? (episode)

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<< Season 1		Lost Season 2 (Flashbacks in Parentheses)					Season 3 >> • Season 4 >>
---	"Destination Lost"	(recap)	#09	"What Kate Did"	(Kate)	#17	"Lockdown"	(Locke)
#01	"Man of Science, Man of Faith"	(Jack)	---	"Lost: Revelation"	(recap)	#18	"Dave"	(Hurley)
#02	"Adrift"	(Michael)	#10	"The 23rd Psalm"	(Eko)	#19	"S.O.S."	(Rose & Bernard)
#03	"Orientation"	(Locke)	#11	"The Hunting Party"	(Jack)	---	"Lost: Reckoning"	(recap)
#04	"Everybody Hates Hugo"	(Hurley)	#12	"Fire + Water"	(Charlie)	#20	"Two for the Road"	(Ana Lucia)
#05	"...And Found"	(Jin & Sun)	#13	"The Long Con"	(Sawyer)	#21	"?"	(Eko)
#06	"Abandoned"	(Shannon)	#14	"One of Them"	(Sayid)	#22	"Three Minutes"	(Michael)
#07	"The Other 48 Days"	(Tailies)	#15	"Maternity Leave"	(Claire)	#23	"Live Together, Die Alone"	(Desmond)
#08	"Collision"	(Ana Lucia)	#16	"The Whole Truth"	(Sun)

"?" redirects here. For other uses of "?", see: ? (disambiguation)

"?" is the twenty-first episode of Season 2 of Lost. As Eko experiences unusual dreams, he asks John to take him to the ? from the blast door map he saw. At the Hatch, the rest of the survivors must come to terms with what transpired, and try to ease the suffering of a mortally wounded Libby.

Contents 1 Synopsis 1.1 Flashback 1.2 On the Island 2 Trivia 2.1 General 2.2 Production notes 2.3 Bloopers and continuity errors 2.4 Recurring Themes 2.5 Flashes in Eko's dream 2.6 Cultural references

Synopsis

Flashback

Mr. Eko, working as a priest and going by "Father Tunde," visits the confessional, speaking to a man who claimed to have committed adultery, but had really forged an Australian passport for Eko to enter the United States. Another priest comes to inform Eko that a miracle has happened: A woman claimed that her child drowned in a river and resurrected the day after, and she wanted to tell the world the news. Eko declines to be concerned with this matter, as he does not believe the woman, to which the priest responds, "Why do you think I chose you?"

Later, Eko is seen interviewing a medical examiner about his account of the "miracle" that happened. The examiner informs a skeptical Mr. Eko, that the girl was resurrected during the autopsy, and provides an audiotape as supporting evidence. When Eko goes to visit the woman who reported this miracle, he finds a stare-eyed daughter at the porch. The mother comes out and informs him that it is not an appropriate time for him to visit. The father comes out and orders her to go back inside, and tells Eko that the whole incident was a misunderstanding. He claims that his wife knows that his psychic services are a fraud, and was attempting to "spite" him. Eko then tells him that he will report that the incident was not a miracle. As he leaves, he sees the daughter staring at him from the window.

Finally, Eko stands at the Oceanic Airlines terminal picking up his tickets for the flight, when the drowned girl confronts him as he steps away from the desk. She informs Eko, to his anger and disbelief, that his brother Yemi has contacted her when she was "between worlds." She then says she knows that Eko's not a real priest, but he should have faith in himself, as Yemi still has faith in him. Eko's fury causes Libby to overhear their conversation and ask them if everything is all right. Eko shrugs it off and leaves.

On the Island

We see Mr. Eko chopping wood with his axe on the beach, continuing to build his church. Ana Lucia shows up, and asks him what he is building. Eko explains and claims that the idea of a church came from a dream. Ana Lucia responds, "A dream like this one?" Eko then notices that Ana Lucia is bleeding from the stomach and out of her mouth. She tells Eko, "You need to help John." Eko then finds himself in the Swan, with his dead brother Yemi sitting at the computer. Yemi tells him that Locke has lost his way, and that Eko needs Locke to take him to "the question mark." He also tells him to bring the ax. The room starts to violently shake. The timer is back at the red and black tiles, but now the hieroglyphs previously seen are replaced by question marks. The computer keys are also marked with them. Eko wakes up hyperventilating, and Charlie, sleeping nearby, turns over and asks, "What's the matter?"

The action then returns to the final events of the previous episode. Locke, Sawyer, Kate, and Jack are seen moving through the forest, as Michael stumbles out of the Hatch, claiming that he had been shot in the arm by a person unknown to him. Eko appears out of nowhere and offers his help. Sawyer discovers that Ana Lucia and Libby have suffered gunshot wounds. Kate checks Ana Lucia for a pulse and tells Jack that she is dead. Libby however coughs up a mouthful of blood, and Jack rushes to treat her. She quickly enters into a state of shock. Fear crosses Michael's face; if Libby lives, she may reveal that it was Michael who shot them. Jack insists that they go after "Henry's" trail, as Michael says he left only half an hour earlier. Sawyer insists that Jack remain and tend to Libby's condition.

Eko offers to track down Henry Gale, with the assistance of Locke. Both of them head out to find him. However, Eko leads Locke on a random path, making no effort to pick up or follow a trail that Henry Gale would have left. Locke is upset and prepares to head back. Eko then asks Locke to take him to the question mark. When Locke refuses, Eko headbutts Locke, successfully knocking him unconscious. When Locke later regains consciousness, Eko tells him that he was being difficult. After further interrogation, Locke shows Eko the diagram he drew from his memories of the blast door, with the question mark in the middle. Eko then tells Locke that they will go to the question mark, stating that Ana Lucia told them in his dream to find it. Locke responds with a look of skepticism, to which Eko asks him, "Have you ever followed a dream?" Later, as the two are arguing about symbols on the map that Locke had copied from memory, Eko steps on a Virgin Mary statue, and the two stumble before the burned plane with the heroin smugglers. Eko asks what made the plane fall and Locke answers that it was "Boone who made it fall". He then ads in a nonchalant tone that it was "a sacrifice that the island demanded." They then make camp and "wait for further instructions."

In the Hatch, Michael asks if Libby had said anything. Jack says that she is still unconscious and is suffering, and that all he can really do is to make her more comfortable. Jack then gives Sawyer a stern look, to which Sawyer says that he already gave him all of the medications. Jack clarifies; he was referring to the heroin. He then asks Sawyer to fetch it, and orders Kate to accompany him so that she may find where Sawyer stowed all the guns and other belongings. Faced with the choice of this or allowing Libby to die in pain, Sawyer agrees and leads Kate back to his tent. Kate learns to her surprise that he hid his belongings underneath the tent. After they walk out of the tent, Hurley approaches them and asks if they seen Libby; their faces fall as they begin to explain.

In a dream, Yemi appears before Eko and directs him to climb the cliff. Upon reaching the top, Yemi, seated in a wheelchair, says "Wake up John", and in terror, Eko loses his grip of the cliff and falls back to the bottom. Locke is shown waking up from a disturbing nightmare. When he begins to describe his dream, Eko tells him that the priest he saw was his brother, Yemi. Locke stated that Yemi wanted him to follow. He then looks up the cliff from his dream, and Eko proceeds to climb the cliff. Half-way through his climb, he is seen struggling, which makes Locke anxious. However, Eko successfully makes it to the top. Locke calls to him and asks him if he has found anything. After looking at a rugged green-covered landscape, Eko replies that he did not find anything. But as he turns to tell Locke, he sees a giant question mark in the soil, with the plane at the point.

After tasting it, Eko discovered that the soil was salted to prevent growth. Eko then picks the ground with his axe, and discovers a hatch buried underneath the plane. Using the blunt side of the axe as a sledge hammer, they open and enter the Hatch below, which appears to have electrical power. They enter a room with several tables (one with cigarette debris on it) with adjustable rectangular magnifying lenses, as well as several television screens mounted into a wall, one of which Locke turns on: it shows a live surveillance feed from the Swan; Jack is shown walking past the camera. Locke sees another camera above them, and also finds a pneumatic tube which is proven to be functioning when he inserts his map sketch.

Locke also finds another computer terminal with a command prompt: >: PRINT LOG? Y/N. Locke inputs Y, and a dot-matrix printer is heard in the background as it produces the log printout. Eko finds another Orientation movie on a U-matic tape. Eko and Locke watch the tape and learn that the hatch they are in is "Station 5 - The Pearl," constructed to observe the other station(s) and to record how the subjects perform actions which they believe to be of great importance. Locke appears to be disillusioned about entering the Numbers, whereas Eko's belief in its importance is heightened--he takes the log printout with him as they depart.

Back at the Swan, Hurley says his goodbyes, and tells her how sorry he is for having forgotten the blankets. Jack could not save Libby's life. Her last word was a hoarse "Michael...," which Jack misinterprets as a sign of concern, and not as a sign of warning. When Jack reassures Libby that Michael is fine, she appears to be frightened. While Sawyer hugs Kate (who starts crying), Locke and Eko make their way back to camp. Michael stares at the computer from the armory, as the alarm starts beeping.

Trivia

General

• "Dr. Marvin Candle" (François Chau) from the Swan Orientation film calls himself "Dr. Mark Wickmund" in the Pearl Orientation video, and his left arm is no longer a prosthetic arm, which suggests that this orientation film was made before the film we see in "Orientation".
• Eko is referred to as "Father Tunde," although it is unclear as to whether this was his true surname or an assumed name.
• This episode marks the only time in the series where one of the crash survivors refers to the Hatch by its true name (The Swan), when Eko asks Locke about the orientation of his map.

Production notes

• Claire, Jin, Sayid, and Sun do not appear in this episode.
• During this episode, a brief commercial for the fictional Hanso Foundation aired amidst the normal advertisements in which the web address subLYMONal.com [1], part of The Lost Experience, was revealed. The website and ad are both part of an advertising campaign by Sprite (during the commercial a small tag displayed a "Paid for by Sprite" copyright).
• During the early part of Lost Season 2, there were news articles that film director Darren Aronofsky [2] would direct an upcoming episode of the season. This episode, with its dreamy, surreal qualities perfectly suited to Aronofsky's distinct, hypnotic style, was the episode written for him. Damon Lindelof has called the episode title an ode to Aronofsky and his similarly titled movie, "π" (aka "pi"). He would later pull out of the gig, due to having just become a father.
• In one scene in the Pearl, where Locke is flicking the light switch, there is a shot of his hand but this hand actually belongs to Damon Lindelof.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• As the camera spans to view Hurley crying over Libby's dead body, her chest can be seen rising and falling (perhaps this is due to the fact that Hurley's sobs are making the bed shake).
• The previous episode ended during the day, yet this episode picks up from it at night.
• On the upside down paper on the Undertaker's desk, 'Hawaii' is in the heading at the top of the page
• During the flashback sequence where Mr. Eko is investigating the miracle at the girl's house, just as the girl is led back inside the house by the mother there is a shot of Mr. Eko which is reversed. Eko has a mole on the left side of his face, but for just this shot, the mole appears on the right side of his face, and the shadows, previously on the right are now on the left. In the next shot of Eko where he is addressing the girl's father things return to normal.
• When Sawyer approaches injured Libby, you can see that Libby's mouth and left cheek is covered with blood. Although, later, when Libby is shown closer, her mouth is clean and there's no blood at all.

Recurring Themes

Recurring themes in Lost
Black and white • Car accidents • Character connections • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Good and bad people • Imprisonment • Isolation • Life and death • Missing body parts • Nicknames • The Numbers • Parent issues • Pregnancies • Rain • Rebirth • Redemption • Relationships • Sacrifice • Secrets • Time

• Mr. Eko is now apparently a true priest in his flashback. (Religion)
• The miracle Eko was sent to investigate had to do with a girl dying and being resurrected the following day. (Miracles) (Rebirth)
• Richard Malkin, Claire's psychic from "Raised by Another" is the father of the girl Eko visited. (Character Connections)
• The psychic, Richard, admits to being a fraud. (Deceptions and Cons)
• Charlotte, the girl who supposedly drowned, tells Eko she met his dead brother when she was between worlds and he says he has faith in Eko. (Parapsychology)
• Eko has several dreams that lead along his venture to find The Pearl, in the dreams he is contacted by Yemi and the dreams are strangely accurate, revealing events to Eko that he could not know about, such as Ana Lucia being shot. (Dreams and Visions)  (Parapsychology)
• Sawyer calls Locke Gimpy McCrutch. (Nicknames)
  • This is not a cultural reference, but a made-up name. A gimp is a crippled person.
• Charlotte passes on a message to Eko she receives from Yemi: "He says you were a good priest... that even though you were pretending, you're a good man." (Good and bad people)
• While Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer wait at Libby's bedside, the countdown timer displays a time of 88:00. (Numbers)

Flashes in Eko's dream

• A shot of the tailies on the beach just after the crash (from the ocean towards the beach).
• The smoke coming out of the forest towards Mr. Eko.
• A body face down in the water (wearing blue or purple, probably also from when the tailies crashed).
• A gold cross on a chain, lying in dirt.
• Bare feet walking in the jungle with the teddy bear on a leash behind them.
• Flames.
• Jin in a blindfold.
• Rows of Heroin Marys in Nigeria.
• Charlie and Mr. Eko watching the plane burn.
• Mr Eko's brother (Yemi) in his church.
• Flames with the Arrow logo behind them.
• Mr Eko holding the Bible (the one with the missing film in it?).
• Mr Eko's Jesus stick with the books of the Bible carved into it.
• Mr Eko's hand on Goldie's jaw (when they discovered him in the jungle).
• Close shot on Locke's face (he looks surprised).
• Very dark shot of Mr. Eko with the black smoke in the foreground. His brother's face is in the smoke.
• Yemi's body, when he opens the jacket and sees him wearing the cross.
• A plane taking off.
• Soldiers in a truck chasing the plane.
• Yemi yelling while getting shot.
• Dr. Marvin Candle from the Swan Orientation Film.
• A DHARMA logo from the Swan.

Cultural references

Cultural references in Lost (direct references only)
Art • Books • Cars • Games • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science

• Prince. Sawyer calls Ben "The Artist Formerly Known As Henry Gale", a variation on one the many nicknames of the famous musician. (Music)  (Nicknames)
• Daniel Boone. Sawyer calls Jack "Daniel Boone", after the American pioneer and hunter whose frontier exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. (Nicknames)
  • In "The Hunting Party", it was Locke who was called "Daniel Boone" by Sawyer.

Eko Portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje v • t • e
Flashback episodes	"The 23rd Psalm" • "?" • "The Cost of Living"
Flashback characters	Amina • Blind woman • Caldwell • Daniel • Emeka • Goldie • Lead soldier • Libby • Charlotte Malkin • Joyce Malkin • Richard Malkin • Valerie McTavish • Dr. Ian McVay • Monsignor • Moroccan No. 2 • Nigerian priest • Nigerian woman • Nun • Olu • Shooting victim • Thug captain • Ticket Agent • Tough Moroccan • Trader • Yemi
Items	Cross • Passport • Stick • Virgin Mary statues
See also: Main Characters