“The 23rd Psalm”
We find out a little bit more about our enigmatic friend, Mr. Eko. After finding out about Charlie’s Virgin Mary statue from Claire, Eko suddenly forces Charlie to take him to where he found the statue. Of course, he also reveals the statue’s content, and Claire decides she’s had enough of Charlie.
We flashback to Nigeria, where we learn that Eko, forced from his home as young boy by the country’s militia, has become a drug dealer. He knows all about the statues and the plane they were carried in because he was the one who order the drugs to be smuggled out.
Eko’s brother Yemi, on the other hand, grew up to be a priest. He tries to reform his brother but can’t break through Eko’s tough exterior. Instead, Eko devises a plan in which he will buy 300 Virgin Mary statues from the church and smuggle his drugs out inside them on one of the church’s relief planes–all the while disguised as a priest. Yemi refuses the deal, but Eko reminds him that the money can be used to buy polio vaccine for the village and finally resorts to blackmail, threatening to burn down the church if his brother doesn’t agree.
Yemi attempts to stop Eko from taking the fateful flight, but gets shot in the process and is pulled on board, leaving Eko behind. When the military police arrive, Eko assumes his brother’s identity as a priest–something he carries with him on the island.
As Eko and Charlie trek out to the plane, they do have one little encounter–with the black cloud/beast/whatever it is that has been terrorizing the castaways since they arrived. Charlie is safely in a tree when it comes upon them, but it stops right in front of Eko–and then fades back into the jungle. What the heck is it? And what is it about Locke and Eko that somehow tames it?
No matter, Eko is nonplussed by the whole incident, moving on to find the closure he has been searching for. He sees Yemi’s body in the wreckage and weeps, saying a prayer. He then burns the plane and all of its contents–except for one statue, which he gives to Charlie in return for the one he broke.
Meanwhile, Michael is still communicating with Walt and has every intention of getting him back, even though he isn’t telling anyone about it. He has Locke show him how to shoot instead. And when Charlie returns to camp, he swears to Claire that he isn’t using and that he doesn’t want to be kept away from Aaron. She doesn’t listen to him.
And that night, he treks out into the middle of the jungle and hides his statue amongst several other statues, his demons ever present…Poor Charlie.
