Did anyone else have a feeling that Eko was going to die during tonight’s episode? Well, I sure as hell did (especially after getting half-eaten by a polar bear the week before), and my suspicions only grew as we learned the final chapter of his story before arriving on the island. Anyways, of all the “main characters” to bite the dust thus far, Eko’s certainly had to be the coolest. After being stalked by the Smoke Monster (the same one that caused so much controversy last season) for most of the episode, Eko finally confronted it face to face. Unfortunately, the Smoke Monster is wicked cool and disposed of Eko like a rag doll, bashing him from tree to tree and slamming him into the ground. Eko may not feel like he sinned, but someone sure as hell does. I think the question now is if the Smoke Monster is real or just a part of his imagination, because if that thing’s for real, well, the survivors have a lot more to worry about than a bunch of ragtag thespians.
The rest of Eko’s storyline is pretty much pointless – especially after disclosing the above information – but it is important to note that Locke discovered his body not more than a few seconds after it happened. I know, I know: how convenient. He was just around the corner, however, investigating further into the “Kernel” hatch with Sayid, Desmond and two of the show’s newest characters, Paulo and Nikki. It’s a good thing they brought along the new blood too, since it was Nikki who uncovered a new hint in the orientation video. It mentions several ongoing projects (not one, but several) that the “Kernel” scientists are responsible for surveying, and as soon as Sayid manages to cut in to one of the other feeds, they see some creepy guy with an eye patch staring right back at them. Hmm. More on this later, I presume.
Finally, while Kate and Sawyer took the bench this week, Jack’s ongoing storyline continues. When Ben invites him to Colleen’s funeral (wearing what seems to be either a pair of Jesus PJs or an island-themed cult uniform), Jack brings up his spinal tumor. This appears to have struck a chord with Ben (mostly because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of Jack, but also because this apparently ruins his “plans”), and he’s more than a little pissed off at the fact that his life is in this stranger’s hands. Fast-forward to the end, however, and we see Juliette secretly relaying a message to Jack informing him that many of the Others are ready for a change, and that they need Jack to “lose him” during spinal surgery. Now, is this for real, or has Ben simply hatched another plan to regain the upper hand? Whatever the case, I don’t think Jack would ever knowingly kill a patient. In the end, this will either earn Ben’s trust or only piss him off even more, and with only one more episode to go before the massive break (three months, to be exact), I have a feeling we’re all gonna find out sooner rather than later.
