Episode 5 - The Cost of Living
17 September 2009
Review
Present: Eko staggers through the jungle in search of Yemi. Locke leads a group to the pearl station. Once there they use the feed to see into another station and see a one-eyed man. Eko gives “Yemi” his confession before the smoke monster appears and kills him. Meanwhile Jack realises that it is Ben who has the tumour. Ben asks Jack to do the surgery while Juliet suggests that he let Ben die.
Flashback: Young Eko steals food to feed Yemi and is told to confess. As an adult he takes over Yemi’s job as priest. When men come to take the church’s vaccines Eko kills them.
The Good: This is an action packed episode and it feels like Lost is really going somewhere this season.
Locke’s inclusive leadership style is good to see. I have always asked why Jack and others would want to exclude people from trekking through the jungle. Surely more people will make things safer? Paulo and Nikki also answer another complaint of mine, that the unnamed survivors didn’t show any interest in this weird and wonderful island. It’s also good to see some logic as Locke decides to go and see if the Pearl can provide them with more information. Again, I have complained that there is a lack of curiosity about man made structures on an island which they are all (supposedly) trying to escape from. So that story was pleasing to see and it’s good that the survivors are setting off immediately to try and find their friends. It makes a change from the lack of activity that followed Claire and Michael’s disappearances.
Juliet’s attempt to kill off Ben is intriguing and puts Jack in a difficult position which should be interesting to watch.
Finally there is poor Eko. Or poor audience I should say who clearly lose a character long before his time was up. It’s sad that outside influences cut short his time on the show (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to leave) and this is at least an attempt to make the most of his last episode. Eko’s moral dilemmas remain interesting to watch and he makes a convincing case to “Yemi” that he is a good man who did the best he could (see Best Moment). His story answers the question of why he was building a church on the island which is good to know. It also shows us how the pilot was killed in the very first episode, which is another loose end tied up.
There are some enjoyable references to previous episodes here which reward long term viewers. It’s good to see Eko and Locke finally discuss the smoke monster and what it looks like. Locke is clearly on the right path again as he uses Eko’s words (“Don’t mistake coincidence for fate” from 209) to show he now believes in the island again. Ben also claims he believes in a God when he points out that a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky two days after he learnt he had a tumour. This is an interesting statement after he said God couldn’t see the island (in 218).
The Bad: Eko’s story leaves too many unanswered questions though. It was implied that Eko was something of a crime lord (210) or at least had more than a handful of resources at his disposal. So it seems odd that he immediately begins working in Yemi’s church and agrees to go to London. It’s not clear why he doesn’t call any of his friends or go back to his drug dealing or whatever else he got up to. It’s not at all convincing that the Catholic Church wouldn’t ask serious questions about where this man came from and what happened to Father Yemi.
On the island Eko’s own religious beliefs aren’t that clear either. He refused to speak for forty days after killing in self defence (207). But now he refuses to ask for forgiveness for the first murder he committed. Does he believe in the Christian God? Does he believe in the island? It’s not entirely clear. Nor is it clear why the smoke monster kills him. Hopefully that will be explored as the show goes on. But if it is not adequately explained, then his death feels like a blot on Lost. An awkward reminder that these are actors and they can mess up a story by their real world desires.
The Others continue their descent from exciting, intriguing, brutal people into any old evil organisation. Again I argue that the show built up a good deal of curiosity about the Others, their motives and their moral code. Abducting children, pregnant women, murdering people, making lists of “good” people and claiming God couldn’t see the island. It all pointed to some kind of religious or fascist organisation and yet now we see them looking for a good doctor or making hamburgers. Juliet and Ben fighting between each other seems like such a lame plot as a result. It feels like the same old story of the villains quarrelling while the good guy manages to escape the seemingly hopeless situation. Of course Lost has avoided this trap before so it’s not worth dwelling on yet, but it is a worrying sign.
There is something odd about the whole plan to deceive and “break” Jack as well. Considering they know so much about him, it seems like they could have asked for his help. Or just put a gun to Kate’s head and ask him to perform surgery. These logic gaps are worrying and annoying.
The Unknown: There is a hint of a philosophy behind the Others behaviour when we see their Hindu-like funeral for Colleen. Who is the one-eyed man? Is he at all connected with the glass eye which was found in the Arrow station (207)?
The smoke monster disappears twice in this episode when Locke appears, does that imply something about Locke? Yemi’s body has gone missing shortly before the smoke monster appears as Yemi. Similarly Christian Shepherd’s body had disappeared when he began appearing in the jungle (105). Is that part of how the smoke monster operates? If this “Yemi” was connected to the smoke monster, then who controlled “Yemi” in Eko and Locke’s dreams (221)?
Best Moment: Eko giving his confession to Yemi is well written and acted and does feel dramatic and significant. “I ask for no forgiveness Father, for I have not sinned. I have only done what I needed to, to survive.” He continues “When I was a young boy I killed a man to save my brother’s life. I am not sorry for this, I am proud of this. I did not ask for the life that I was given. But it was given nonetheless. And with it I did my best.” Eko does a good job here soliciting sympathy with his heartfelt defence. And it makes his subsequent death all the sadder. “Yemi” of course looks cold and replies “You speak to me as if I were your brother.”
The Bottom Line: A tale of what could have been. It’s sad to see Eko go and the writers do their best to wrap his story up but there are too many holes in it. The Others continue their downward spiral and so despite lots of good action, this episode feels like another disappointment.
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