# Lost 1.18 "Numbers" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600 "2005-03-02T15:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/61 "2005-03-03T02:41:03Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > 42+6 = 48 The original number of survivors. > 4 years that Locke had been confined to a wheel chair. 23 times that Boone fantasized about Shannon since the crash? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/62 "2005-03-03T02:43:12Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Awww, Locke! I almost got choked up for a minute there, seriously. So sweet. Being nice just for the sake of it, or trying to get information out of Claire? I can’t decide! And now, what brought the plane down? The source of those numbers brought it down by itself, like it brought Danielle there? Hurley’s curse? Walt’s desire to stop moving around? The mysterious force surrounding Claire’s baby that absolutely requires the child to be raised by her and no other? Just a regular stupid plane crash? I mean, if these numbers are evil somehow and Hurley really is cursed, why hasn’t the bad luck followed him to the island? Not too many people are having weird and deadly things happen to them while he’s around… You’d think Charlie would have fallen off that bridge or Jack would have had a leg blown off in the explosion if this curse is for real. One more thing: did anyone catch \*all \* of Crazy Lenny’s rantings as he was dragged from the room? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/63 "2005-03-03T02:44:27Z")
Part of Hurley’s story is still untold. We still don’t know why they would show an American lottery winner on Korean TV. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/64 "2005-03-03T02:54:36Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nobody checks the flight number. I don’t agree. I can just see Hurley trundling down the terminal on the way to his gate. He looks up at the sign board that says which flights are at which gate. He digs his boarding pass out of his bag. He looks back up the board and then down at his pass again. "Duuuuuuuuuuude!!!@@@!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/65 "2005-03-03T03:00:07Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nobody checks the flight number. I must be unique then because I always know my flight number before I get to the airport. Of course, in my case the definition of “unique” would be “anal”. 🙂 I loved the episode - I was so glad that Hurley’s back story (which I’ve been waiting for) was tonight - it was like ABC’s birthday present to me. :eek: That means Claire and I share a birthday! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/66 "2005-03-03T03:11:55Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I must be unique then because I always know my flight number before I get to the airport. When I flew out to Dopetoberfest (it’s the only time I’ve ever flown), not only did **I** know my flight number, but I posted it in probably 3 different threads **and** told everyone I know IRL, “just in case”. I was nervous. 🙂 So what was the deal with Hurley and the cops? His mom was faking it, right? I was kind of busy right then, so I didn’t really catch that whole thing. > [@Antigen](#): > > Being nice just for the sake of it, or trying to get information out of Claire? I can’t decide! Damn you! I hadn’t even thought of it that way, and now my love for Locke has been tainted! You do have a point though. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/67 "2005-03-03T03:12:12Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > One more thing: did anyone catch \*all \* of Crazy Lenny’s rantings as he was dragged from the room? **Lenny** : You used those numbers to play the lottery? **Hurley** : Yeah. **Lenny** : You shouldn’t have done that. You’ve opened the box! **Hurley** : I what? **Lenny** : Ah, you shouldn’t have used those numbers… **Hurley** : Why not? **Lenny** : It doesn’t stop! You gotta get away from those numbers! You gotta get far far away, you hear me? _orderly grabs him_ **Lenny** : No, don’t you understand? You gotta get away from them, or it won’t stop! **Orderly** : Lenny, Lenny, try and calm down… **Hurley** : Wait a sec, wait a sec, I need some answers. **Orderly** : Sir, you need to step away. _orderly dragging Lenny away_ **Hurley** : Lenny, the numbers, where’d you get them? **Lenny** : Sam Toomey! He heard them! **Hurley** : Who’s Sam Toomey? **Lenny** : He heard them, in Calgoulie… _(sp?)_ **Hurley** : What’s Calgoulie? **Lenny** : It’s a town, where we used to work… **Hurley** : A town where? **Lenny** : In… In Australia! ooh, gaahhh! nyii… augghhh! _door slams_ ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/68 "2005-03-03T03:16:12Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > So what was the deal with Hurley and the cops? They mistook him for a drug dealer. > [@Silver Fire](#): > > His mom was faking it, right? No, the curse struck again. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/69 "2005-03-03T03:16:17Z")
> [@Sir Prize](#): > > Part of Hurley’s story is still untold. We still don’t know why they would show an American lottery winner on Korean TV. I dunno, that’s a BIG jackpot he won. I could see that being a 2 second bit on international news. “And in lighter news, look at this funny-looking fat American with big puffy hair who is now richer than all of you! Crazy world, no?” [/korean newscaster] Or maybe that rich Korean guy has satellite TV and was watching an American channel. And thank you **Monstre** for the transcript. But I think you may have misspelled “nyii… augghhh”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/70 "2005-03-03T03:16:50Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > So what was the deal with Hurley and the cops? His mom was faking it, right? I was kind of busy right then, so I didn’t really catch that whole thing. It looked like she did actually twist or sprain her ankle, stumbling against the curb. On the cops… in the next flashback (after commercial) there was a bit that explained that it was a false arrest – the cops for some reason mistook him for a drug dealer. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/71 "2005-03-03T03:21:36Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > And thank you **Monstre** for the transcript. But I think you may have misspelled “nyii… augghhh”. 🙂 I just calls 'em like I hears 'em. 😉 (not enough i’s?) ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/72 "2005-03-03T03:28:21Z")
> [@Severian](#): > > Anything more consequential than Hurley’s real name. We already knew that. Am I the only one who thinks that these people could figure out a lot more and get a lot more done if they just **talked** to each other? Plus, they need to hang out with Danielle a bit; she’s been there for a long time, she probably has a bunch of valuable information, and you know they’re going to need her for something important eventually. Plus, I like her character (and Mira, too) and I think she needs more screen time. 🙂 Thanks **UncleRojelio** and **Monstre**. I wasn’t looking at the TV when Hurley’s mom fell and my friend said it looked like she just sat down. Then when she crossed herself, she looked almost **evil** , so I thought maybe it was a set up or something. I’m glad I was wrong, but that means I missed more of the show than I thought; I definitely should have been paying more attention. ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/73 "2005-03-03T03:29:17Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Can I just cuddle up with him, then? I think Hurley is my favorite…_duuuuude_. Mine too! Too bad he doesn’t bat for my team… ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/74 "2005-03-03T03:53:12Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Plus, they need to hang out with Danielle a bit; she’s been there for a long time, she probably has a bunch of valuable information, and you know they’re going to need her for something important eventually. Plus, I like her character (and Mira, too) and I think she needs more screen time. 🙂 Up until this episode, though, all we knew of her was her weird, obsessive, Sayid-torturing side. She was nice to Hurley because they have a connection. But will she be all nice now or go back to nutty? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/75 "2005-03-03T03:58:02Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I must be unique then because I always know my flight number before I get to the airport. Of course, in my case the definition of “unique” would be “anal”. 🙂 Oh, I’m sure lots of people DO know their flight number. That has nothing to do with it. What matters is that many, many air travellers _don’t_. A good percentage of air travellers will go to the airport, check in, check their bags, go through security, sit in the terminal for an hour, and get on the plane and never take note of the flight number. Happens on every flight. Which makes it perfectly reasonable to believe Hurley could get on a plane and not notice the flight number is two of the Cursed Numbers. As to the various explainations of the numbers; don’t overanalyse. The number 4 is simply too ubiquitous to draw conclusions. There’s 4 of everything all around you. It’s a number that would come up a dozen times an episode even if they weren’t thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/76 "2005-03-03T04:01:28Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > We already knew that. Sorry, I meant full real name. I don’t remember hearing his last name before. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/77 "2005-03-03T04:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > You gotta get away from those numbers! You gotta get far far away, you hear me? Dude, you totally ended up doing the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/78 "2005-03-03T04:03:59Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Up until this episode, though, all we knew of her was her weird, obsessive, Sayid-torturing side. Again, with the points. :rolleyes: 😛 Anyway, she had a bit of a connection with Sayid (he’s so hot though, right?), too, didn’t she? With the… music box? And even so, they could have just captured her and… and… nevermind. They still need to talk to each other though. > [@Antigen](#): > > But will she be all nice now or go back to nutty? I honestly think they’ll need her for something big someday, so I’ll go with “nice”. Maybe it will continue this way, with her being introduced to the group gradually. Or maybe there will be a Major Turning Point and she’ll have no choice but to thrust herself into the group as a whole. I haven’t been keeping up. When do we get a new episode? ☹ **Severian** , you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Spree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Spree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spree)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/79 "2005-03-03T04:06:45Z")
I heart Hurley. I think this episode ranked as my second favorite, right behind Locke’s Walkabout. (Hurley! Humor! Box Company!) I think it was because his backstory was directly related to the island - the others are beginning to be linked in various ways, but only Hurley’s so far has happened _as a result_ of the island. Much more evidence, IMO, that the castaways have been drawn to the island for a specific purpose. And now we know there was a mysterious transmission BEFORE the mysterious transmission. Hmmm… That raft doesn’t look very stable to me. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600/80 "2005-03-03T04:12:12Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > As to the various explainations of the numbers; don’t overanalyse. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Now he tells me. :eek: 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-18-numbers/292600.md?page=5)