Lost: Season 2, Episode 10: The 23rd Pslam Review

The 23^rd Psalm
Original Airdate: January 11, 2006
Writers: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Director: Matt Earl Beesley

This episode had a lot riding on it. It is the first episode after a six week hiatus and the season had been criticized for its slow pacing. They seem to be addressing it by having the two sides of the plane merge, in addition to revealing some major parts of the island mythology. In “What Kate Did”, they showed just that; her original crime. Now we get some answers to other questions: what is the story behind the plane and what is the nature of the monster, while profiling the most intriguing of the tailies.

We had reason to suspect Eko had a history of violence, as the producers say everyone on the show has some variation of one, but it may be shocking to know he likely had the most violent of any of them. I read on Entil’s reviews that he compared Eko to Book on Firefly and after this episode, I have to agree. Book, like Eko, was the religious man with the mysterious past, likely connected to violence. Unfortunately, Firefly burned out before they could explore that. Luckily, Lost has been a major hit, allowing them time to do what Firefly couldn’t.

Eko’s struggles draw parallel to Sayid’s. Both men are from societies that, while different, have been ravaged by violence and have been involved in the groups perpetuating it. While Sayid was working for a dictator, Eko found himself recruited by one of the gangs in his homeland. Later, they found a way to leave this violence and try to find a road to redemption, albeit in different ways. For Sayid, it was a conscious decision to escape and let Nadia go free, but fate brought Eko’s chance for redemption. This could’ve been a decent reason to have him in the episode, but he remains absent.

Eko has the second direct connection to the island before being there. The first was Hurley, whose experiences with the numbers lead him to the island. Eko was originally going to be on the plane that crashed in the jungle years before he wound up on Flight 815. That piece of information is a lot to chew on. No one else as far as we know has had an experience like this one. He would’ve been on the island, but for whatever reason, he was kept off until now. Why? Perhaps it has to do with his rebirth as a priest: he wasn’t ready for the island until that point. It does add to the importance of fate and destiny, which course through the show.

It comes full circle for Eko. His story begins when he kills a man so his brother, Yemi, won’t be killed by the Nigerian mob, in addition to sparing Yemi of the guilt of murder. They tear off his crucifix, which his brother picks up. Eko gives up his soul because he has no choice. He grows up a criminal; slashing throats like nothing, whereas his brother becomes a priest in the missionary they inhabited as kids. In the end, his brother dies when the police he alerted shoot him. He takes his place on the plane. He saves Eko in the same literal and spiritual sense that Eko did for his brother when they were younger. This memory coincides with him finding his brother’s body and the crucifix, solidifying his redemption.

It ties in well to the opening segment where Eko talks to Claire about Moses and Aaron. Aaron was Moses’ mouthpiece because Moses wasn’t a good orator. Eko is the Aaron figure, serving to deliver the message that his Yemi can’t. He originally was lost as he found himself involved in drug trafficking and murder, but now the island has set him on the path to be the instrument for his dead brother’s faith.

Charlie’s character has a lot to do in this episode, as his storyline draws a parallel to Eko’s. Both men have some story of them falling while their brother in the end rises. However, Eko’s actions were to spare his brother from living a violent life with hoodlums. Charlie’s heroin addiction doesn’t feel as noble, and he is still unable to accept responsibility for his actions. Charlie is weak and Eko is strong, but both lost faith either way. So in the end, Eko finds some peace with his faith, while Charlie is in a murky area.

Because of his problems, Claire finally decides to kick Charlie out. Through most of the season so far, Claire has questioned Charlie’s role in Aaron’s life and finding out about the statue was the last straw. She certainly has right to, as I've mentioned before. Charlie was more the father figure because he was there for her and they were friends, not because of something deeper. However, shippers are likely to take note with that, I am only saying this is how it stands now, and having them separated delays the reunion longer.

Eko, like Locke, offered treatment for Charlie’s problems. The previously on Lost segment reminded us of when Locke withheld the heroin in order to teach Charlie inner strength (yeah, there was the whole “ask me three times” bit). Eko takes a different strategy. He gives Charlie the Mary statue, untouched, leaving the choice entirely to Charlie. While I do believe that Charlie has been clean, his collection of statues appears to be setting himself up for a showdown. He was awfully jittery when he was hanging with Jin (and as for “He’s Evil”, well I don’t know what to make of that.)

So we finally get a good shot of the monster (or at least part of it), that smoke. Whatever is in it is truly powerful. Some have theorized that they are nano machines working together. That could be possible, but one thing worth noting is what is going on in that smoke. Thanks to the devoted army of Lost fans on the net, we have some screen captures of what was in the smoke, and it was interesting. Among the images: Eko’s brother getting shot, a crucifix and the man Eko shot as a boy. What is it that causes it to display memories, if that is what it really showed? Is the monster scanning him? Is Eko seeing what we are? Eko stared at it without fear, which ties into the episode’s title, as if the smoke is the “shadow of death” and Eko’s faith spares him.

While many have been screaming about the monster, I’m still skeptical that we saw the whole thing. There were those screeching noises similar to the ones Locke’s adding machine made in “Walkabout”, but the horn bellowing is absent. One can look back to Locke’s perceptions of what he saw, one of awe (“Walkabout”) and one of terror (“Exodus II”). Also, when Locke was being dragged, we could hear the sound of a chain being cranked, which would be tough to associate with the mysterious black smoke. It’s quite possible that there could be a monster for all six stations and the clanging thing and the whispers are others.

Many of the characters didn’t get much this episode, but I’m fine with that since it allowed a great focus on those who did. As for those in the background, I’m definitely on the list of shippers for Hurley and Libby. I’m always for the big guy to get with the cute girl. Also, Libby is a clinical psychiatrist and Hurley has been in psych wards. That would likely yield some interesting drama if they decide to mine it. Jin and Sun are the first people excluding Jack to engage Ana-Lucia. She’s still the outcast, but eventually she’ll have to face the rest of the group, especially Sayid.

Kate and Sawyer are definitely heading more towards a real couple, as they share that cutesy moment when he gets his haircut, but we are quickly reminded that Jack is still a part of this dynamic, but he seems to be sidelined. This could be simply because the episode focused so heavily on Eko and Charlie, but we’ll see what happens next when they get a significant amount of screen time.

But the big storyline aside from this one is Michael trying to learn more about where Walt is. Though he tries to convince everyone that he isn’t interested in going AWOL for Walt, he is certainly heading in that direction as we saw Locke training him on the guns (RIP ranch dressing). Locke certainly has reason to want Walt back, as they bonded during the first season. One thing that bothers me is why no one seems to be actively taking care of him. Leaving him alone in the hatch, even with the weapons locked up, is a recipe for disaster. And wouldn’t someone have told him that you can’t use it to communicate?

Then we also have the conversation between him and “Walt” (I’m keeping it in quotations because I’m not sure that Walt is on the other end). I went over several theories in my last review, but this new one I thought of after Jack’s conversation with Michael. Since there were no messages when we saw the screen from Jack’s perspective, it could be in Michael’s head. Michael has had a rough week and his problems are difficult to solve. Therefore, he may be trying to manifest something that can help him solve this problem.

Whatever small problems there were with the logic of Michael’s storyline, this was probably the best episode of the second season to date. The direction is great (the use of yellow and red filters made Eko's flashbacks look like Africa). The sharpest script of the season really gives one of the best actors in the cast time to shine. Adewale Akinnouye Agbaje commands the episode and we see both his brutal and gentle sides, which flow flawlessly. Also the revelation of the monster (or part of it) adds to the intrigue, which may mean the slow burn for the second season may boil over soon.

Score: 9/10