MR. EKO

'Mr. Eko' was a fictional character played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series ''Lost.'' He first appeared in the episode "The Other 48 Days" and was a main season 2 and season 3 regular. Despite his main cast enrollment in the third season of Lost his character was written out on the 5th episode of the season entitled "The Cost of Living" where both his character and his involvement on Lost came to an end.

Contents

Conception

Fictional character biography

Prior to the crash

After the crash

Season Two

Season Three

References

Conception

"Omecca" was the original name for the character but the name "Eko" was used instead, while "Emeka" was used for another character.^[1] The naming the character "Mr Eko" instead of simply "Eko" was the idea of the actor playing him, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who also had the idea of having a scripture stick.

Fictional character biography

Prior to the crash

Before arriving on the island, Mr. Eko was a ruthless and vicious warlord in Nigeria. As a young boy, he lived a simple life with his younger brother Yemi in a small village. Eko looked out for his brother, even stealing food for him when he was hungry. However, he was often punished for this and forced to confess his sin at the local church, although Eko did not feel what he did was wrong because it was to help someone. This was seen in the episode The Cost of Living. Eko was soon drawn into the criminal life when guerrillas raided his village in search of young recruits. Taking an older man in the village captive, the guerrillas ordered Yemi to kill the man. When he hesitated, the guerrillas threatened to kill Yemi as well, leading Eko to intervene to save his brother's life. Taking the gun from Yemi, Eko promptly shot down the older man. Impressed by his actions, the guerrilla leader calls him "Mr. Eko," a title that would stick with him throughout his life. The guerrillas then take Eko away instead, but first stop to remove a cross pendant from his neck before departing.
Many years later, after he has become leader of a guerrilla group, Eko acquires a large amount of heroin, which he then seeks to smuggle out of the country by exploiting a privilege given to aid groups and missionary priests. Eko returns to his old village and visits his younger brother Yemi, who is the priest of the village church. There he asks his brother to aid him in smuggling the drugs from the country; he requests a large number of Virgin Mary statues (in which to hide the drugs) and the use of his plane. In return, Eko offers a large sum of money, which Yemi could use to provide vaccines to the village. Though momentarily tempted, Yemi refuses. Later, Eko returns with a second proposal: sign forged documents to make Eko and his henchmen appear to be priests, for which he will be paid handsomely, or watch as Eko's men burn down the church. This time Yemi agrees.
When the shipment is ready to be smuggled from the country, Eko and his men assemble at an airfield dressed as priests. While they are loading the plane, a Beechcraft 18, Yemi arrives to convince Eko not to go through with his plan. Moments after his arrival, however, the military, having been warned by Yemi about the impending operation, arrive to capture Eko and his men. In the ensuing gun battle, Yemi is wounded in the crossfire. Before the military can stop them, however, Eko and his henchman attempt to flee in the plane. After placing Yemi on the plane, the henchman boards the plane, but then suddenly turns and kicks Eko away from the door, leaving him to be captured. As the plane pulls away, the soldiers arrive at Yemi's vehicle. Based on Eko's clothing, the soldiers mistake him for his brother, the priest, and set him free back in his old village. In "The Cost of Living" we see that Eko has decided to carry on these duties as a Priest.
The village people believe that Eko is the new priest replacing Yemi, who was about to leave for London to study. Eko, who harbors tremendous guilt over Yemi's apparent death (the plane Yemi was on crashed), takes on the role. Eko soon comes into conflict with some guerrillas who had a deal with Yemi: they take 80% of the vaccines that are now delivered to village and sell it on the black market, and in return, they leave the village alone. Eko refuses, so they shoot a woman dead as a warning, vowing to return in a few days for the vaccines.
Eko decides to rescue his brother's village from the guerrillas and seeks out a dealer who is willing to buy the vaccines, intending that this information will be passed to the guerrillas. Soon after, the guerrillas confront him inside the church and attempt to cut off his hands. Eko fights back and kills all three, including the leader who begs for his life. The villagers are aghast at the thought of their new priest killing men, especially inside the church, so they board up the church and Eko is ostracized until he departs. He is told that he owes Yemi one church.
At some later point in time, Eko (known as "Father Tunde") is serving as a priest in an Australian church, taking confession from a man who has actually arrived to provide a passport so Eko can travel to Los Angeles. This is shown in the Episode "?". He is asked by a senior priest to investigate a reported miracle, the apparent resurrection of a young woman who drowned the day before. Eko visits the undertaker, who plays him the tape of his autopsy procedure. He later visits the home of the woman, Charlotte Malkin, and encounters her father, Richard Malkin, who seeks to explain away the miracle as a cover-up of the undertaker's incompetence. Richard is the psychic who told Claire to go on the plane, in the episode "Raised by Another", though, he admits to Eko that he is a fraud. At the airport in Sydney, prior to boarding Oceanic Flight 815, Eko encounters Charlotte, who agitates him by saying that she saw his brother when she was "between places," asking her to tell Eko to have faith.

After the crash

Season Two

Eko lands on the island with the rest of the tail-section survivors. On the first night on the island, the survivors are attacked by "The Others". Eko is one of the targeted few, but manages to kill two of the kidnappers in self-defense. Feeling guilt over his actions, however, Eko remains silent for the next 40 days. During this time, Eko begins carving Biblical passages onto a stick, which he refers to as "things he needs to remember." He breaks his vow of silence when comforting Ana Lucia. Of the remaining handful of survivors, Eko proves himself as the muscle and soul of the group. Shortly after Jin, Michael and Sawyer arrive on their beach, Eko single-handedly knocks them out, and helps carry the three into the pit. After the "misunderstanding" is resolved, Eko apologizes for his actions and assists Michael and Jin. On their way to migrate with the fuselage survivors, Eko helps to make a stretcher for the critically injured Sawyer.
Shortly after Ana Lucia accidentally shoots Shannon, mistaking her for an Other, Eko steps in to neutralize an enraged Sayid. While Ana Lucia makes everyone else stay behind, Eko carries Sawyer back to the camp, where he soon encounters Jack and Kate. He is taken to the hatch, where he first meets Locke, and also explains Ana Lucia's mistake to Jack in order to stop him becoming hostile. He decides to attend Shannon's funeral. Soon after, he and Michael watch the orientation video for the hatch, prompting him to give Locke the missing piece of footage he found in The Arrow station.
Eko soon learns from Claire about Charlie's possession of the Virgin Mary statue, and demands to be taken to the Beechcraft. On their way, the two encounter the "Monster"; Eko stands his ground while Charlie retreats up a nearby tree. After seeing brief flashes of his past, the "Monster" leaves and Eko and Charlie arrive at the Beechcraft, the same one that Eko had seen in Nigeria. Eko finds his brother's remains inside and takes the cross from his body. Eko and Charlie then burn the plane whilst reciting the 23rd Psalm. Later, Charlie approaches Eko regarding his surreal dreams and visions of Aaron in danger. The next morning, Eko baptizes both Claire and Aaron at her request.
While in the hatch one afternoon, Eko discovers the kidnapped Henry Gale, and coerces Jack into letting him speak to him. Eko apologizes for killing the men who tried to take him on the first night, and cuts off two tails from his beard, symbolizing the men he killed, and gives them to Henry. Soon after, Charlie finds Eko gathering wood in preparation for building something. Eko is eventually helped by Charlie and, after being sought by Bernard for help, he reveals that they are building a church, in order to repay his debt to his brother for defiling the one in Nigeria. That night, Eko has a dream where Ana Lucia and Yemi asks him to help Locke restore his faith. After cleaning up the mess in the hatch following the shootings of Ana Lucia and Libby, Eko confronts Locke and asks him to help track the escaped "Henry," but later admits he wants to show him the "question mark" in the jungle. Locke refuses to co-operate, but the next morning, he shows Eko the map he drew.
The two discover the "question mark" beneath the Beechcraft, uncovering a sealed hatch. The two descend into the hatch, later known as The Pearl, and discover a set of monitors. After watching the orientation video for the hatch, Eko is rejuvenated. He tries to convince Locke that pushing the button holds some importance, saying that he will continue to press it even if Locke won't. Staying true to his word, Eko abandonds the church and spends his time in the hatch, deeming it as more important. Locke demands that Eko stop pushing the button, but he refuses and stops Locke from damaging the computer. He is soon lured away from the computer by Locke and Desmond, and locked out by the blast doors. Knowing Locke will not re-open the doors, he asks Charlie to take him to the dynamite. After blowing open the doors, Eko is knocked unconscious from the impact, minutes before the hatch implodes.

Season Three

Eko somehow manages to survive the implosion. Locke believes that Eko came to in the jungle and was attacked by a polar bear and dragged into its lair. Locke rescues Eko, who is unconscious from his injuries. However, when Locke apologizes for his actions, Eko briefly awakens and tells him to make things right by rescuing Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Locke and Charlie carry Eko back to the beach soon after, where he is seen to by Claire, Nikki and Paulo. While he is recovering, he sees Yemi, who tells him it's time to be judged. His tent then catches fire, but Eko is pulled free from the blaze. He heads into the jungle unnoticed soon after. The next morning, he sees visions of people from his past whom he had killed, before being pursued by the "Monster." It flees, however, when Locke, Sayid, Desmond, Nikki and Paulo arrive.
Eko joins them on their hike to the Pearl Station, but waits outside while the others enter the hatch. Whilst outside, Eko enters the beech craft, only to discover that Yemi's body has disappeared. Yemi appears to Eko again soon after, telling him to confess his sins, but Eko refuses, saying that everything he did in his life was to survive. He says that, had he not killed a man as a child, Yemi would have been taken instead. Yemi speaks to him, saying "You speak to me as if I am your brother," before disappearing again. Eko grows angry and follows the vision, demanding to know the identity of the imposter. He shortly encounters the "Monster" again, in the form of a towering mass of black smoke. It grabs Eko and begins slamming him into the surrounding trees before crushing him into the ground. Locke and the others leave the hatch to investigate, and find Eko dying on the ground. Eko whispers something to Locke in his dying breath.
Eko is buried in the jungle on the spot where he died, with only Locke and his team present, after Locke explains that the camp has seen enough death lately. Locke places Eko's stick at the head of the grave, where one particular inscription, "Lift up your eyes and look north - John 3:05," provides Locke with a sudden burst of inspiration.

References

1. The Tailie's End Jennifer Armstrong