2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#13)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#13 - February 16th - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as "Mr. Eko" - "LOST"

My buddy Kevin is in love with theoretical cage matches. He is always pitting two people in a cage match and talking about who would win. Using that angle, if we were to put every person who is on this list into a hypothetical cage match, there is little doubt that Mr. Eko would be the last man standing.

LOST is a complex show, so it makes perfect sense that Mr. Eko would be a complex character. On the show he had a stick that had scripture verses carved into it, but that "Jesus stick" also had blood on it because Mr. Eko should not be messed with.

Mr. Eko is in every definition of the word ... memorable. He chooses his words carefully. He always seems to know what is going on. He remains loyal to his brother, to his faith, and to his new friends on the island. When Mr. Eko made his appearance in Season Two, I instantly became a fan. He soon became my second favorite character on LOST. His run on the show was much too short, but he will never be forgotten.

The big reason I loved Mr. Eko, besides his killing abilities, was his back-story. Of all the main characters on LOST, I enjoyed watching Mr. Eko's past the most. He killed another man in order to save his brother, Yemi, who later became a priest. Off the island, Mr. Eko became the "man-in-charge" of drug-running. Basically, he was a shady character. He even "faked" being a Priest in order to smuggle drugs out of his country. On the island, Mr. Eko quite possibly became a "real" Priest, as he tried building a church, as well as baptizing Aaron (Claire's baby).

Like I already said, he was a complex character, but not in a confusing manner. Unfortunately, he asked to be written off the show due to family reasons, and was killed by the black smoke monster. I was sad to see him go, and am still holding out some hope that we will see him again before the show is over for good.

And lastly, how sweet is his name? Mr. Eko. Words can not explain how perfect I feel that name is for this character. It's in my top-five for my first dog's name. Maximus just might be its' biggest contender.

Can not believe how fast this month has been going. More than half-way through, but the best is yet to come. Make sure to check out Barnes' blog (over on my sidebar) to see his grades of my selections. Always a good read.

Hint for #12: This character's name is most commonly found at a church.

Until tomorrow, "read it, roll it, hole it."