the actor apparently tired of the role and life on the island. He worked with the producers to orchestrate the end of Mr. Eko. In the wildly uneven Season Three, Eko was confronted with his sins, sins that he did not believe he should atone for, simply because of a lack of choice. Then the smoke monster produces an arm which smashes Mr. Eko to his death. Before he dies, he tells Locke that they are “next”.

I so wish that we could have seen more of Mr. Eko. His death still haunts me, because I felt like there was so much more that could be explored. He left us wanting more, which, I guess, is not such a bad way to go.

Your turn.