Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Why Does Eko Need A Fake Passport?


















The name on the fake passport is not Eko Tunde, the name the Monsignor calls him and the name he gives to the passengers of Flight 815. This reminds me of Kate. In every flashback she uses an alias, yet she tells Jack her real name when they first meet. Of course, the Marshal was still alive to bust her had she lied to Jack. I guess when you're in an air crash, you feel compelled to use your real name.

But back to Eko. I assume Eko must have some identification to prove to the church who he is and was both in England and then Austrailia. So why the fake passport for a trip his superior knew he was taking?

18 comments:

Capcom said...

Maybe it has to do with the fact that he was a very successful drug lord guy? And if he was a successful one, he would be a well known and hunted one? So to avoid being caught he got the fake PP. Did his church superiors specifically know that he got a fake PP? I can't remember.

memphish said...

It's hard to say exactly what his superior knew Capcom. Eko does tell him that the guy with the fake PP was helping him with his travel plans. But meeting him in the confessional, etc. seemed like Eko was acting under the table.

The Church helping Eko to get a fake passport to travel to the US, now that could be an interesting missing moment.

Capcom said...

Oh yeah! The Vatican behind the DI or Paik/Widmore?! Now there's a mythology for ya. :o)

Paula Abdul Alhazred said...

I think Capcom's right, in that Eko's past as a warlord probably causes a few snags. Plus, he wouldn't want the Church finding out about his history, either. Was Eko just taking a trip to LA, or was he planning on ditching the Church and changing his identity? I can't remember if that was implied or not.

Cool_Freeze said...

yeah I am going with the warlord thing as well..

memphish said...

It's hard to say PAA what Eko's intent was. The monsignor knows about the trip. Eko has told the monsignor about the trip. But Eko has gotten this fake passport seemingly through underworld-ish channels. (I almost want to go back and see if this guy is around when Sawyer buys his Australian gun, but even I'm not that dedicated.) At the airport, Eko is not dressed as a priest. Maybe he told the church he was taking a sabbatical, but his real plan was to disappear into a new life.

maven said...

I also agree that the warlord past is a big issue. Maybe he was on some "watch list" at the airports and he knew he needed a different passport ID.

memphish said...

This drug lord issue has struck a chord with this group, but are Britain & Australia really that much more lax about this stuff? Or as Capcom said The Vatican? Remember at this same moment US & Australian CIA types are using Sayid to bust up a terrorist plot.

Capcom said...

Oh, I like your idea about Eko maybe wanting to ditch the phoney priestly life and just starting fresh somewhere Memphish! And that sort of fits into how he had his epiphany about finally being a real priest on the island too.

memphish said...

Good job tying my rambles together Capcom. Full circle and Eko must die.

Capcom said...

Oh man, touche! :-D

Paula Abdul Alhazred said...

The more I think about it, the more I think Eko was looking to hit the road once he got to America. Like Capcom said, that really highlights the difference that 815 made in his life.

memphish said...

This got me started to thinking about how many characters on Flight 815 were getting ready to start new lives.

Sayid was going to finally find Nadia (presumably.) Kate a new life in jail. Jack a new life without his dad. Claire a new life post-baby. Ana Lucia. Walt and Michael's lives would definitely be new. Sun and Jin were trying to flee Sun's dad and/or Jin.

But there were plenty of others who weren't too. Hurley was just returning to his life (albeit dad was a relatively new addition.) Shannon told Boone they were going back to the way thing were, though that would remain to be seen. Charlie was continuing on his path to heroine and has-been-ism. Locke was headed back to the box company in defeat. Rose and Bernard back to waiting for Rose to die.

I don't know if there's anything that separates these characters on Island because of this. Just a thought that the Eko discussion provoked.

Capcom said...

Wow, now that you lay it out like that Memphish, it's almost as though the ones who were headed for a new start got stalled, and the ones who were retreating in defeat got a new life. Not for everyone of course, but for a lot of them.

Paula Abdul Alhazred said...

On the other hand, though, even the people who were starting new lives had some questionable foundations. I think that, had the plane not crashed, Jack would have ended up the way we saw him in "Through the Looking Glass." And without the island, it probably would've been a lot longer (if ever) before Walt gave Michael a chance. Jin wanted to run from Mr. Paik, but Sun wanted to run from Jin, and their marriage was so messy by that point that going on the run together might have done more harm than good. Also, it seems that Claire would never have forgiven herself for giving up the baby, Kate would have just gone to prison, and Sayid would bring all of his I-torture-people-and-recently-got-a-friend-of-mine-killed baggage into his relationship with Nadia. So I actually think it's best that all of these people wound up on the island.

memphish said...

I think we are supposed to believe (and maybe Ben does too) that being on the Island is "better" for each of these people than arriving in Los Angeles would have been at least if they'll try to understand that.

Many of these people would have been "lost" if they'd arrived in LA. Kate and possibly Sawyer and even maybe Ana Lucia literally behind bars. Jack certainly had no concrete plans once he got Christian in the ground. Claire had no plans after delivering the baby. Charlie had no plans since Liam wouldn't rejoin the group.

And those who have embraced the new opportunity have been happiest, especially Locke, Hurley and Jin and Sun.

I think these sorts of questions are going to be ones we can continue to debate well beyond May 2010.

Paula Abdul Alhazred said...

The only person who seems like the island didn't "save" them in some fashion is Ana Lucia . . . not that her time on the island didn't help her come to terms with some stuff, it's just that she actually seemed ready to resolve those issues before she got on the plane. I have to admit, I really want to see her character again.

Capcom said...

Good points. Over the course of the show I too have gotten the feeling that their island lives are better. But how could you convince someone that they are "better off" stranded from civilization, until they finally have time to find out for themselves? I guess that is what Ben is trying to ask them to do, in some ways.

I wanted more AnaL too, I was sorry that she died so soon. I didn't hate her at all like so many others did.