"The 23rd Psalm" is the tenth episode of the
second season of ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'', and the 35th episode overall. The episode was directed by
Matt Earl Beesley
Matthew Earl Beesley is an American film director and television director living in Bell Canyon, California; he is the son of Dr. Earl Beesley.
From 1984 to 1988, he worked as assistant director on a number of notable films including ''National ...
, and written by
Carlton Cuse
Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is a screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series ''Lost'', for which he made the '' Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 ...
and
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the ...
. It first aired on January 11, 2006, on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, and was watched by an average of 20.56 million American viewers. The episode is centered on the character of
Mr. Eko (
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (, ; born 22 August 1967) is an English actor, director, and former fashion model known for his roles as Lock-Nah in ''The Mummy Returns'', Nykwana Wombosi in '' The Bourne Identity'', Heavy Duty in '' G.I. Joe: The R ...
), who in
flashbacks is revealed to be a former
warlord
A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, and in the present day events goes with
Charlie Pace (
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
) to the Nigerian airplane which had crashed on the island.
The episode has an overall theme of
redemption, and was written by drawing inspiration from "
Deus Ex Machina
''Deus ex machina'' ( , ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; English "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function ...
", the episode where the Nigerian airplane was first introduced. Reviews for "The 23rd Psalm" were positive, praising the flashback and Akinnuoye-Agbaje's performance as Eko. The episode's script was later nominated for an
Emmy Award.
Plot
Flashbacks
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n
guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...
arrive at a small village, grab a young boy named Yemi and try to force him to shoot an old man. The boy hesitates and his older brother,
Eko, takes the gun and shoots the man himself, thus saving his brother from the act. The guerrillas are pleased with this, and force him to join their group, tearing his
Christian cross from his neck, which is then taken by Yemi.
Years later, Eko has become a powerful
warlord
A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
. He meets with a drug dealer who is trying to get his
heroin out of the country. Eko offers to do him a "favor," buying the drugs at a low price and spiriting them out of the country. The drug runner agrees, but is killed after saying that he believed Eko had no soul. Later, Eko visits the church of his hometown, where Yemi has become a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
. Eko asks him for a plane, because only
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
relief and missionary aircraft are allowed to fly out of Nigeria, saying he will fly the drugs away from the Nigerians and give his brother money for a
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
vaccine. Yemi refuses to help. Later, Eko approaches his brother again, asking simply for Yemi to sign
ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...
papers that make Eko and two associates priests so that they can arrange the flight themselves. His brother refuses, but reluctantly signs after Eko says that his two friends will burn the church to the ground if Yemi does not collaborate. Eko also buys
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
statues to hide the heroin within.
Dressed as priests, Eko and two associates are loading drugs onto a
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general avi ...
airplane, when Yemi drives up and tells him not to leave. The Nigerian military arrives shortly thereafter, killing a henchman and shooting Yemi. Eko loads his brother onto the plane, but the pilot, who has a gold tooth, prevents Eko from boarding and flies away. Then the military approach and, mistaking Eko for a real priest, ask Eko, "Are you alright, Father?"
On the Island
On the island,
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pre ...
(
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin (; born 27 December 1981) is an Australian actress. She starred as Tess Harding on '' Roswell'' (2000–2002), Claire Littleton on the ABC drama ''Lost'' (2004–2008, 2010), and as Belle on the ABC drama '' Once Upon a Tim ...
) watches Eko whittling
scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...
into the head of his club, and mentions that
Charlie Pace (
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
) carries a Virgin Mary statue. Eko immediately demands to see the statue, which he breaks open and shows Claire the heroin inside. Eko then goes to Charlie, demanding him to take him to the plane.
Meanwhile, Locke teaches
Michael Dawson (
Harold Perrineau
Harold Perrineau (born August 7, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles as Michael Dawson in the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), Augustus Hill in the HBO television series '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Sheriff Boyd Steven ...
) how to use a gun, and Michael then asks
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly.
Character biography Prior to the crash
Born in 1977 and raised in Iowa, Kate is the daughter of diner worker Dia ...
(
Evangeline Lilly
Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born 3 August 1979) is a Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of various accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and an MTV Movie Award. She has also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a ...
) to have her shift at the
hatch computer. At the computer, Michael continues his conversation with his son
Walt
Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People Given name
* Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer
* Walt B ...
(
Malcolm David Kelley
Malcolm David Kelley (born May 12, 1992), sometimes credited as just Malcolm Kelley, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor best known for portraying the character Walt Lloyd on the ABC series '' Lost'' and as one half of the pop ...
), which is interrupted by the arrival of
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survi ...
(
Matthew Fox
Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on '' Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned h ...
), who remains unaware of it.
On the way to the Beechcraft, Eko and Charlie find a parachute in a tree, which leads to the corpse of a Nigerian man dressed as a priest that
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character who was played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series '' Lost'', which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot epis ...
(
Ian Somerhalder) and
John Locke (
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He played John Locke on the TV series ''Lost'', the title role in '' The Stepfather'' and '' Stepfather II'', and Peter Watts in ''Millennium'', ...
)
had previously found. When Eko sees the dead man's gold tooth, he tells Charlie that the man "saved his life." Charlie loses his way, and Mr. Eko tells him to climb a tree. As he is above the tree, trees are uprooted as
a cloud of free-moving black smoke emerges from the jungle. It confronts Mr. Eko whilst flashing images to him of his past. Mr. Eko stands his ground, despite Charlie telling him to run, and stares at the smoke before it pulls back and disappears. (This scene is significant because it marks the first appearance of the smoke monster in the second season, and it is the first time a clear shot of it is given; apart from very brief glances in the season one finale, the monster went unseen throughout the entire first season.)
Eko and Charlie then find the plane, inside which Eko finds another corpse which Eko recognizes as Yemi. After taking the cross from Yemi's body, Eko tells Charlie that it is his brother, gives Charlie a Virgin Mary statue "for the one
ebroke" and sets the plane on fire. Charlie asks Eko if he is a priest himself, and as Eko puts the cross around his neck he replies "Yes, I am." The two then recite
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a boo ...
from the
Old Testament as the plane burns.
After arriving at the camp, Charlie apologizes to Claire, but Claire tells him to leave her and
her son alone. Charlie then goes into the jungle, and opens a hiding place where he is keeping Virgin Mary statues to put with the one Eko gave him.
Production
During the production of "
Deus Ex Machina
''Deus ex machina'' ( , ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; English "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function ...
", which introduced the Nigerian airplane, a corpse dressed as a priest with a gun, and Virgin Mary statues filled with heroin, the ''Lost'' writers decided that the story of the Beechcraft would coincide with one of the characters' flashbacks. They decided to use one of the tail section characters to be introduced in season 2, "essentially a bad guy who was forced to disguise himself as a priest, and how would that come about, and could he now be presenting himself as a priest".
[ Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (January 17, 2006) "Official ''Lost'' Audio Podcast", '']ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
''. Retrieved on March 17, 2011. Since Eko and Locke are both spiritual leaders on the island - but with Locke having a "paganistic, ritualistic appreciation" for the island's powers and Eko, "pure religious faith" - writers
Carlton Cuse
Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is a screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series ''Lost'', for which he made the '' Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 ...
and
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the ...
decided to write in this episode parallels with "Deus Ex Machina", where Locke and Boone find the Beechcraft.
["''Lost'' on Location: 'The 23rd Psalm' ". ''Lost: The Complete Second Season – The Extended Experience'', ]Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,[Featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film.
Medium-length film ...]
, disc 7. Released on September 5, 2006. The biggest similarity is Charlie unwillingly become Eko's "acolyte", just like Boone was being Locke's follower in their expedition to the airplane.[
The main theme of "The 23rd Psalm" was redemption, which both Eko and Charlie are seeking, with Eko eventually getting his upon finding his brother. Charlie was chosen to be Eko's companion because the character did not have much screentime up to that point in the season, and the writers found similarities between Charlie and Eko, such as both having difficult relationships with their brothers. The writers accidentally transcribed Psalm 23 wrong, with "the shadow of the valley of death" instead of "the valley of the shadow of death," but decided to keep the mistake, feeling it was appropriate as Eko was never a proper priest.]
The flashbacks had the intent of showing that Eko was the opposite of his religious brother, but eventually ended up similar to Yemi.[ Nigeria's depiction was described by art director Bill Matthews as a "very dusty-dirty brown kind of Nigerian-earth look", with touches such as vendors on the street, and a square where children play soccer. The interior of the church was an actual location in Haleiwa, and a facade was built on the set to match it.][ While editing, the producers decided to separate a part of the final scene involving the airplane getting attacked and taking off, where a soldier confuses Eko for a priest, to juxtapose with Eko's spiritual epiphany on the island and set up his next flashback on " ?", where he is a priest in Australia. As the casting team was having trouble finding a Moroccan to play the drug dealer, set ]caterer
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major services b ...
Moumen El Hajji was selected for the role.[
As the Monster had not yet appeared in the second season, the producers decided to expand on his mythology in "The 23rd Psalm", as they thought Eko was a good character to confront the Monster because of his spirituality and "self-awareness". Visual effects supervisor Kevin Blank suggested on adding imagery representing Eko's past on the smoke, such as a cross and the man he shoots at the opening scene.][
]
Reception
The original broadcast of "The 23rd Psalm" was on January 11, 2006 on ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, being preceded by a clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...
titled "Lost: Revelations". It was watched by approximately 20.56 million American viewers, being third in the weekly audience ranking, behind the AFC playoffs and '' Desperate Housewives''.
Reviews for "The 23rd Psalm" were mostly positive. ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
''s Jeff Jensen gave the episode an A, describing it as a "wonderfully strange parable about redemption and fate". Mac Slocum of Filmfodder.com considered the episode a worthy return after the two-month break, saying that Eko's "simple looks and simple phrases pummel the screen with gravitas and charisma". Ryan Mcgee of Zap2it considered highlights of the episode the scene with the Monster, and the flashback, which in his opinion " idso great a job at explaining an entire character so succinctly". IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Chris Carabott gave the episode an 8.3 out of 10, praising the development of Eko's character and the flashback.
Writers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof's script for "The 23rd Psalm" was nominated for a . IGN ranked "The 23rd Psalm" 40th out of the 115 ''Lost'' episodes, calling the flashback "one of most action-packed and ambitious on the series". A similar list by ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' ranked the episode at 49th, describing it as "a great first chapter that sadly never got a worthy follow-up."
References
External links
"The 23rd Psalm"
at ABC
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:23rd Psalm
Lost (season 2) episodes
2006 American television episodes
Television episodes written by Damon Lindelof