2.21 - ?

Title’s significance: Eko’s dreams direct him to a question mark hidden somewhere on the island.

Recap: Eko’s flashbacks explore his time as a priest (Father Tunde), which he was trying to escape before he was called to investigate a miracle – the apparent resurrection of Charlotte Malkin. Charlotte’s father – the psychic that Claire visited – denied it was a miracle, but Charlotte encountered Yemi while “between places,” which seems to prove the miraculous occurrence. On the island, Eko has a strange dream that prefigures Ana Lucia’s death and features Yemi asking Eko to help Locke find his “way” again by going to “the question mark.” At The Swan, Michael weaves his story about the so-called escape of “Henry Gale” before it’s discovered that Libby isn’t quite so dead, so Locke and Eko go off in search of “Henry,” but Eko is more interested in finding “the question mark.” Sawyer gives up the heroin to ease Libby’s suffering, exposing to Kate the location of his stash in the process, and Sawyer and Kate have to deliver the harsh news to Hurley. Eko finds the question mark – salted into the ground where the Nigerian plane crashed; buried underneath is another Dharma station, The Pearl, filled with monitors watching the other hatches. Disillusioned, Locke says he’s had enough, but Eko says their faith is being tested. Back at The Swan, Hurley apologizes to Libby as she dies – before she can warn everyone that Michael killed her.

Thoughts: This is nominally Eko’s episode, but I think Damon & Carlton are focusing, as they always have been, on Locke and his spiritual oscillation between faith and disbelief. The mythology also gets deepened with a riveting new development – The Pearl. Though this isn’t my favorite Damon & Carlton episode – not by a long shot – it’s still one of the best episodes overall in Season Two.

Favorite moment: I’m a sucker for the orientation videos, so The Pearl scene was my favorite, but Hurley’s last conversation with Libby was a real tear-jerker, too.

Characters introduced (in order):

• JOYCE MALKIN, mother of an apparent miracle
• CHARLOTTE MALKIN, resurrected daughter of psychic Richard Malkin

What we learned:

• Eko took on the name “Father Tunde” when he pretended to be a priest.
• Eko was investigating a miracle in Sydney before boarding Flight 815.
• Richard Malkin says that he is a fraud, not a psychic.
• The Pearl’s function is to monitor the other Dharma stations.
• A dead cigarette suggests The Pearl was still being used recently.
• The Pearl video was made in 1980.
• Libby tried to intervene when Eko and Charlotte were arguing in the airport.

Questions:

• Is Richard Malkin genuinely a psychic or not?
• Who salted the question mark?
• Who was in The Pearl recently?
• Where does the pneumatic tube go from The Pearl?
• With The Pearl monitoring other stations, does this mean the other stations are psychological trick experiments? Or are some of them legit with only a few others as placebos?
• Why did the orientation film presenter use a different name – Mark Wickmund instead of Marvin Candle?
• Where does the Pala ferry go?
• Why did Locke have to come to the Pearl?
• Has Michael gone absolutely crazy?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• Some higher power was giving visions to Eko and Locke. Was it the island, Jacob, God, or something else to be revealed in Season Six?
• Mark Wickmund states in the Pearl orientation video, “Careful observation in the only key to true and complete awareness.” That’s pretty much the theme of this rewatch project. (Just thought you ought to know.)
• Locke says, “I was never meant to do anything! Every single second of my pathetic little life is as useless as that button!” I really think he’s wrong on that one; I really do.