Synopsis:
A still-injured Eko has fever dreams of his brother, Yemi. Awake, he sets off to the crash site of the small plane where he discovered Yemi's body last season.
While on the way, Eko briefly encounters the island's "smoke monster," but it does not harm him.
In flashbacks, we see how Eko assumed the identity of a priest following Yemi's death. And we learn how he confronted and killed militia members who threatened the church congregation. On his way to Yemi's crash site, Eko also has very real visions of these dead militia members. He also sees a young boy from the church congregation, who tells him "confess."
At the same time, Locke leads an expedition party--including Sayid, Desmond and new-to-us crash survivors Nikki and Paulo--to the Hatch located beneath the same crash site.
Everyone is worried about Eko, but Locke is certain Eko is on the way to the same place and they'll catch up with him there. Sure enough, the party meets Eko along the way.
Reaching the crashed plane, Eko discovers his Yemi's body is no longer there.
Down in the Hatch, Locke and the others begin messing with the TV screens. Eventually, one switches on, showing a view of what looks like yet another Hatch. Suddenly, a man with an eye-patch comes into view inside this other Hatch and abruptly shuts off the camera on his end so all we see is static. Locke and the others are startled, but excited that they've discovered someone else apparently on the island.
While the others explore the Hatch, Eko has visions of Yemi and speaks to him. Eko talks of his guilt over the things he's done, but says he had no choice. Everything he did, no matter how bad, was for the sake of survival. He views himself as a good man. Yemi--or the vision of him--then says, "You talk to me like I'm your brother" and angrily walks away.
Confused, Eko follows, shouting "Who are you?!" at the vision, which disappears only to be replaced by the smoke monster, which grabs Eko, hurtling him savagely into trees and the ground.
Hearing the monster sounds above, Locke and party rush out of the Hatch where they find Eko near death. Locke bends down close to comfort him and Eko whispers something in his ear before dying. Sayid asks Locke what Eko said and Locke replies, "He said we're next."
Meanwhile, back on Other Island, Jack tells Ben he realizes Ben is sick. Ben is taken aback and, privately, questions Juliet about how Jack learned this fact. Then, back again with Jack, Ben admits he's ill and says all his plans to break down and brainwash Jack to his cause are now useless. He'd hoped to make Jack want to help him. That said, Ben says he still hopes Jack will help.
Later, Juliet visits Jack, bringing a TV to show a movie. Jacks says he doesn't watch, but she switches on the set with the sound off as they talk. Aloud, Juliet says Ben is a good man and that she hopes Jack can help him. But on the TV screen there's a tape of Juliet holding up written signs that tell Jack to ignore what she's saying. The signs say Ben is bad. That the Others want a change. That if Ben died on the operating table, it would be for the best. Nobody would know Jack hadn't tried his best to help him.
Clues, observations, speculation:
* Why does the Big Black Smoke turn on Eko? Last season it looked into his mind--appearing to judge him--and left him alone. Does Eko's "confession" that he did violence to survive, offend the monster?
* What is the smoke monster? Is it really a "security system" controlled by someone? Or is it a sentient being? Is it the result of a Dharma experiment? Is it a member of the Dharma group, somehow transformed? Is it some form of body-less consciousness roaming the island? Or a mystical manifestation of the island itself? Do Ben and Others have anything at all to do with it?
* The notion of survival is interesting. If the smoke monster is a protector of the island, or is the island, it makes sense that it would be angered by Eko's statements. If a person is willing to do anything to survive, as Eko says he is, he could do great harm to the island or--in trying to get off the island--reveal it's location/existence. The smoke may not be evaluating the survivors in terms of morality, but trying to learn whether it/the island can co-exist with the crash survivors. The first person we're aware of the monster killing is the Oceanic pilot. It makes sense that the monster would see the crash as an immediate threat and attack the person it saw as "responsible" for bringing the plane down.
* Eko and Locke briefly discuss having seen the monster. Locke says he experienced it as something positive--a white light. Eko tells him "that's not what I saw."
* Locke views the island with awe. He credits it with allowing him to walk again. He has great reverence for it. Given this, the monster obviously wouldn't see him as a threat but as a potential ally.
* Are previous visions people have had all manifestations of the smoke monster? A vision of his dead father led Jack into the jungle. A vision of his friend Dave nearly led Hurley to jump off a cliff. It seems the monster is using visions to manipulate people.
* What's up with the white funeral garb the Others wear to Colleen's funeral? Is there a religious aspect to their community?
* In this season's first episode, Juliet is shown crying. Is this because she's learned Ben is sick? And, if so, why would she now be encouraging Jack to help kill Ben?
* Ben seems mystified by the grand coincidence of a spinal surgeon--Jack--falling from the sky two days after he's learned he has a tumor on his spine.
* Ben says Juliet was selected to indoctrinate Jack because she bears a resemblance to Jack's former wife, Sara. How do the Others know what Sara looks like? Who from the outside world is giving them information like this?
* Why didn't Ben just leave the island to get treatment? When Walt and Michael left on their boat with directions on how to leave, Ben told them they'd be unable to come back. Is the same true for Ben?
* Who is Eyepatch Man and where is he?
* With his map of the different Hatch sites from last season, will Locke now try to search out all the other Dharma sites?
* Juliet brings Jack a cheeseburger. Last season, while captive in the Hatch, Ben sarcastically asked Locke and the others about having cheeseburger for his meal.
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