1.18 - Numbers

Title’s significance: This episode introduces us to the mystery of “the numbers,” which recur throughout the show and which helped Hurley win the lottery.

Recap: Hurley gets flashbacks this week, illustrating the misfortunes that followed his lottery win. Hurley believes the numbers, which he learned from a mental patient, are cursed. On island, the survivors want to get a battery from Rousseau to power a distress signal on the new raft. On Rousseau’s maps, Hurley sees a familiar set of numbers – 4 8 15 16 23 42 – the winning lottery numbers that got him a near-record jackpot. Locke and Claire set up a hobbies section in the jungle and build a cradle for the baby as a birthday gift for Claire. Hurley sets out in search of Rousseau, hoping she has answers about The Numbers, but she’s relocated. Hurley finds Rousseau, who says she doesn’t know what The Numbers mean but who agrees they’re cursed. Hurley brings back the battery the survivors needed and admits to Charlie that he’s a big time lottery winner and that the plane crash might have been his bad luck’s fault, but Charlie doesn’t believe him. Back at The Hatch, we see that The Numbers are stamped on the side.

Thoughts: I really liked this episode, partly because Hurley’s one of my new favorite characters, but also because the show takes us in a side direction without feeling like we’re losing focus of the most important things. I also loved the self-consciousness Hurley exhibits when he talks about all the mysteries on the island and acknowledges that he’s “just along for the ride” but “Now? I want some friggin’ answers!” (Sorry, Hurley, I don’t think the monster is “a pissed-off giraffe.”)

Favorite moment: Hurley’s bad-to-worse flashbacks are deftly executed, but the best line is when he says, “I can make it. I’m spry.”

Characters introduced (in order):

• 4 8 15 16 23 42
• CARMEN REYES, Hurley’s mom
• DIEGO & LISA, Hurley’s brother and sister-in-law
• TITO, Hurley’s grandpa
• LEONARD SIMMS, a mental patient who obsessively repeats The Numbers
• MARTHA TOOMEY, the wife of Sam Toomey (who taught Leonard The Numbers)

What we learned:

• Hurley is a big-time lottery winner.
• Hurley owns the box company that Locke worked for.
• Hurley spent time in a mental institution.
• Hurley was in Australia to meet the man who taught Leonard The Numbers.
• Sam Toomey killed himself to escape The Numbers.
• The Numbers might be cursed.
• The island gave Hurley a fresh start and new luck away from The Numbers.
• The signal broadcasting The Numbers is what brought Rousseau to the island.
• Locke built a cradle for Claire’s baby.
• Claire and her baby are going to have birthdays close together, which Locke says is good luck.
• The Numbers are stamped on the side of The Hatch.

Questions:

• What’s the significance of The Numbers?
• Why does “using” The Numbers lead to problems?
• If Hurley is coming back to the mental institution, why was he there in the first place?
• Where did Sam Toomey learn The Numbers?
• Are The Numbers cursed?
• Who’s been broadcasting The Numbers from the island?
• Why are The Numbers stamped on the side of The Hatch?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• I’m sure The Numbers are going to come up again in the final season, but the writers have pretty much said we won’t get a full explanation of them (which might not be so bad, so there's at least some wiggle room for interpretation).