Lost Reviews and News

Key Points from "Exposé"

Season 3, Episode 14 Episode Air Date: 03/28/07
Point 1
	I know the audience hates Nikki and Paulo, but I had no idea the writers hate them, too. "Lost's" most reviled characters have been -- up until this episode -- an exercise in uselessness. Now, I'm not saying "Exposé" wipes the slate clean of past Paulikki indiscretions, but when you die that way, I think you earn a little slack. And yes, Nikki and Paulo die ... in one of the most nightmarish "Twilight Zone" ends you could imagine. So let's get to it. The off-island backstory of Nikki and Paulo isn't all that interesting save for their involvement in the murder of an affluent Aaron-Spelling-esque television producer. Nikki gains access to the producer -- a guy named Howie -- because she's one of those semi-anonymous hot actresses who pop up in syndicated fluff like "Baywatch" or "VIP" or, in this case, the fictional stripper-mystery "Exposé" (yes, it''s a "fictional stripper mystery" -- why didn't I think of that?). The show is filmed in Sydney, which explains Nikki's eventual presence on Oceanic 815 and also gives the "Lost" crew another opportunity to whip out the Sydney Opera House backdrop. Nikki develops a creepy May-December (late December) romance with Howie. Her partner in crime, Paulo, secures a job as Howie's new chef. One day, over breakfast, Howie takes a bite of Paulo's exquisite frittata and promptly dies of heart failure (damn you, Egg Beaters!). Nikki and Paulo -- who have clearly been planning Howie's demise for some time -- quickly access Howie's safe and steal a Matryoshka doll filled with $8 million in diamonds. The diabolical duo get away with their chicanery because Howie was super old and his "heart failure" doesn't raise the suspicions of the police or the press or the heartbroken "Exposé" fan base. Paulikki scamper off to the Sydney airport and, while waiting for Oceanic 815 to board, we learn that Paulo has traded cigarettes for nicotine gum. It's an off-hand detail that doesn't seem relevant, but in true "Murder She Wrote" fashion it pops up in the climactic third act. This airport scene also shows Boone and Shannon arguing. The reintroduction of departed characters is initially interesting, but the technique grows a little weary as the episode rolls on. If you'll indulge me a sidenote ... From a technical perspective, "Exposé" has some lovely acting and production and editing, but from a storytelling standpoint I couldn't shake the sense I was watching one of those Very Special episodes where dead characters miraculously reappear for one last hurrah (the "X-Files" finale pulled this same maneuver when Krycek reappeared as a ghost -- wha?). In this episode's backstory we see Boone, Shannon, Arzt and Ethan all milling around (apparently, Michelle Rodriguez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Cynthia Watros were unavailable). The editors did a bang-up job working new footage of these returning characters into original footage from the series, but -- beyond Arzt, who we'll get to in a moment -- there wasn't much point for these characters to reappear. It's George Lucas syndrome: Just because you can superimpose wamprats and banthas and Boba Fett over original footage doesn't mean you should. Moving on ... So, Nikki and Paulo survive the plane crash, but Nikki's revelry is short lived because the bag containing the $8 million Matryoshka doll has disappeared. The majority of Paulikki's remaining backstory involves them searching the island for their Matryoshka McGuffin. To the writers' credit, they use this "journey" storytelling device to put a new spin on old locales. Over the course of the episode, Paulikki visit: The Beechcraft site: The pair arrives at this site after Nikki puts on her hottest bikini top and flirts with Arzt. In exchange, Arzt shows off his bug collection (he's cataloguing the insect population so he can finally get promoted to chair of his middle school's science department). Nikki isn't interested in the exoskeletons of tropical beetles, but she is super intrigued by the trajectories of earthbound luggage. So Arzt uses his mad science skillz to draw Nikki a map of where luggage may have landed and Paulikki treks into the jungle to search for their wayward Matryoshka doll. And it's during this trek that the duo finds the Beechcraft airplane. But here's the thing: when Paulikki discovers the plane, it's still perched high in the trees, which means they found the plane before Locke and Boone. Nikki asks Paulo to climb up to the Beechcraft, but Paulo, flashing a rare moment of intelligence, wisely refuses because he can see the plane is precariously perched in the branches. So the two trudge on, and that's when they find ... The Pearl station! Paulikki discovers the Pearl WEEKS before Locke and Eko uncover it in "?". They open the station's metal door (it must have been lighter back then because Nikki pops it right open), but Nikki overrides Paulo's exploration plans because she knows there's no way their Matryoshka fell into the Pearl's deep dark Dharma pit. And so Paulikki move on without informing any of their fellow castaways that an airplane is perched in a tree and another hatch is ready to be explored. Like everyone else on this show, communication isn't their forte. Sometime later, Nikki finds out that Kate recently recovered a metal gun case from the bottom of a nearby lagoon, so Nikki rounds up Paulo and drags him inland. They reach the lagoon/waterfall (it's the same spot where Kate and Sawyer stripped to their underwear in "Whatever the Case May Be") and Paulo dives in and sifts through plankton and decomposing Oceanic castaways. He spots a bag and works to free it, but when he returns to the surface he tells Nikki there's nothing down there except coach passengers and tadpoles. Disappointed, Nikki walks back toward the beach camp, which gives Paulo all the time he needs to dive back down and grab that bag -- and it's not just "a" bag, it's the bag. He lied! While munching on freshly recovered nicotine gum (it, too, was in the bag), Paulo initially tries to hide the Matryoshka doll in a hole on the beach. But Locke stumbles upon Paulo and instructs him in Obi-Locke tones to make sure he hides his "secret" in a place that won't be eroded by the tides (Locke doesn't bother asking Paulo why he's digging a hole or what he's trying to hide, but there's no use complaining because we know that's how Locke rolls). Paulo hatches upon an idea ... literally. He revisits the Pearl station and hides the Matryoshka doll in the station's bathroom (ah-ha!). And this is where things get interesting. While inside the bathroom, Juliet and Ben enter the Pearl station wearing their Other hobo clothes (Juliet, oddly, is also wearing makeup). Ben flicks a switch on one of the Pearl's television monitors and the screen shows Jack sitting in a chair in the original hatch. Paulo watches as Juliet and Ben talk. Juliet, looking at the TV screen, notes that Jack is "cute" but the comment doesn't phase Ben. She opts for a more direct form of razzing, asking Ben how he intends to get Jack to do emergency surgery on Ben's spinal tumor. "I can convince him to do it," Ben says, his eyes bulging with evil. "I find out what he's emotionally invested in and I exploit it." In a "Scooby-Doo" exchange, Juliet and Ben discuss the abduction plan that eventually unfolds in "Live Together, Die Alone." They note that Michael is a key component, they reveal that Jack needs to be lured toward them, and they say that Kate and Sawyer are also part of the plan. It's the whole enchilada! And Paulo hears every bit of it! AND HE DOES NOTHING! Juliet and Ben leave the station and Paulo quietly exits the bathroom after listening in on their scheming. Let's pause a moment to play a little "What If?" What if Nikki or Paulo told someone about the Pearl? Would Boone still be alive? Would Eko be alive? What if Paulo told Jack, Kate, Sawyer or Locke about his run-in with Ben and Juliet? Could the castaways have devised a better rescue plan for Walt? Would they know the Others were scamming them with all this hobo business? What if Paulo had somehow seen Ben while he was being held prisoner in the hatch armory? Couldn't he identify him? Wouldn't he be able to discredit Ben's "Henry Gale" ruse? Anyway ... Paulo and Nikki eventually tag along with Desmond, Locke and Sayid during their Pearl Station excursion ("The Cost of Living"). Upon arriving, Paulo makes a beeline for the bathroom so he can retrieve the diamonds from the Matryoshka doll. He smashes the figurine and hides the small bag of diamonds in his crotch (classy). Paulo then stages his most notable "Lost" moment by flushing the toilet and exiting the commode as the assembled castaways offer silent prayers to the patron saint of bathroom ventilation. Paulo's diamond double-cross is now in full effect, but Paulo isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and it's only a matter of time before he slips up. That slip up occurs days later as Nikki and Paulo sit together on the beach. Paulo, who's feeling reflective (must be all that fiber), says their inability to find the bag/doll/diamonds could be a blessing. After all, the diamonds could have ripped them apart. Nikki agrees and the two share a touchy-feely moment. Paulo then shuffles off to get Nikki breakfast, and that's when Nikki looks down ... Nicotine gum. A package of nicotine gum is sitting in the sand. Nikki realizes she's been had -- the gum was in the bag ... the diamonds were in the bag ... gum + diamonds = that Brazilian Tom Cruise is a son of a bitch. So Nikki puts on her best flirty face and lures Paulo out into the jungle. She finds a nice secluded spot and her demeanor quickly changes (she is an actress, after all). She confronts Paulo about the diamonds and he feigns ignorance, but Nikki has none of it. She grabs a plastic canister from her bag, unscrews the top and chucks the contents at Paulo. A big, black spider attaches to Paulo's neck. He swats at it and turns the arachnid to goo, but he's too late. The spider sank its fangs into Paulo's skin and unleashed its toxin. Nikki delights in telling Paulo all about the spider (those lessons with Dr. Arzt pay off). The spider's bite causes paralysis and a reduced heart rate. The effects only last a few hours, but to the untrained observer the victim appears quite dead. Paulo falls to the ground and Nikki finds the diamonds crammed in his Speedo. With paralysis looming and his pants around his knees, Paulo seizes the opportunity to apologize for his double-cross. He admits he was scared Nikki would leave him if she found the diamonds. Nikki is moved ... but it's for naught. In the distance, the tell-tale sound of the smoke monster slings through the trees. Uh ... oh. Paulo sees a black spider crawling over Nikki's shoe. The paralysis has spread to his throat -- he can't warn her! The spider chomps into Nikki's ankle. Nikki -- to her credit -- realizes paralysis is imminent. She quickly hides the diamonds in a shallow hole then sprints back to the beach. Stumbling from the treeline, she sees Hurley and Sawyer playing ping-pong. They rush to her side as she collapses in the sand. Nikki gasps a final word. "Paralyzed." And that brings us to ...

Point 2
	... the search for Paulikki's killer. You see, Hurley and Sawyer don't understand Nikki's last word. Sawyer thinks he heard "power lines," but Hurley believes she said "Paulo lies." And moments later, when Nikki falls into a deep paralysis coma, Hurley and Sawyer believe she's dead. They don't know she's still alive. This sets in motion a series of events that eventually leads to a horror-film ending for Nikki and Paulo. So here's what happens: Working under the assumption that Nikki's last words were "Paulo Lies," the castaways begin an investigation that soon leads them to Paulo's body (I'm assuming they followed Nikki's tracks back through the jungle). They incorrectly assume that Paulo has also been murdered, but the absence of a gun wound or an exploded chest cavity confuses the detectives. While examining the area around Paulo, Sawyer appears to see something, but he quickly blinks it away. The lack of evidence inspires a host of theories, all of which are debated and analyzed ad infinitum. Suspects include: the monster, the Others, and, eventually, Sawyer. Suspicions of Sawyer's involvement are fueled by an eye-witness account from Desmond, who tells Hurley he saw Sawyer and Nikki arguing on the beach mere hours before Nikki turned up dead. Hurley and the other castaways confront Sawyer and he admits to knowing more than he let on. Sawyer, ever the opportunist, says he didn't mention his morning meeting with Nikki because he noticed dirt under Nikki's nails just after she "died." Donning a deerstalker cap and puffing a pipe, Sawyer tells the assembled that a person with dirt under their nails was probably digging, and if they were digging moments before they died, then the thing they hid must be pretty valuable. Moreover, during the initial examination of Paulo's murder scene, Sawyer spotted a pile of fresh-tilled dirt, which he conveniently failed to discuss with his fellow detectives. Sawyer pulls out Paulikki's cloth diamond sack and chucks it at Sun. She pours a handful of diamonds into her palm. In a bid to prove his innocence, Sawyer tells Sun to keep the diamonds. He huffs off. Later in the day -- after continued debate and considerable grave digging -- Hurley leads a funeral service for Paulikki. The duo is nestled peacefully at the bottom of a six-foot dirt hole. Hurley's service is lovely and when it concludes the castaways depart so Hurley and Sawyer can bury the departed. Sawyer -- who reacquires the diamonds from Sun (more on that in Point 3) -- sprinkles the jewels over Paulo and Nikki's lifeless bodies. He and Hurley grab shovels and drop sand into the hole. Nikki's eyes open. But she can't speak! Six feet up, Hurley and Sawyer continue dropping pile after pile of dirt into the hole, unaware of the horror taking place below. Paulikki is buried! Holy crap. The writers buried them alive!

Point 3
	The ballad of Paulikki didn't add much to the series' overall progress, but their death did bring about one significant revelation. Early on, all signs point toward the Others as Paulikki's killer, but Hurley pokes holes in this conclusion by noting that the Others are way on the opposite side of the island. It wouldn't make sense for them to trek through the brush just to kill two marginal characters. But Sun counters this argument -- the Others tried to kidnap her mere weeks ago, so what would stop them from another incursion? Yeah, Sun, about that kidnapping thing ... Later in the episode, guilt wells up in Charlie's throat and, during a quiet moment with Sun, he reveals that he and Sawyer were the masterminds behind Sun's abduction. Charlie blames his actions on the "humiliation" Locke inflicted upon him in "Fire + Water." (Nice buck-passing, Chuckie.) Sun walks away. In the closing moments, Sun confronts Sawyer. He immediately admits involvement, but Sawyer seems more concerned that Sun is going to tell Jin. Sun says she'll keep it quiet "because then we'd have to dig another grave." (She's right ... Jin would destroy Sawyer). Sun slings Paulikki's diamonds back at Sawyer, claiming they're worthless on the island and completely out of style. Sawyer thinks he's off the hook ... WHACK! Sun slaps her mighty palm across Sawyer's cheek. She walks off as Sawyer rubs his wounded flesh. This all seems like a tidy ending to a dangling plotline, but I don't think this is over ...
Point 4
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "Crime scene? Is there a forensics hatch I don't know about?" -- Sawyer. Second Best line: "Back home, he's the Wolfgang Puck of Brazil" -- Howie the TV producer, referring to Paulo (and taking a shot at all those "Tom Cruise of Brazil" comparisons attached to Rodrigo Santoro). I'm waiting for the day when we find out why the Others bothered to traipse around in hobo gear. Was this something they whipped up on the fly, or is it a tactic they've used in the past? Along those lines, the Tailies regarded the Others as super-survivalists with animal instincts. Are these skills the Others honed during the Dharma War, or were the Tailies merely a collection of exaggeration-prone wussies? I also want to know the events surrounding Ben's capture in "One of Them." Did he intentionally step into Rousseau's net? That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by our "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"Left Behind" -- A handful of castaways float into heaven as ... crap, that's not right. Uh ... Kate and Juliet hack through the jungle. Airs Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Posted by Mac on March 29, 2007 12:06 PM | Email This

First?

→ 1. Posted by: meg at March 29, 2007 12:08 PM

Very cool, great episode! ;-)

→ 2. Posted by: Speedmaster at March 29, 2007 12:08 PM

2nd?

→ 3. Posted by: Neal Mindflood at March 29, 2007 12:09 PM

Mac-always a pleasure. OK episode though...

→ 4. Posted by: mikedee at March 29, 2007 12:10 PM

Paulikki buried alive. How good for us. Lotsa questions answered. On to read the review.

→ 5. Posted by: Neal Mindflood at March 29, 2007 12:10 PM

Okay, now I have to wait until work is over to actually be able to watch this episode. But, I am excited and looking forward to watching and reading mac's review (plus all these comments which will probably total more than 100 by then!)

→ 6. Posted by: meg at March 29, 2007 12:11 PM

So that "Bolivian gold heist - oh my god! It's the Cobra" moment in TMFT was Locke watching Expose', or at least letting it run on his TV in the background.

→ 7. Posted by: LockeBox at March 29, 2007 12:19 PM

I really liked the way they weaved Nikki and Paolo's backstory in and amongst all of the other characters, especially Ben and Juliet, but especially Dr. "Pieces of" Arzt. Really nice to see Ol' Lando Calrissian working again, too.

While I heartily enjoyed the eye candy in last night's episode (yowzuh!), I didn't really see the relevance of Nikki and Paolo's backstory other than the following: 1. Seeing Sawyer turn over a new leaf and toss the diamonds into the grave, and B. Sun now knows that it was Charlie and Sawyer that (literally and figuratively) put the bag on her.

Okayâ€¦I'll throw in a thirdâ€¦we now have an explanation for Paolo's numerous potty breaks.

It was fun to see Boone and Shannon again. I don't remember her being such a beotch. Man, she really did have it comin'.

Maybe that's the point of the whole thingâ€¦the island, Smoky, and everything: you get what you deserve. Maybe Smoky is a lot like Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still...an unthinking unfeeling watchdog that punishes bad-doers and rewards good-doers. Your sins are re-visited upon you. And if you are deserving, the island heals what ails you. So, according to my theory, if Charlie is to die, he must have done something awful. But that begs the question of why did Smoky throttle the pilot in the pilot episode? Maybe Smoky was upset that that homage-to-Karma My Name Is Earl's Jason Lee named his son Pilot. Or maybe Smoky killed the pilot (Greg Grunberg - in the pilot episode) because by crashing the plane he caused the deaths of many people. Or maybe it has something to do with the likelihood of your doing bad things in the futureâ€¦

"George Lucas Syndrome"â€¦that's good.

→ 8. Posted by: ransomjackson at March 29, 2007 12:21 PM

Buried alive? I think the writers left the option to bring them back. Earlier in the episode, as Paolo planned on burying the diamonds, Locke points out to Paolo that the beach was a bad place to bury anything because it was subject to erosion and therefore wouldn't stay buried. Thus far, the losties have all been buried at the beach.

→ 9. Posted by: boharpe at March 29, 2007 12:24 PM

Great job mac! Even with a marginally interesting episode based on 2 uninteresting characters, you manage to create quite a review! Have we mentioned lately that you rule all?
I'm not entirely convinced their dead yet. I mean, why couldn't they just claw their way through the dirt to the surface? Would they suffocate before paralysis has a chance to wear off?
I liked Nikki's one line, though. After she was "killed" on the set (by Billie D. Williams--awesome!!) Howie says he'd love to bring her character back sometime. She declines and says "I'm just a guest star, and we all know what happens to guest stars." LOL!
A little shout-out to all the fans, perhaps?

Another thing: The podcast said we'd find out the gay character in this episode. The only mention of anyone being gay is Shannon snapping at Boone about "flirting with random guys." Of course, we all know Boone slept with Shannon (and was shown with his arm around some girl who was probably more than just a tennis partner). So he can't be gay. Is he bi? Or was Shannon just being Shannon and trying to ruffle his feathers?

→ 10. Posted by: Trinity at March 29, 2007 12:25 PM

They deserved to die. There are a lot of selfish people on the island, but they take the cake.

→ 11. Posted by: Gerard at March 29, 2007 12:26 PM

I just figured out Paolikki's "Deus ex Machina": Vincent will come dig them up! After all, he did pull the blanket off of them, most likely because he knew they weren't dead. Yea! Vincent gets to do more grave-digging!

→ 12. Posted by: Trinity at March 29, 2007 12:31 PM

Being buried alive, man not the way I would want to go..

→ 13. Posted by: kalico at March 29, 2007 12:31 PM

I have to say, this episode left me with my jaw on the floor. Are they DEAD? Did they actually get buried alive!? What A HORRIBLE way to DIE!! I canâ€™t help but think Nikki will claw her way up through the loose earth and live, but who knows.

Also, wouldnâ€™t Paulo and Nikki have been breathing faintly, or have some sort of faint heart-beat? I canâ€™t believe the Losties just buried them without trying to administer CPR or anything!

→ 14. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:32 PM

Also, I think the writers left the door open for one, or both of them, to make it.

→ 15. Posted by: Gerard at March 29, 2007 12:32 PM

I couldnâ€™t figure out why Sawyer kept saying he didnâ€™t know who Nikki was, then I finally think I figured it out. Sawyer was on the raft, and that happened around day 40, right? After that, he was holed up with the tallies, then was walking back to the Beach Camp where he was then holed up in the hatch healing from his gunshot wound. So that is like 3 weeks he was away from the beach. Then, he gets kidnapped by the others and spends another 2-3 weeks on Alcatraz and the subsequent trip back. Never mind all the different hikes/adventures heâ€™s been on with the rest of the regulars. Out of the 80-some-odd days theyâ€™ve been on the island, Sawyer has only been interacting with the majority of the other Losties for roughly half that. So it stands much more to reason that he is not personally acquainted with everyone. At first, I really didnâ€™t buy that he wouldnâ€™t know her (youâ€™d think he wouldâ€™ve taken stock of all the Hot Ladies on the beach), but I suppose it is more plausible than I originally thought.

→ 16. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:33 PM

Being buried alive, man not the way I would want to go..

Great review as always Mac...

Thought the interaction between Paulo, Nikki and Ethan was interesting..

Now the talies have a Other walkie talkie.. Woo Hoo

Peace

→ 17. Posted by: kalico at March 29, 2007 12:33 PM

If last night ep didn't do anything else it put in the Losties hands communication with the Others. That walkie talkie could be very handy. Hopefully the batteries are still good. Also why didn't Locke and the rest explore the hallway/tunnel that Ben traveled through???

→ 18. Posted by: Scott at March 29, 2007 12:34 PM

I know Iâ€™ve said this before, but it REALLY annoys me when we learn something in a flash-back that is incredibly relevant, but that the Losties will never learn (Anna Lucia traveling with Christian Sheppard, Christian Sheppard being Clairâ€™s Dad, Libby being at the Mental institution, Libby being the one who gave Desmond his boat, but never meeting Desmond on the island etc), and we can now add Paulo overhearing Ben and Juliette as they devise a plan to kidnap Jack, Sawyer and Kate.

→ 19. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:34 PM

Did anyone else research Medusa Spiders? I could not find anything about them at all, so I presume they made it up for the show? Did anyone else have luck? I read that lots of spiders produce toxins, and that the kind of toxin that causes paralysis is called neurotoxic venom and not all spiders have it (there are other kinds of venom as well, considered not as deadly). I did not come across a single spider that was described as being able to paralyze a human victim for 8 hours and not kill them.

→ 20. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:35 PM

And one more thing:

Kudos to Charlie for admitting what he did to Sun.
One of the 12 Steps for conquering addiction really applies here.
8) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Good for Charlie to take that step and make himself a better person.
And good for Sun for giving Sawyer a nice sock to the jaw. He deserved it.

→ 21. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:36 PM

Razzle Dazzle! - I loved this epi. The suspense (murder mystery), the drama (TIC), the cuts at the Nikki and Paulo characters (Nikki playing the part of a bad actress), the Paulo pottie reveal, revisiting old Losties, and the twist at the end. It was all a lot of fun.

The interaction between Hugo and Sawyer was classic! And what about the line from Hugo about Desmond's superpowers? I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I loved the way that the treated the flashbacks. It seemed at face value that we were simply seeing backstory like any other show might depict. But once we realize that they are alive and concious, we realize that they were true Lost flashbacks!

Nikki will be back. Locke, "Things in the island don't stay buried" ...and... Nikkis's Sugardaddy (after she was killed on Expose), "We can bring you back." ...and... Vincent removing the blanket off of the "bodies" ono the beach - too much foreshadowing for there not to be something there. At least the writers left the door open.

Classic moment - At the crash scene you see the carniage, the fire, the screams, the injured people laying all around and then suddenly there's Boone asking frantically, "Do you have a pen?" Ha! I loved it! It was so surreal!

And what about Artz's first line? "Am I alive?"

@mac "but she is super intrigued by the trajectories of earthbound luggage" - Loved it. Sometimes I look forward more to your reviews than the actual show its self.

→ 22. Posted by: bcre8ve at March 29, 2007 12:38 PM

Wow! I thought it was a great episode. Like you said Mac, It doesn't move the story line very far, but this kind of episode was need I think. Plus, the two crappy characters are dead and I don't have to hear people whine about them anymore. Though I am slighty dad that Nikki is dead. Man, is (was) she hot or what?

Plus we all got to see Arzt again. I love his tan neckerchief.

Okseeyabye.

→ 23. Posted by: Eric at March 29, 2007 12:39 PM

WHAT I SAW TONIGHT (11:15 EST - 3/28/07)

After being away from home for three weeks, this past Sunday night I was able to sit down and watch the past three episodes in one fell swoop. That was quite the trek! So, I assumed that itâ€™s just about time for some comedy relief on LOST.

Allllllll-Right! Bring in the Glitter Ball!
Start the the colored light kaleidoscope....
Itâ€™s the Bee-Gees greatest Hit! . . .
â€œBuried Alive! Buried Alive! Wo-wo-wo-wo...Buried Ali-i-i-i-ive! . . â€œ

What an episode! A total film-noir reincarnation of Alfred Hitchcockian
suspense right before our eyes! . . . Paulo and Nikki dead? Well, kind of.

Sheâ€™s a stripper.
NO wait! Sheâ€™s a spy.
Ah...sheâ€™s a bad actress.
Sheâ€™s got a sugar daddy.....
Wait a minute. She and Paulo are murderers!!!!
Okaaaaaay.
Whoops. ALSO thieves! Getting better.
However, both are obviously not adept at travel plans.
We get to crash ALL OVER AGAIN!
Of course, this time we insert N & P.
(Talk about your TV magic! )
Nikki and Paulo sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G . . .
Wait-wait-wait. Iâ€™m getting sidetracked.
Nikki and Paulo are very glum.
They have baggage problems.
(Donâ€™t worry kids, I go through that a lot, and if you
keep your tags youâ€™ve got a 77.67% chance of having
them delivered to your house within 6 months.)
Nikki and Paulo become explorers.
(Somewhat like a VERY desperate Dora and Diego)
But thanks to good olâ€™ Mr. Artz:
They find the yellow plane.
They find a hatch.
They are way ahead of poor John and Ekko.
Paulo finds his baggage.
Paulo lies to Nikki.
At this point, things just go downhill for our young lovers.
(Note: â€œmutual deceitâ€ is NOT one of the 29 compatibility points
needed for a lasting commitment.....)

And following a wonderful scenario in which we see:
The clock winding down -
Days dwindling away -
Lostâ€™s â€œGreatest Moments Flashback Sequenceâ€ -
Paulo goes â€œhatchingâ€ and takes up plumbing -
A â€œfirstâ€ look at Ben and Juliet -
(Obviously, there ARE tunnels all over the island!) -
Hurley imitates â€œPoirotâ€ -
Guilt-ravaged Charlie finally gives it up to Sun -
Sun lays a smackdown on Sawyer (Goooood one!) -
38 minutes of Whoâ€™s Who on Planet LOSTâ€,
AND we finally arrive at THE HOOK EXTRODINAIRE!

â€œFor want of nicotine gum, Pauloâ€™s kingdom is lost . . . â€œ
[My apologies to historians for trivializing King Richard IIIâ€™s
ill-fated Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 . . . ]

The episode culminates in a rather dastardly bit of â€œSpidey Sense Revengeâ€
fully explained by Professor Nikki in biological terminology for all of us who
are musicians and never had to take science class . . . Itâ€™s always good
when the criminals are articulate. It means our public school educational system
is still working . . .

Paralyzed?!?!?

Question interjected here: Itâ€™s a TROPICAL island, kids. Didnâ€™t anybody
wonder why two bodies laying out in the sun didnâ€™t get a little - how can I say this delicately - ripe?

Anyway, the clock deliciously winds down . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .
3 . . . 2 . . . EYES WIDE OPEN . . .1 . . . floosh! Too Late.

EVERYBODY SING!
â€œBuried Alive! Buried Alive! Wo-wo-wo-wo...Buried Ali-i-i-i-ive! . . â€œ

OK. So it was . . . â€œdarkâ€ comedy.

But everybody gets what theyâ€™ve been wishing for:
All the fans wanted to see N & P gone.
Paulo and Nikki get to keep the diamonds.
Happy Ending.

→ 24. Posted by: davidrh at March 29, 2007 12:41 PM

*****SPOILER*****

wouldnt it be cool if vincent dug them up!! and i read somewere that there is other others underground and that the castaways and the others team up and go to war with the other others!!! dont no if its true though

→ 25. Posted by: natalie at March 29, 2007 12:41 PM

There were lots of great hidden inuendo line... the one I loved was when Nikki said to Paulo "I hope we never end up like them" refering to the fighting Boone and Shannon at the airport. And they do end up just like them- dead!

But I agree that the writers left the door wide open for their survival, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

→ 26. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 12:42 PM

"I can hold my breath a looooong time!"

→ 27. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at March 29, 2007 12:44 PM

@ransomjackson:

> 1. Seeing Sawyer turn over a new leaf and toss the diamonds into the grave

Turn over a new leaf? Or maintain his post-Kate-l funk and his despair since Ben convinced him he'll never get off the island, to somewhere where the diamonds have value?

(Hi, everybody, esp mac.)

→ 28. Posted by: LockeBox at March 29, 2007 12:47 PM

My gut tells me there's gotta be more to this episode... we're just not seeing it yet.

Maybe it's just that our Losties now have a walkie talkie. But the writers have gone through a lot of effort weaving Paulikki into things this season... they weren't just Steve/Scott characters. To have it just end for them like this seems like a letdown.

And what the hell are those guys thinking by just throwing away 8 mil?! Have they given up ALL hope? At least divide the damn things up and give everyone some belly button bling!

→ 29. Posted by: Buck41 at March 29, 2007 12:48 PM

I personally loved the episode. As usual, great recap Mac!

Did anyone else notice that as the TV producer was dying, he was saying something about not giving Nikki a ring, and his last words were something like "when my wife ...". I think that there's a bigger story with him, and we'll either see him again, or see his widow talking about her dead husband. We probably will hear more about how he got those diamonds too.

→ 30. Posted by: Jenna at March 29, 2007 12:48 PM

I loved the references with the TV Show "Exposure"

"Yeah the Cobra is the bad guy whose identity has been shrouded in mystery for 4 seasons..."

"We can always bring you back next season"

→ 31. Posted by: Edwin at March 29, 2007 12:48 PM

FWIW, some other things the writers tried to get across...

The Paulo and Nikki discussion of what the smoke monster is.

The Arzt point of the spider's pheremones attracting other male spiders.

The sounds of the smoke monster, just prior to other spiders coming from the jungle to bite Nikki. What it pheremones, or a manifestation of the smoke monster?

Why did Nikki want the gun from Sawyer? She used the spider to incapacitate Paulo.

The significance of Bens comments, that he'll do what he always does. Find what he's emotionally attached to, and use it. Clearly Jack's emotional attachment to Kate, Juliet, and how that will be used by Ben, is going to play out more in upcoming episodes.

Desmonds comments were also significant. 'It doesn't work that way.'

The writers are trying to recover the Lost ratings and viewership, by addressing the fanbase questions. Some of the dialog in the last few episodes have been disjointed enough to have been added after the original storyline was fleshed out.

Keep the questions coming. The writers need to answer them.

→ 32. Posted by: Neal Mindflood at March 29, 2007 12:51 PM

I truly enjoyed the episode. Felt like I was back in season 1, hanging off the end of my couch.

Thought o' the day: I believe that Charlie confessing to Sun will become a huge moment. I think that he has cleansed himself of his sin. I thought the island had basically doomed Charlie because of his past transgressions. Desmond will come to realize that he is no longer having flashes of Charlie dying. Once he makes the connection that attoning for your sins will save you in the island's eyes, Desmond (who will start having new flashes of 'bad' people in the camp dying) will make it his mission (Jesus style boooiii!) to save all of these people...interrupt the universe course correction or whatever.

i.e. - Desmond will have a flash of Sawyer dying...investigate what Sawyer's done in the past to deserve this 'death sentence' from the island...then sneakily work on getting Sawyer to realize his mistakes and atone, which will stop the island from wanting to teach Sawyer a lesson, which will stop the flashes.

He'll work on all of the bad people that are not on the list...once he's finished they all live happily ever after.

Or I've just had waaaaay too much coffee.

→ 33. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at March 29, 2007 12:53 PM

Loved the Animal Farm reference from Artz:

"The pigs are walking!"

→ 34. Posted by: The Duf at March 29, 2007 12:53 PM

@LockeBox

Touche.

Y'know, it occurs to me...the George Lucas Syndrome...Billy D Williams was Lando in SW...is there a connection? Or have my arms just gotten longer and I'm really reaching...

→ 35. Posted by: ransomjackson at March 29, 2007 12:57 PM

Thanks Mac. Great comments and observations on this episode.

** SPOILERS BELOW **

The writers are totally having fun with us, the audience. LOL at "He's the Wolfgang Puck of Brazil" = "Rodrigo Santoro is the Tom Cruise of Brazil". Brilliant! Also, Nikki's line, in Australia on set (something like, "I'm just a guest star and we all know what happens to guest stars") was brilliant as well -- a total "wink" to the LOST audience.

Shannon to Boone: "...flirting with random guys" -- Is Boone gay? Or would that make him bisexual since he slept with his step-sister, too?

So Nikki and Paulo were buried alive? Will they survive this? I hate to say it, but I think I've seen Nikki's name in descriptions of near-future episodes. So, when they showed her open her eyes as the dirt was shoveled onto her, I am going to assume that she somehow climbs out of the grave .... Maybe?

Billy Dee Williams ... I thought I'd read that he was cast as an Other. But he really played himself. Which was cool, because I know how much the writers love EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (which Williams was in -- Lando!).

Ben & Juliet in the Pearl hatch ... Cool!!!!!!!! I love how Juliet said, "He's cute" when she saw Jack.

I loved how they had Paulo finding the Pearl hatch on his own, then retrieving the diamonds from the doll in the toilet ... When the original episode aired, the fans *hated* that Paulo was such a dork and took a crap. LOL. Now we know why! Cool stuff.

The "medusa spider" thing .... Urgh. It almost worked, but not quite.

We hear the smoke monster right before the spiders emerge from the forest and sting Nikki ... Did the smoke monster cause the spiders to emerge?

All-in-all, last night's episode was pretty good. If I'm correct, most if not all of the LOST cast appeared in it last night, which was fun.

I'm confused by the episode though. I wonder why the show added Nikki & Paulo? So far, in Season Three, they have appeared in only a handful of episodes and contributed hardly anything to the story. Then, suddenly, in this -- the 14th episode of the season -- they are killed off and given a flashback. So, I will assume that their time on LOST is over. So why were they there in the first place?

ExposÃ© did not move LOST's story forward very much at all. The only major thing that happened was that Sun found out that Charlie and Sawyer were in cahoots -- that the Others did not attack her. There was some character development for Sawyer. But that's about it.

Do you think that the LOST crew hired two new actors just so they could write an episode that was like a mini-murder mystery and so that they could do a "beach story" that would include most of the the LOST actors?

Also, the only other thing it seems like last night's story did was re-establish the timeline on the island (80 days?) and remind viewers who may be new to the show about what has happened (Plane crash, Boone and Shannon died, etc., etc.).

Weird.

Another new thought: Since I have good evidence that the LOST writers really do tie up loose ends, I am going to assume that there is purpose in this episode which has not been revealed yet. However ... I also want to point out the whole Rose/Bernard subplot from last season that has gone - to date - absolutely NO WHERE! Rose received an entire episode (much like this one) to herself. Then, because of casting issues one supposes, Rose has not been back for Season Three.

** A second new thought: This is unrelated to this specific episode. However, I was thinking that, in Season Two, Ben (then known as "Henry Gail") showed up at the Hatch. He told Locke he was coming for him ... In retrospect, this is fascinating. Ben must have known about his tumor by then. He sought out Locke, whom he knew had been paralyzed and now healed. On top of all that ... this is the important part ... Ben manipulated Locke into *not* pushing the button in the Hatch. Ben planted the seed that the button was "fake" and nothing would happen if Locke failed to push it. After a few episodes, this culminated with the Season Two finale show in which the button did not get pushed, where Desmond hit the failsafe, and where the sky turned purple.

My point here: Ben *wanted* the sky to turn purple. Ben *wanted* the button to not get pushed.

Why?

I'm sure we will find out. But we know several things so far: Once the sky turned purple, it messed up the islands communications and the ability to leave the island in the submarine. If this was Ben's goal then, again, the question is WHY?

I liked it last night's episode ... kind of.

But it was weird ....

→ 36. Posted by: Matt at March 29, 2007 12:58 PM

I'm kind of shocked seeing all the people that loved this episode.

To me, this episode was an absolute waste of an hour. This episode did very little to move the story arc and it just seems like the writers are stalling for time. We had a filler episode 3 or so weeks back, we don't need another one so soon after. I'm not entirely sure why they're having so many pacing issues, I can handle many, many episodes strung together that move an arc, but the arc seems to be moving at a snail's pace with all the fillers.

I'd also like to think that Hurley set the record for most dudes said in an episode, that bordered on absurd, there were points where I hoped that he would just stop talking. He drove me up a wall last night and he's normally a likeable character for me.

For anyone that thinks that these two expendable characters are dead, I'm sure you have another thing coming. I think I'd be upset with either direction they take with these two, why would they introduce them as pivotal characters if their only point was to kill them off for no real reason, it didn't accomplish anything. If they bring them back, what can they possibly bring them back for?

At this point, the Lost experience has grown disenchanting. It would take four seasons to wrap up all the questions they've made at the pace they're going at. I can only hope they really get around to answering some questions and fix the pacing issues.

→ 37. Posted by: Bryan at March 29, 2007 12:58 PM

Thanks Mac, I have a couple of thoughts and comments. I think it's hilarious the way Sawyer kept asking Paulikki who the hell they were.... laughed every time. It is very Wes Craven-ish to be buried alive like that and only be paralyzed by a spider. All of this over greed. A thought that raises my eyebrow is about Sawyer spreading the diamonds over Paulikkis body, I mean he's the greediest SOB of 'em all, he's devious and a con man in the real world, so does the spreading of the diamonds means he's given up?, He thinks no one will rescue them? I mean if I was in Sawyers shoes, no matter how burnt into my mind the thought of "no rescue" is, I would keep a few diamonds just in case no? The Others get to go to the mainland, or so we are led to believe, so maybe trade a few of those diamonds with the Others for a passage to "anywhere else". The walkie talkie that Paulikki had will be really helpful on the upcoming episodes I bet.
I see no point in the writters bringing Paulikki back anyways to explain any of their non-disclosure issues of the plane, the hatch, etc.... So I guess they'll stay underground. Kuddos on the ending of this episode.

→ 38. Posted by: mapache at March 29, 2007 12:59 PM

One thing that occurred to me with watching last night's episode is that Nikki and Paulo embodied Greed. Got me thinking: are other characters who have been killed on the island related to any of the "seven deadly sins"?

The Sins (and who could have died for them):

Lust - Boone (lusted after and slept with his sister);

Gluttony - ?;

Greed - Paulikki;

Sloth -- Shannon (talk about lazy);

Wrath -- Ana Lucia (consumed by rage);

Envy -- ?;

Pride -- Eko (speech about pride at moment of death);

Any thoughts?

→ 39. Posted by: DJ Ativanex at March 29, 2007 1:00 PM

Loved the scene of Tom Cruise's cousin(Ethan) talking to the Brazilian Tom Cruise. Also the reference to Paolo as the Brazilian Wolfgang Puck was a nice touch!

→ 40. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at March 29, 2007 1:01 PM

@ DJ Ativanex:
Hurley's battle with the Dharma food is obviosly the gluttony aspect! Good call with the 7 deadlies!

→ 41. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 1:03 PM

But Hurley isn't dead, but maybe he's next! Come to think of it, Hurley is a totally expendable character.....

→ 42. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 1:05 PM

I liked the episode only that I didn't care that much for Paulikki. But it was definitely a great episode, good homage to The Twighlight Zone, IMHO.

Here's an observation and you guys can tell me if you agree: There was a parallelism between Lost and ExposÃ© that was mentioned. I mean, when Nikki says something along th elines of "I'm a guest star and you know what happens to guest stars" it was an obvious reference to what happens to her in Lost itself.

But What if, WHAT IF, the parallelism doesn't end there? What if the whole thing with the Cobra, "Its been you all this time" also fits into Lost? And I mean of course, what if Him, assumed to be Jacob, ends up being a character we have been seeing all this while? Hmmm?

→ 43. Posted by: LostFanInPR at March 29, 2007 1:08 PM

Hurley as the glutton...seems a slam dunk.

Sawyer as Envy? Isn't that what a con man is all about? Coveting that which is not yours? And oh yeah, BTW, didn't he schtoop Kate who seems to have it bad for Jack?

I can hang with the 7 Deadlies theory, but what's the end-game? The producers have repeatedly said this is not Purgatory.

Is Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) lurking nearby?

→ 44. Posted by: ransomjackson at March 29, 2007 1:12 PM

Well if the Paulikkis don't rise for a special easter showing of Lost, the producers are still on track - killing off ~one islander per episode. When they are all gone the shows over.

→ 45. Posted by: ronwies at March 29, 2007 1:12 PM

Well if the Paulikkis don't rise for a special Easter showing of Lost, the producers are still on track - killing off ~one islander per episode. When they are all gone the shows over.

→ 46. Posted by: ronwies at March 29, 2007 1:13 PM

You people are way too young. Ask me and davidrh. That ending wasn't "Twilight Zone" - it was straight out of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". I can practically hear the oboe and see a chubby little man stepping into a silhouette of himself.

→ 47. Posted by: Cecil Rose at March 29, 2007 1:17 PM

Ok, while reading the comments I thought about something Ben had said to Jack a few epis ago, something like . . . "We had a good surgeon, his name was Ethan."

Ok, so . . . was Ethan dead before Paulo was caught in the crapper? Because Ben was planning on getting Jack to do the surgery WAY before Ethan was 86'd. Or so it seems. I guess Ben could have just been trying to be the Alpha-Male and tried to one-up Jack when he commented that they didn't have a surgeon. Anybody have any other ideas about this?

→ 48. Posted by: Adam at March 29, 2007 1:18 PM

@mac: It's Arzt. A room full of 6th graders can spell it!

→ 49. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at March 29, 2007 1:21 PM

@PiecesofArzt: Easy there, Leslie ;)

→ 50. Posted by: mac at March 29, 2007 1:26 PM

I too think they'll somehow get out of the grave. I can picture the hilarity ensuing when they walk up behind Hurley and scare the crap out of him! Besides--why hire the Brazilian Tom Cruise if you're not going to use him for anything?
I do feel the ben and Juliet scene was very important. It revealed that they did not know anything about the Losties before the crash--ergo they did not arrange for them to end up on the island or plan the crash. Ben says he will FIND OUT what Jack is emotionally invested in and exploit it. This tells me that all they know about the Losties was discovered through research after the crash.
I also felt it made more sense now after hearing Sawyer keep asking who Nikki and Paolo were. Even when he was present on the beach, he always kept to himself in his tent. Hurley does know the tow of them because he's been social with all the survivors since the beginning. It really kept with their characters nicely that Sawyer didn't know them but Hurley did.

→ 51. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at March 29, 2007 1:26 PM

I only have a few comments. I thought the episode was okay, but it was really to show how some other things were happening (Ben & Juliet, etc) while we were distracted by the Jack/Kate/Sawyer thing.

* Diamonds useless on the island? Are you kidding? They are the hardest substance on earth. you have enough to drill for oil...

* No way it's the end of Paulikki. Digging them up to get to the diamonds would be too gross otherwise.

* I LOVE Ethan (LOVE HIM) and just having him there made my day.

* Charlie copping to his crime was a big event.

* I think the point about 'Jacob' being one of the Losties is right on...

Peace out.

→ 52. Posted by: TheOtherKate at March 29, 2007 1:27 PM

Razzle dazzle, Mac! :D

→ 53. Posted by: Connie at March 29, 2007 1:27 PM

I couldn't believe Sawyer would just throw those diamonds in the grave with Paulikki. Bet he comes back and digs them up... now wouldn't that be sweet if Paulikki was still alive and as Sawyer is removing the sand they both sit up and scare the be-Jesus out of him. THAT would be a great moment. And 'ronwies' comments above would make sense too - raising from the grave at Easter. What an Easter Egg!!

@ bcre8ve - your comment "Classic moment - At the crash scene you see the carniage, the fire, the screams, the injured people laying all around and then suddenly there's Boone asking frantically, "Do you have a pen?" Ha! I loved it! It was so surreal!"

During the original crash scene, Dr. Jack needed a pen to put in a tracheotomy tube to help one of the passengers breath (can't remember who right now) and asked Boone to find one.

Great review as always mac.

→ 54. Posted by: BunnyLover at March 29, 2007 1:29 PM

@Connie: Razzle freakin' dazzle back atcha ;)

→ 55. Posted by: mac at March 29, 2007 1:31 PM

Great Recap!!!!! Interesting episode. I was intrigued by Paolo and Nikki the entire way only to find out that they were absolutely unequivocally totally useless! But it was fun anyways.

→ 56. Posted by: jonlocke at March 29, 2007 1:33 PM

A friend of mine and I have been theorizing that Jack is Jacob, either way we do believe Jacob is one of the Losties, that or Jack's dad. It's the best working theory we have currently.

→ 57. Posted by: Bryan at March 29, 2007 1:35 PM

@ mac....

"as the assembled castaways offer silent prayers to the patron saint of bathroom ventilation."

Great line Mac .... was kicked back with my feet on the desk reading this and almost fell backwards out of my chair with laughter. One of my coworkers asked if I needed medical attention.

→ 58. Posted by: Samboroonie at March 29, 2007 1:36 PM

Sawyer -- "What's Expose'"
Hurley -- "Only the greatest hour of TV ever...like Baywatch, only better!"

Surely you jest, my large friend.

@Red-Neck-Man -- I also had that feeling about Charlie "confessing his sins"...Ol' Mr. Eko seemed to have his chance to confess his life's sins to his brother / Smokey, but he chose to say that he had nothing to apologize for. Smokey didn't seem to appreciate that answer.

@Mapache -- The obvious choice for "gluttony" would seem to point directly at Hurley, but I don't feel I know what Hurley has done to deserve being on that "bad" list.

"Twilight Zone" ending was very accurate, mac. Anyone that has watched an old 45-year old Twilight Zone episode on the SciFi channel in recent times will understand that the eyes opening / in-the-hole-looking-up point-of-view as the shovelful of dirt comes down was nothing short of a Rod Serling-ish homage.

→ 59. Posted by: RWS at March 29, 2007 1:38 PM

Actually, Bunny Lover, Boone had been administering CPR incorrectly to Rose after the crash, Jack came and took over, Boone asked if he needed to do "that Pen in the throat thing", Jack, already annoyed with Boone, sends him off on a fool's errand (to find a pen). He brings back 4 or 5... "I didn't know which kind would work..." By then, Rose is breathing again.

→ 60. Posted by: sarah c at March 29, 2007 1:38 PM

Where did Arntz get all those jars?

→ 61. Posted by: neumann at March 29, 2007 1:42 PM

The jars had to have been Smokey! Otherwise you've found the fatal flaw in Lost's plausibility!

→ 62. Posted by: LockeBox at March 29, 2007 1:46 PM

I saw this on Entertainment Weekly's recap of Expose (I have to read something while I wait for you to post your review Mac) and thought it was neat:

What do these three television artifacts have in common?

Lost Flight A 1969 TV movie about the survivors of an airplane crash struggling to live on a deserted jungle island. ''An adult version of Lord of the Flies,'' according to imdb.com.

The New People A short-lived 1969 TV series on ABC about a bunch of young punks who crash on an island that was supposed to be used as an atomic test site but never was. (Maybe the military got spooked by the giant smoke monster that liked to bang them around like an angry baby with a rattle.) Forgotten by the outside world, the kids settle into the abandoned facilities on the island and take a stab at starting an idyllic civilization.

Lost An ongoing ABC television series that last night fielded a frequently clever if not altogether successful episode about two of its least compelling characters, Nikki and Paulo, a.k.a. ''Little Miss Who the Hell Are You?'' and ''Hunky Brazilian Guy Who Poops a Lot.''

The common denominator?

Billy Dee Williams was in all three!
How cool is that?!?

→ 63. Posted by: Matt at March 29, 2007 1:48 PM

Ben wanted Locke to blow up the hatch because he figured out it would disable communications. And he wants to keep his verge-of-revolt people trapped on the island.

Ben's "official" reason was to get Jack, or to work out a way to get Jack. Which Ben also needed.

The thing he told Locke was either a lie, or b/c Ben wants people who are easy to manipulate. (Not people who are "good" like Goodwin told Ana Lucia.)

But Goodwin's lie has a bit of a link to the truth.

Severely stubborn and/or flawed screw-ups aren't easy to manipulate. Therefore, they don't fit Ben's definition of "good". :)

→ 64. Posted by: herobill at March 29, 2007 1:51 PM

Just a fun anecdote:
In one of the later scenes (I think during Hurley's burial speech) I heard a distinctive bird call - a white-throated sparrow - which doesn't live in Hawaii or Lost Land. Either there is a very lost bird where they film or the producers used the wrong audio sample :)

→ 65. Posted by: claire at March 29, 2007 1:52 PM

@neumann:

I was wondering that too, but looking back at them they look like he had scrounged them from the wreckage. One of them, I think the one the Medusa spider was in, was clearly a can that tennis balls come in with the label ripped off.

→ 66. Posted by: Matt at March 29, 2007 1:52 PM

@Matt: Could Lando Calrissian = Jacob? ;)

→ 67. Posted by: mac at March 29, 2007 1:53 PM

Oh, and Paulikki made two major contributions:

1 - the walkie-talkie
and
2 - the diamonds!!!

I bet we see BOTH again. In fact, I bet Sawyer put the diamonds in the pit so he can go dig em up again, after everyone else forgets they exist.

Or maybe he'll go dig 'em up a few hours later... which might not be for two episodes.

If he does, he might find their faces blue, from suffocation. Won't that be a pretty sight?!

→ 68. Posted by: Herobill at March 29, 2007 1:54 PM

Anybody else annoyed by the fact that when they first found the pearl, they didn't give it a second thought?

This was still season 1 because the the plane was still stuck on top of the cliff. So, at this point, they had no idea that there was such evidence of previous human life on this island.

They didn't tell anyone, and also didn't go down there.

→ 69. Posted by: Michael at March 29, 2007 1:55 PM

In the comments on USAToday, somebody mentioned freeze framing the scene when Nikki toward the sky (and the wing of the plane) and noticing a single engine plane also in the sky.

Can anyone verify this?
(I've already deleted the show off my DVR)

→ 70. Posted by: Zizzy at March 29, 2007 1:56 PM

"...as the assembled castaways offer silent prayers to the patron saint of bathroom ventilation."

I laughed out so loud that people came by to look if I was alright!

I don't think Paulikki are dead, the scene of Vincent the dog dragging the cloth away was proabably a hint of things to come or may be Des might get another vision (so far his visions are focused on Charlie!). People have comeback from near death previously in this show (Charlie).

In the episode ? where Lock finds the hatch, the door was pretty hard to identify as the dirt above it was solid, not like when Paulikki stubled on it. Wonder what happened after their discovery, may be Paulo tried to hide it better!

Mac, you didn't mention the walkie talkie they found in Paulo's bag and the theory that they were working with others! I am sure walkie is going to be handy later!

→ 71. Posted by: aj at March 29, 2007 1:57 PM

WHOA, that was nasty! And cool too. I'm glad that theyt didn't clichÃ© out by having Nikki saved in the last second by her opening her eyes and Hurley and Sawyer noticing... instead they flush sand on her face in the last possible moment! EW! AWESOME! EWWW!!! Mixed feelings!

Also, Nikki and Paulo are definitely dead. The spider venom and paralysis didn't kill them... the lack of oxygen did. You see, when you're buried, you can't breathe. And when you can't breathe, YOU DIE. So dead they are.

→ 72. Posted by: Remus at March 29, 2007 2:05 PM

Nik and Paolo are dead. As dead as Dr. Shepherd Sr...

They were both still pretty much fully paralyzed when being buried, or were just coming out of it enough to open their eyes. So being strong enough to claw out from the dirt wouldn't be feasible.

6-ish feet of dirt is WAY too much weight to claw out of anyway. Even if you had all of your muscles working and adrenaline pumping.

Under 6-ish feet of dirt there is *zero* oxygen. N&P would've suffocated in a matter of minutes. Even if Vincent (or a diamond-seeking Sawyer!) dug them up a short time later, it would be too late. It would've been different if they were in makeshift caskets with a bit of air-time remaining. But they weren't- they're sucking dirt.

Dey been keeled off I tellya!

Now having said that...I fully expect N&P to somehow return. Which would be disappointing and cheezy to me. Flashbacks would be fine, but I can't think of a single realistic way they could've survived their predicament.

→ 73. Posted by: JoePike at March 29, 2007 2:10 PM

HAHA! Did anyone else find it really funny last night? I mean they were so meaningless to the show I couldn't help but laugh at their fate. Hopefully they stay in the ground. BTW it's really stupid that they keep bringing back Shannon and Boone. They're dead. Let's be done with it. I love Arzt though. They could totally bring him back Bobby style (Dallas) and I would love it.
JAC

→ 74. Posted by: JAC at March 29, 2007 2:10 PM

@mac: If Billy Dee Williams (who was playing himself) ends up being Jacob that might be the greatest twist ending in the history of TV! M. Night Shyamalan eat your heart out.

Great review as always Mac. I liked this episode despite the fact the writers combined two of my greatest fears: spiders and being buried alive, into one show.

→ 75. Posted by: Matt at March 29, 2007 2:11 PM

Granted the episode was very interesting and seeing Paolliki's life from a different perspective gave a fresh feeling to Lost, I couldn't see the big picture. I was half expecting the black bag that Paolo and Nikki stole to be some kind of hugely important Dharma secret device that had huge implications for the island. The producers said these characters were important. They were just stupid.

I don't understand why Paolo HAD to steel the diamonds at that moment when Locke and them found the Pearl Station...I'm sure no one is going to look through the back part of the toilet. Also, why didn't he choose a new hiding location....he still kept it in his pants. (Did he expect imminent rescue?? ARE THEY WITH THE OTHERS) prob not after seeing this episode but jeez what is the point?

And Nikki....she buried the diamonds after being paralyzed then runs back to the beach. WHY DOESNT SHE BRING THE DIAMONDS WITH HER??? is she that paranoid that ppl will find her body and steal her worthless diamonds. Sawyer may find the diamonds and pocket it...but isn't it more important that she tells ppl she's paralyzed before she loses the ability to speek. I guess that's the price of greed.

→ 76. Posted by: Matt S at March 29, 2007 2:19 PM

BTW...Awesome and hilarious review as usual Mac.

That's the problem with introducing 'new' characters to Lost and then retro-fitting them into past scenes. Things they obviously should've done had they been there all along didn't happen... Telling someone about the small plane, the new hatch, seeing Ben and Juliet, blah blah blah. It just floors me that we're to assume that Paolo wouldn't let someone know they're not alone on the island and are even being kept under surveillance.

There has to be more plans for N&P though, otherwise why even bring them on the show??? I just hope they don't have them survive the burial through some ridiculous miracle. Maybe the writers' plans for the duo were drastically changed after poor fan reaction to them... so they thought they'd satisfy the fans through a nasty end to N&P.

→ 77. Posted by: JoePike at March 29, 2007 2:21 PM

Could Howie's wife be the widow Locke's Dad was trying to marry?

→ 78. Posted by: Diana at March 29, 2007 2:22 PM

@DJ antivanex et al....maybe Ben, Juliet, or Kate as Envy?? Anyone see the previews for next week?

@Matt...excellent fact about the Billy D reference in all three...maybe he IS Jacob!

I don't know about all of you, but I really missed seeing Walt and Michael in the "flashbacks" of last night's episode...granted, no AL, Libby or Eko either, but I was hoping to see Walt and Mike....sniffle sniffle...

Here are a few names and other bits I picked up on last night...are they familiar in the context of the show to anyone?
Strike Team Alpha (on Nikki's resume)
Dr. Kincaid, Esq (another show)
Howard L. Zuckerman (the director)
Also, if Thanksgiving was two weeks ago (according to Nikki), then what is the exact date? Can we figure this out? Is this significant in any way?

→ 79. Posted by: Vikki at March 29, 2007 2:23 PM

When Locke told poopy paulo "Nothing stays buried on this island" does that mean Sawyer or one of the other losties who witnessed him dumping the diamonds in the grave circle back to dig them up and get the surprise of their life? Maybe that's how Charlie will die... he quickly circles back and starts digging and Nikki wakes up and strangles him for touching her jewels?
Did Poopy and Stikki (fingers) they know what was going on while paralyzed and being buried alive? EEEK
Why was Juliette so spooked to be in the flame? Gotta be a reason.

→ 80. Posted by: lost addict at March 29, 2007 2:28 PM

I'm also puzzled as to why Locke and Co. didn't explore the tunnel going out from the Pearl Hatch. It didn't appear to be hidden- Ben and Juliet just walked away down the tunnel as Ben turned the light off. The tunnel system may even go all the way back to Bennsylvania, so it seems the Lostie's should've gone exploring.

→ 81. Posted by: JoePike at March 29, 2007 2:41 PM

as always mac, great recap.

i felt this episode was just ok and like others have already stated, it did nothing to move the episode along. to be honest the duo got on my nerves and i found myself wishing they would just hurry up and get to the point/purpose of the two being on the island and how it could possibility be significant.

loved seeing billy dee the man is still the king of smooth and cool.

my question is if paulo was poisoned first, shouldnt he have started coming around before nikki?? true it was a matter of minutes but once we found out what really happened i would have expected paulo to start moving first.

→ 82. Posted by: tiffani at March 29, 2007 2:41 PM

This episode was cheese filled from the beginning...sooo predictable..and I dunno the spider thing? Nothing great was learned here except two really hot actors were killed off? Loved the Locke/ Paulo moment though. and boy do I miss Shannon and Boone...I so wish they hadn't been killed off, they offered so much more to LOST then Charlie or even Claire for that matter..oh well....

Oh but this still raises the question:
WHERE ARE ROSE AND BERNARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!C'mon now LOST writers what the?? Even just a second of them walking on the beach or something???? Where are they???????????

→ 83. Posted by: Amy at March 29, 2007 2:47 PM

I hope Nikki's at least alive. That image of her in the bikini top as she approached Arzt will keep satisfied until my son is born and I can start bothering my poor wife again! BRING NIKKI BACK

→ 84. Posted by: timb at March 29, 2007 2:47 PM

Do you want to know the most annoying thing, bloggers like Meg. Are you that excited that you are the "first" one to post? I have to know Meg, how old are you?

Other than that, the episode was great. It is strange though that Paulo had the time away from Julliet. Anytime we have ever seen them they were always together. So it was kinda good to see that they actually seperated each other for a while.

Also, was Julliets plan to paralyzed Paulo and bury him alive? It just seemed extreme to kill him because he lied to her. Oh well.

→ 85. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at March 29, 2007 2:49 PM

The hatch was harder to open for Locke and Boone b/c Ben said, have them cover that up.

→ 86. Posted by: Jstewart at March 29, 2007 2:56 PM

It's even more annoying when you type "Julliet" but mean "Nikki"!

Just kidding. We're all adults (for the most part) here, so let's not bicker...

Though I don't think Nik had any intention of killing Paolo. She just really wanted the diamonds and to teach him a lesson...and get a little revenge in the process.

→ 87. Posted by: JoePike at March 29, 2007 3:01 PM

Keep it nice. The "first" thing is harmless. -- mac

→ 88. Posted by: mac at March 29, 2007 3:03 PM

Ok, all you people that think Paulikki are going to rise from the grave tell me this:

How do they breathe with dirt covering their faces?
No way they could dig out of that.
They would have had to be digging upwards while Hurley and Sawyer were still throwing dirt on the mound, and they would have seen the dirt moving.

No way.
They are dead. As dead as Charlie will be in two weeks.
Deal with it.

→ 89. Posted by: Zeppo at March 29, 2007 3:13 PM

90th Post...WOO HOO!

Matt said:
"I liked this episode despite the fact the writers combined two of my greatest fears: spiders and being buried alive, into one show."

What if they'd been buried alive WITH spiders?

Someone asked about Nikki and what caused her to use the spider on Paolo. It was the only thing she could think of after being turned down for a gun by Sawyer. Her ideal option would've been to hold Paolo at gun-point until he gave up the diamonds, but when that didn't pan out she had to come up with something else.

Sorry about the top line...couldn't resist...

→ 90. Posted by: JoePike at March 29, 2007 3:16 PM

@BunnyLover "During the original crash scene, Dr. Jack needed a pen to put in a tracheotomy tube to help one of the passengers breath (can't remember who right now) and asked Boone to find one."

I guess I could have added more to my comment. It was Rose. Jack came up on Boone who was freaking out over Rose not breathing. Boone suggested she needed one of those pen in the neck" things (paraphrase). Jack put him on the pen trek in order to get rid of him so he could work on her. My comment was that it was cool to see the cross over between epis.

This scene being in this season 3 epi debunks the theory that Des changed the timeline and Paulikki took the place of Rosenard.

→ 91. Posted by: bcre8ve at March 29, 2007 3:18 PM

To paraphrase the movie, Better Off Dead...

"Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white (girl) like that."

→ 92. Posted by: ransomjackson at March 29, 2007 3:20 PM

Sorry about the "First" comment. It is just annoying and never understood why people have to do it. But I will move on...

This might be picking at the show, but why did Nikki wake up first? Or at least open her eyes first? First of all, Paulo was bit first and secondly, he is much bigger than her so his bosy would probably beat all the toxins first.

→ 93. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at March 29, 2007 3:22 PM

He got bitten by the large female spider from Arzt's jar, she got bitten by a smaller male spider fresh from the jungle.

→ 94. Posted by: LockeBox at March 29, 2007 3:30 PM

Paulo was bit in the neck and Nikki herself said the venom would work quicker because of this so maybe a bit on the foot is less lethal.

Very annoying that there was a tunnel going into the hatch that the lostie never explored(maybe it is hidden). The dirt could have also been loose on top bc that is the passage way that Ethan took to reach the beach camp quicker, and he had not recovered his tracks yet.

I think the bigger picture that we are missing is why was Juliet was so chummy with Ben? Is she still, or she is part of the Jack plan, or was it just to get close to him so she could get off the island. Think that we still need to watch out for her, but looks like Kate has that handled :)

→ 95. Posted by: Dakota at March 29, 2007 3:35 PM

re: Paulo in the Pearl hatch -

JoePike said - 'I'm also puzzled as to why Locke and Co. didn't explore the tunnel going out from the Pearl Hatch. It didn't appear to be hidden- Ben and Juliet just walked away down the tunnel as Ben turned the light off. The tunnel system may even go all the way back to Bennsylvania, so it seems the Lostie's should've gone exploring.'

Why are people thinking there is a tunnel that connects to the Pearl hatch? I was under the impression that Ben and Juliette put on their dirty clothes to walk to the Pearl hatch cause if someone saw them, they keep the illusion of the Others being primitive. And when they got to the hatch they said, 'who left this open?'. I would think that when they left, they climbed back up the ladder and closed, locked, and re-covered the hatch so nobody could find it easily. i.e. as it was shown when Locke and Boone found it in '?'.

If this is the case, and there is no tunnel, how the hell did Paulo get out of there? Doubt there was an un-locking mechanism inside the hatch. And if I'm wrong, and there is a tunnel (no chance), then he must have had to travel the same route as Ben and Juliette to get out. He'd have quite an intimate knowledge of the underground system by now.

But of course in true fashion, there is no need to tell anyone else this info.

→ 96. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at March 29, 2007 3:36 PM

I'm sure somebody mentioned this.. but the best line of the episode for me was when Nikki is walking off the set of Expose right after she gets killed off and says "You know what happens to guest stars".... Not only was that foreshadowing, but I definitely saw it was major tongue-in-cheek by the writers...

→ 97. Posted by: Fish at March 29, 2007 3:38 PM

Before I read a single word on this page, I'm posting my thoughts...for better or for worse.

This episode was, in a word, FILLER.

Good, fun filler, but filler none the less.

(...and I hope they're truly dead and buried)

→ 98. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at March 29, 2007 3:55 PM

Fate worse than being buried alive with spiders?

Being buried alive with spiders and having sand thrown in your eyes.

That is so not comfortable.

→ 99. Posted by: bcre8ve at March 29, 2007 3:59 PM

"Billy Dee, Billy Dee, Billy Dee!!!"
Mama Klump, the Nutty Professor

Okay, so it didn't appear to be all that relevant to the show's story arc, but this was one well-written, craftily designed episode. And it gave me nightmares. Anybody ever see "The Vanishing"? I mean the original?

→ 100. Posted by: Rob at March 29, 2007 4:02 PM

About the 7 deadly sins thing...

How about Ben for envy? Don't you think that Ben is envious of Locke because he's in a wheelchair and Locke isn't?

→ 101. Posted by: Destynee at March 29, 2007 4:02 PM

I was thinking about how cool it was that all the characters were back in one episode together, including Boone and Shannon. I love when I see the name Ian Somerhalder on the beginning credits!

Anyway, NOT everybody was in this episode, namely Michael and Walt. I wonder why they didn't weave Michael in somehow? And, of course, Rose and Bernard weren't there.

Favorite thing about this episode is that they now have an Other walkie talkie! Think of the possibilities.

→ 102. Posted by: Amanda S. at March 29, 2007 4:07 PM

I just watched the eposide, I had to record it and watch it today. But I thought that the spider that bit Nikki, the Medusa spider attracted male spiders with just a whiff, (which is why the professor guy didn't want her to open the jar). I didn't see the "smoke monster", I saw a lot of spiders crawling on the leaves and such. And then the one that bit Nikki. Appropriate I think.

→ 103. Posted by: Cully Lady at March 29, 2007 4:08 PM

@ bcre8ve - Oh - I get it now. Thanks for the very creative posting you do here! Excellent crossover references.

@ sarah c - Thank you for the Jack/Boone/Rose scene recap. I knew I'd seen it, but couldn't remember all the details without pulling out my DVD collection... and well let's say that's not convenient right now (at work) shhhhh....

Hey, did anyone notice seeing Rose or Benard at the crash scene this time? Did they superimpose Paulikki in the original taped version (just different angles) cause surely they didn't recreate the crash scene just to film parts with Paulikki in it?? Or were they actually in the original filming of the scene, but wound up on the cutting room floor until now? I've heard that Paulikki have been in the background for a long time before being "introduced," but have no way of confirming this.

→ 104. Posted by: BunnyLover at March 29, 2007 4:11 PM

Everyone happy now ?? Personally, i think I'm in love with Nikki. At least her looks anyway...

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 105. Posted by: thinng at March 29, 2007 4:15 PM

possible easter egg? - I'm pretty sure the bikini top/bra Nikki was wearing was the new Victoria's Secret 'Secret Embrace' line. 'Soooooooo hot...want to touch the heinie.'

→ 106. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at March 29, 2007 4:25 PM

If I heard correctly, when Ben and Juliette came into the hatch, Ben says "Good it's open." and Juliette replied, "Tom was here a few days ago." Ben answered back with "Have Tom cover it with the plane." Am I correct? Did Tom push Boone off the cliff? Also, I went back to when Lock and Ecko found the hatch and there does not appear to be a doorway off to the side of the TV screens. Maybe someone with high def can double check that.

→ 107. Posted by: Peb at March 29, 2007 4:28 PM

That was a rather large grave they dug. Had to have taken a couple of hours. Even though they're on a hot tropical island, Paulikki's body temperature would have dropped quite a lot if they were dead. (We learned on CSI that body temp drops 1.5 degrees F per hour.) Someone should have noticed they were still warm.

→ 108. Posted by: hurling at March 29, 2007 4:29 PM

Got to add one to the "Best Lines of the Episode":

Hurley to Desmond (paraphrase): Dude, of all the super powers, yours is kinda lame.

→ 109. Posted by: PenFoe at March 29, 2007 4:29 PM

@ hurling: "That was a rather large grave they dug."

WGNABG (We're Gonna Need A Bigger Grave)!

→ 110. Posted by: Trinity at March 29, 2007 4:32 PM

Well I keep waiting for someone to bring this up...perhaps I was imagining things. When Juliet and our oh so evil friend Ben were in the hatch watching Jack, didn't they call him by a name other than Jack?

As always...thanks Mac.

→ 111. Posted by: petew at March 29, 2007 4:38 PM

Unquestionably the best line of the episode (I'll save ya'll):

When they find Paulo and are looking at him, Jin says something completely in Korean and Hurley follows with, 'Ya, I know.' or something like that.

Classic!

→ 112. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at March 29, 2007 4:42 PM

I think I mentioned this in my earlier post, but I really think it is a major revelation that the others did not cause the losties to come to the island. When Ben says he will find what Jack cares about emotionally and exploit it, he's saying that he doesn't really know as much about Jack as yet as we might have thought. All that research was done post-crash, hence the need for Ethan and Goodwin to infiltrate and act as spies. It speaks a lot to me that there is some other force at work that brought these people together on this plane.

→ 113. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at March 29, 2007 4:44 PM

@petew
I believe that Juliet asks Ben "Is that him? Shepard?" I don't believe they called him anything else.

→ 114. Posted by: nd fan at March 29, 2007 4:46 PM

Reading BunnyLover's comments just now got me to thinking: did they actually do some sort of superimpose/insert shots, -OR- (as I prefer to think) did they have these scenes ready all along? I'm sure they are writing some of this as they go, but they way these plot points intertwine, I think they have shot some multiple point-of-view scenes in advance. Especially when you consider the effort of redressing a set as large as the plane crash. It makes me wonder what other little flashbacks may await us in future episodes.

Also, was anyone else a bit let down at the "handful" of diamonds worth eight million dollars? I suppose they could be, I'm no gem merchant, but personally I was hoping to see a rock the size of a goose egg. Of course, that would have been a LOT easier to dig up too. I don't think they will ever dig up the diamonds now though, it's much more poetic that the poisoners were done in by poison, and buried with the wages of their greed. They sure weren't on the list, were they?

Lastly, did anyone think Nikki was actually reflecting on what Paulo had said, in a "You know... maybe he is right..." kind of way, before she was distracted by the spiders? I'm not certain she was going to kill him, just make him sweat for a while maybe. But it certainly seems that the whole "Yes, I have the diamonds" bit would have soured their relationship just a smidge.

→ 115. Posted by: The Duf at March 29, 2007 4:47 PM

Not familiar with Nicotine gum, but wouldn't it have disolved being under water for two months? I mean, the packaging isn't made of Teflon. I suppose the plastic "bubbles" could have protected it somehow, but it still struck me as odd. Not significant-odd, just producer-error odd.

That's it. Great job, Mac. You made my birthday that much more special today. Thnak you!

→ 116. Posted by: GatorGal at March 29, 2007 4:53 PM

@GatorGal - Happy Birthday! I hope your night includes a warm sixer of Dharmaweiser Lite!

→ 117. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at March 29, 2007 4:56 PM

@GatorGal

Actually, what seemed even odder about the gum to me was, wouldn't Paulo, having been forced into a cold turkey situation, be past the need for the gum?

It's a month, and you haven't smoked or had gum. Your body should have adapted, no? Or was he just enjoying having ANY nicotine again? That could be it, I suppose.

I think the foil/plastic wrapping would do fine in water. I went swimming with some cough drops in a pocket once, and they were completely unaffacted by it, very similar "pop-out" packaging.

→ 118. Posted by: The Duf at March 29, 2007 5:04 PM

Ben definitely got himself captured on purpose so that he could learn more about Jack in order to "break" him after capturing him. Once he learned from Jack that his tumor was so advanced, he had to move to Plan B.

I think there will be more flashbacks with Nikki and Paulo which reveal more answers. They had to have some motivation for not "telling" what they discovered. I also think they were filmed in advanced and were cut (on purpose or not). It would have been A LOT of work to recreate those brief, mostly irrelevant crash scenes.

→ 119. Posted by: BEMH at March 29, 2007 5:05 PM

Best line
"Dude............monster."

It was a fun episode, and at the end, when we realize that they arnt dea at all, and get buried alive, all I could think was, HOW HITCHCOCK!!

Great review, always look forward to reading them right after watching the show just to see if I missed anything.

→ 120. Posted by: Adrian at March 29, 2007 5:12 PM

Why would Paulo and Nikki say anything about what they found? They were after a place to hide stolen diamonds, right? If you put yourself in their place, it seems to me that they had puh-lenty of motivation to keep to themselves. And remember, those scenes are "early" in the show too, Nikki is even worried the Coast Guard will be there anytime! Then, once Paulo had hidden the diamonds, he sure wasn't going to mention that he had been down in the station and heard these plans. "And why were you down in that shaft, Paulo?" The reason he took them out later is also simple: he could not stand the idea that maybe, just maybe, someone could now find them. Was it unlikely? Absolutely. But was it impossible? Nope, not at all.

Some kind of shorts Paulo must have, by the way. They don't all come with a secret diamond storage pouch, or at least the last few pairs I bought didn't. :)

→ 121. Posted by: The Duf at March 29, 2007 5:19 PM

Anyone else find it odd that Paulo had to be chewing nicotine gum like 50 days after the plane crash? Wouldn't his nicotine cravings have been gone by then?

→ 122. Posted by: Michelle at March 29, 2007 5:37 PM

Did anyone catch that when Nikki was standing over Paulo THE CLICKING SOUND HEARD WHEN THE BLACK SMOKE APPEARS WAS APPARENT.

BUT INSTEAD OF THE BLACK SMOKE THE MONSTER TO THE FORM OF ALL THOSE SPIDERS!!!

THE BLACK SMOKE MONSTER CAN TELL WHEN SOMEONE HAS DONE SOMEHTING BAD AND ADJUSTS THERE PUNISHMENT TO FIT THERI CRIME!!!!

→ 123. Posted by: Mat at March 29, 2007 5:43 PM

Did anyone catch that when Nikki was standing over Paulo THE CLICKING SOUND HEARD WHEN THE BLACK SMOKE APPEARS WAS APPARENT.

BUT INSTEAD OF THE BLACK SMOKE THE MONSTER TOOK THE FORM OF ALL THOSE SPIDERS!!!

THE BLACK SMOKE MONSTER CAN TELL WHEN SOMEONE HAS DONE SOMEHTING BAD AND ADJUSTS THERE PUNISHMENT TO FIT THERI CRIME!!!!

→ 124. Posted by: Mat at March 29, 2007 5:43 PM

@ Trinity - WGNABG (We're Gonna Need A Bigger Grave)!

Good one!!!!

@Red...Neck...Man - possible easter egg? - I'm pretty sure the bikini top/bra Nikki was wearing was the new Victoria's Secret 'Secret Embrace' line. 'Soooooooo hot...want to touch the heinie.'

Very constructive blog .....

→ 125. Posted by: Smitty at March 29, 2007 5:47 PM

I think we had several important moments, it was not a complete throwaway episode.
1) We learned some of what was happening on the beach while the adventurers were running through the jungle. Most importantly my namesake was being horny and trying to be a suave scientist, impressing the ladies with his mind.
2) Charlie confessed to Sun who then confronted Sawyer. This sets up Sun with some power since Jin would destroy Sawyer in a fair fight.

As for Juliet and Ben in the hobo clothes, wouldn't they have noticed the dirt missing from the cover if they came from outside? Maybe that is why it was harder for Locke's group to open the ? harch when they got to it, it was reinforced.
Why didn't Paolo and Nikki jump in with info of a new hatch? They didn't want to draw attention to themselves while looking for the diamonds. Just like Locke didn't tell anyone what he was doing in the jungle everyday. People ask questions. Why hasn't Kate told anyone about the medical hatch?

@Neal Mindflood: Nikki wanted the gun to threaten/kill Paolo. When she didn't get one, she remembered the spider and went to get it.

→ 126. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at March 29, 2007 5:51 PM

The writers gave away something when they made Sawyer throw the diamonds back into the grave. As recently as the VW bus episode, Sawyer has been materialistic. There is no good explanation as to why he threw the diamonds back. It was obviously something that needed to be done for some future plot and Sawyer ended up doing it, despite the fact it made almost no sense why he would.

As for the seven deadly sins, not really. Murder seems to be high on the island's don't list. Ana Lucia, Eko, Paulo, and Nikki were all directly involved in killing someone. Hurley's woman was an accident, Shannon and Boone were nasty together. So I'm nt seeing that link.

It does seem to have something to do with being a bad person, but gluttony or greed alone don't seem to do it.

→ 127. Posted by: Chris at March 29, 2007 5:58 PM

GRAA, mac.
Just one point: Dead people look different than people whose heartrate, etc. has dropped. Dead people loose their color, attract flies very quickly, etc. The makeup was well done, because they did not look dead. You would think that after didgging the grave that someone might have noticed that they still had their color. I enjoyed the epi, I know there are ways to bring them back, but I hope they are gone. I do like Nikki's top though...

→ 128. Posted by: onelostdude at March 29, 2007 6:22 PM

I think someone did notice that they weren't dead...Vincent! He took their blanket off like he was playing but nobody wanted to play :(

→ 129. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at March 29, 2007 6:38 PM

Seems to me the every person on the island is one of two types - con artist or con artist victim. If you're one, you're in danger of becoming the other.Is there anyoneon the island who hasn't been conned? (Children don't seem to count)

→ 130. Posted by: Cara De at March 29, 2007 7:01 PM

@ Cara De
Great call- you're right on with that one...This whole series may turn out to be a long con, pulled on us. I sure hope the writers come up with some wild, over the top explanation!

@ Gatorgal
Happy Birthday to you! When you blow out the candles, I for one hope you use your wish for some more Locke-centric episodes~ Last week was superb!

→ 131. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at March 29, 2007 7:27 PM

Mac, I'm having the worst headache ever and as always, your reviews make me laugh and made me forget about the pain. Double thanks!

@ CecilRose. My thoughts exactly about the Hitchcock ending. Loved it!

@ Ransomjackon: You are crazy. LOL. "Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white (girl) like that."

Although this epi wasn't as great as "The Man From Tallahassee", it was stellar to me. It answered a lot of questions from a behind the scenes standpoint. (I'd go into detail but mah head hurts.) One thing that confirmed my suspicions about Ben is that he wanted to be captured. But the "List" still bothers me. I can understand Ben wanting Jack but why "Austin" and "Ford"? So one question answered and another still unanswered.

I'm going back to bed.

→ 132. Posted by: amelia at March 29, 2007 7:33 PM

Can someone please tell me one logical way that Paulikki can be not dead?
Almost everyone keeps saying that, but I just can't see it.

I'm glad they are dead.
That was very creepy.
Like everyone else, I think this was almost a complete throwaway episode.
I can only think of one thing that advanced the plot, and that was Charlie confessing to Sun.
Other than that....meh...I could do without the episode.

Next week looks like a big cat-fight in the rain.....yummy.

→ 133. Posted by: Zeppo at March 29, 2007 7:49 PM

I think perhaps this episode was to introduce the spiders that caused Jack's daddy's fake death. And I really hope we've seen the last of Nikki and Paolo!

→ 134. Posted by: mrsdobalena at March 29, 2007 7:55 PM

Lost is a riddle, wrapped up in a mystery, inside an enigma, shoved into a Babushka, and thrown into a toilet.

→ 135. Posted by: lostsox at March 29, 2007 8:08 PM

Yes!!! Finally Paulo and Nikki are gone! that made my week. The episode wasn't the best besides their unfortunate demise (yeah right) but could someone clarify for me why Charlie kidnapped Sun? I must have missed something.

Smokey strikes again. But I think in the form of those male spiders. It has to be, just like Eko said. "You're Next"

Razzle Freakin' Dazzle. :)

→ 136. Posted by: sierramark at March 29, 2007 8:18 PM

I really liked how Arzt didnt conceal his urge to once over Nikki when she walked up in the Victoria Secret's bra.

Kate apparently missed out on "Animal Farm" in school. "The pigs are walking"

To be honest, the whole episode I kept thinking to myself that I really didnt care much about Paulikki. Then to find out they knew about all these things on the island...ESPECIALLY A WALKIE TALKIE..and never said anything, I went from being indifferent towards their characters to just plain annoyed. Surely at some point they turned on the walkie talkie and listened in. Could their whole purpose on the show be to update a late-coming audience? I hate to say it but John's "things don't stay buried on this island" comment has to be foreshadowing.

There was a strange line from Sawyer to Nikki as he closed her dead body's eyes. "Thanks for nothing" he said. What does that mean?

→ 137. Posted by: kilorooster at March 29, 2007 8:27 PM

This episode was very good filler as opposed to the VW Van episode which was not.
The producers played off these Nikki and Paulo deathes in a comedic fashion. The other characters were practically joking around trying to figure out what happened. It was light hearted with some cool flashback scenes and some extra skin.
I do believe the fans are affecting this show in some ways.
Regardless of how it all ends...enjoy it!

→ 138. Posted by: T-DOG at March 29, 2007 9:20 PM

Points of interest:
Somewhere out in the world wide web there is a list of the greatest 50 Lost loose ends. One of those points out that there was a lit cancer stick when the Locke-Sayid-Paulo-Nikki crew first visits the observation station. The cig could have been Paulo's, if he had cigarettes. If not, then one of those Others has a nicotine addiction and dipped out when he heard the door being opened. Whose was it?!

The Ben and Juliet scene shows that Ben intentionally got caught in the net. More proof that the crazy French woman was working with Ben. I wonder just how far that tie goes.

Loooooved the buried alive plot twist. Can't wait to see how they bring the Paulikki duo back (cuz they obviously will).

BTW, Mac, you do a great job. As an editor of a mag I appreciate how much effort you must put in. Rock on.

→ 139. Posted by: KaytieD at March 29, 2007 10:09 PM

Worthless episode. Did not advance the plot nor answer any prior questions other than Paolo's bowel habits. This episode seems to have been written to appease those of you who have been clamoring for Paulikki's demise. Fortunately, I now only watch these episodes on Tivo so at least I can fast forward the commercials.

→ 140. Posted by: gables79 at March 29, 2007 10:40 PM

Paulikki ain't dead. See, here's how it works:

When they were bitten by the spider, their heart rates go down, which means that they don't need much oxygen, which means that they don't need much breathing, which means they can stay PARALYZED as long as they "want" UNDERGROUND since they are like HIBERNATING!

Second thought, since Nikki opens her eyes first - she need more oxygen first - she probably dies and Paulo gets to live.

→ 141. Posted by: laodoufu at March 29, 2007 11:12 PM

Artz "The pigs are walking" Isn't this a reference to Lord of the Flies?

@amy....I agree...where the heck are Rose and Bernard? I love them. Rose also has a secret. The island cured her cancer. Why hasn't it cured Ben's? And why don't the others want Rose like they want Locke?

Anyone notice that Sun's hair has grown like TEN inches in eighty days? I looked back at photos from Season 1 and her hair was chin length. Now it looks like she has extensions. It bothers me, because everything else seems to have continuity. random, I know...

→ 142. Posted by: Kimberly at March 29, 2007 11:51 PM

laodoufu: You beat me to it. I thought I better read ALL the comments before posting the idea I had the moment Paolikki were buried. I also thought that almost no oxygen would be required while in this paralyzation. I mean, we were told that even a trained doctor wouldn't be able to tell if such a poisoned person would be alive. So obviously that person wouldn't be breathing! I think (like someone said earlier) that Sawyer threw those diamonds in with the full intention of going right on back and digging them up. Then one of the four Paolikki arms will come shooting up at him and make me spit my wine on the coffee table.

→ 143. Posted by: toe at March 30, 2007 12:16 AM

RE: why Rose and Bernard aren't in any crash/beach flashbacks: I believe we haven't seen these characters because the actors are busy filming other things at the moment. I think I even heard/saw mention somewhere that Nikki and Paulo's character's were indeed added to the cast due to the "loss" of Rose and Bernard.

As far as Michael/Walt not appearing in flashbacks (I thought I saw Michael briefly, but maybe not?), I'm not sure why they wouldn't show Michael, but to bring Walt back would be difficult, seeing as how he's most likely grown a foot and his voice is changing...

→ 144. Posted by: ninjanun at March 30, 2007 12:49 AM

Paulo and Nikki are not dead because Desmond DIDN'T have a flash back about them dying. If they were to die a la suffocation, wouldn't Des "see" it?

The thought crossed my mind that maybe Sawyer knew Nikki in Australia and perhaps was also in on the "con" with Nikki & Paulo... or just Nikki? Maybe he's been pretending not to know them the whole time?

→ 145. Posted by: Emily at March 30, 2007 12:57 AM

@Emily: Nah. The death (or not) of Paulikki has nothing to do with Des who himself stated, "It doesn't work that way."

→ 146. Posted by: laodoufu at March 30, 2007 1:32 AM

man there were a lot of murderers on one flight.
L~
ps the BEST line was sawyers "is there a forensic hatch i don't know about" brilliant.

→ 147. Posted by: Laura at March 30, 2007 1:36 AM

@ Vikki - you asked about dates. I was just calculating that last week. The Rescue Jack event happened the evening of Day 80. So I assume this took place on Day 81.

The plane crashed on September 22, 2004 (which would be Day 1) so it would now be December 11, 2004.

I wonder if the big tsunami of December 26, 2004 will have an effect on the island? Although that was clear over at the western end of Indonesia and impacted the Bay of Bengal area. This island should be far enough to the east to have been effected.

But if the only way to get to the island is by a sonar beacon, maybe the island has a way of moving around. Otherwise you would travel to it by going to its longitude and latitude.

→ 148. Posted by: Ardie at March 30, 2007 1:48 AM

@killoroster - Sawyer said "Thanks for nothing" as he closed the "dead" Nikki's eyes because those were her last words to him when he refused to give her the gun she asked him for earlier that day.

→ 149. Posted by: Ardie at March 30, 2007 2:00 AM

Useless shallow note: did anyone see Rodrigo Santoro in GQ magazine? Holy, I didn't realize just how much of a hunk he really was. So then just as I started to care about Paulo, HE DIES.

But I think I'd have to go with laodoufu's comments - there's no way they are dead. My initial idea was that Sawyer is going to dig up the diamonds and they're gonna still be alive. Sawyer isn't going to wait until the next day or anything, because he doesn't want to deal with grossly decomposed bodies, so he may go back even within an hour or two.

→ 150. Posted by: Emily A at March 30, 2007 2:29 AM

A few thoughts:

1. When Nikki (thinking it's Paulo) reaches into the wreckage and stirs Arzt, Arzt turns round and says, "Are we alive? DO we survive?" I've checked this on Tivo, and just thought it interesting that he sets his second question in the future tense. Of course, having just gone through the shock of a major plane crash I suppose one can be excused of poor grammar.

2. When Nikki finds Paulo, he is staring intently out to sea - shock or has something caught his eye?

3. When Paulo is disturbed by Ben and Juliet, Ben tells Juliet to have the hatch covered up by the plane. Another example of wish fulfilment on the island?

4. It has been suggested the Juliet refers to Jack as something other than Shephard. When he first appears on the screen it sounds as if she asks, "Is that him? Chopper?", but I suspect she actually says 'Shepherd', but with a mouthful of saliva.

5. Now that the Losties have one of the Others' walkie talkies, will they now be making prank calls a la Bart to Moe in the Simpsons:

"Hi, Others' Tavern."

"Can I speak to Mr Dover, first name Ben."

"Ben's surname isn't Dover. It's Linus."

"But... look just say it."

"We've lived on this island for years, surviving Dharma initiatives, smoke monsters, we know all it's secrets. Do you really think we're going to be fooled by a prank phone call? If you need convincing go ask your Mr Rotch, first name Mike."

"We have a Mike here? ... Hey, does anyone know Mike? Has anyone seen Mike Rotch lately? Has- Hey! Wait a minute."

**Cue Others' laughter**

→ 151. Posted by: Danny at March 30, 2007 2:48 AM

@ Ardie: just to validate your dates even more, you said the date was Dec. 11, in the episode Nikki says that thanksgiving was 2 days ago. so it makes sense.

→ 152. Posted by: Claire at March 30, 2007 3:05 AM

I assume no one will read this as there are 1000 posts, but here it is.

I read one person's theory somewhere that when Desmond went back in time he did one thing (butterfly effect) that altered time and the flight, and took Rose and Bernard off the flight and replaced them with Paulikki. Probably far fetched but I like the way it sounds and - Rose and Bernard have not been seen this season, not even in this flashback episode.

Do you remeber when sitcoms would have that one episode, where ma


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