Lost - The Cost of Living

** / ****

The black smoke monster just doesn't do anything for me. That this is what kills Eko in The Cost of Living is especially disappointing. Eko's story concludes in this episode, and I feel a great void in such a loss to the show. Bernard remains and it is almost like the second season is diminished by the loss of so many from the tail section of the Oceanic. There were characters that had a past, found themselves on this island, and are gone. Eko left Nigeria with blood on his hands and person, ruining Yemi's church by destroying drug scum with a machete taken from them. Despite the fact that he was defending himself and these dirtbags were trying to lop off his hands, it seems Eko was judged and executed for his history. He killed someone as a child so Yemi would be kept from such trauma. He took his place momentarily after Yemi was killed, even leaving for England for "further Catholic studies". Eko continued to survive, following the image of Yemi throughout the jungle. The body of Yemi is no longer on the plane, and Eko is lured by something that has taken his likeness. This is the great reaper soon taking the form of the black smoke, sweeping in to carry Eko into trees and ultimately to the ground. Before his death, Eko tells Locke they are next. Will the island take them, too? In the next episode Locke will bury him and conceal that death from those on the beach. Desmond and Sayid join Locke to The Pearl to see if they can locate Jack, Sawyer, and Kate, instead later noticing a new person on the island, located at another station not yet discovered. Fans of Wishmaster know this guy quite well.
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Two characters were previously introduced: Paulo and Nikki (Rodrigo Santoro and Kiele Sanchez). They join Locke on his walk to The Pearl. It seems these two had desired to be more involved in important activities yet felt slighted. Because Locke isn't Jack, they have opportunities previously not afforded them. I was amused at how these two distinctive personalities had never before infiltrated plot development. Their sudden inclusion is so jarringly forced it is clear they are newly casted actors portraying characters jerked out of the ether so that fresh faces could intermingle with the principles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against new characters and fresh faces, particularly when accompanied by the body of Kiele Sanchez. You can spend a bit too much time with the same faces so incorporating new characters, so using the story detail regarding a number of survivors on the plane, favorable leverage considering it supports introducing them when need-be, can be an advantage. Nikki pointing out that on the Orientation video there's mentioned multiple stations and asking about the other monitors encourages further mysterious riches in store for us, secrets yet told. Paulo gets to use the still-functioning toilet so he gets a moment as well.
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Jack ruined Ben's plans to gradually wear his defenses down and lure him into submission so he would perform spinal surgery. Jack seeing the X-rays certainly obliterated all that. Juliet using Bob Dylan's trick of cue cards, recorded on video in the guise of To Kill a Mockingbird, to request Jack's assistance in killing Ben so it looks like an accident certainly comes unexpectedly. This clearly indicates Ben has incurred the animosity and hostility of others, including Juliet. He's called evil and untrustworthy by her, seemingly reinforcing what we have seen since he was introduced trapped in a net.
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Eko not apologizing for what he had to do to survive and the "island", through the disguise of Yemi, passing sentence and execution on him seemed somewhat problematic considering his past and near death due to the polar bear. Locke rescuing Eko from the cave only to lose him to the black smoke seems to call into question the whole purpose of Further Instructions. Why would Eko be rescued only to die a few days later?

Episode 5 of the third season