The island's silent, self-appointed priest/ex-drug lord was one of the second season's greatest highlights. Introduced into the show as one of the tail section's survivors, Mr. Eko immediately became a fan favorite. Armed with an entertaining backstory far removed from those of the other survivors and the ability to stare down the mysterious smoke monster without so much as flinching, Eko would go on to serve as the perfect counterpoint to the increasingly faithless John Locke and take on his role as guardian of the hatch. Unfortunately, with Locke's faith restored after the destruction of the hatch, Eko's role was reduced to being rescued from the clutches of one of the island's polar bears only to die five episodes into season three by the hand of the smoke monster. Rumors abound about whether or not Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to leave the show, but even still, efforts were made to at least bring closure to Eko's story in an excellent scene about confession and forgiveness between Eko and his brother, Yemi (who was really the smoke monster in disguise). While it's hard not to feel that Eko's story ended prematurely and that he could've had more to offer as the show went on - even if it was just getting to finish building his church - his death was still brutal and surprising. Though audiences would never see him find a way to show up on the show again like so many other deceased characters, the storyline of his final episode brought his character to a satisfying conclusion.
Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
