Numbers

Season 1, Episode 18, Aired
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Episode Summary

When Hurley becomes obsessed with the French woman and heads into the jungle to find her, Jack, Sayid and Charlie have no choice but to follow. Elsewhere, Locke asks for Claire's help in building something. Hurley flashes back to the hugely life-altering experience he had before boarding the plane.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (50)

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  • Awesome.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Sarah_LOST, Oct 12, 2010 Report Abuse
    Hurley finds that some of Rousseau's documents contain the repeated numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, the same numbers which Hurley had used to win a lottery jackpot. Hurley sets off on his own and finds Rousseau, who says that she does not know what the numbers mean: only that her party was drawn to the island by a radio transmission that was broadcasting the numbers. The numbers are revealed to be engraved on the side of the hatch. In flashbacks, Hurley wins the lottery, and over the coming weeks, everyone around him suffers increasingly bad luck. I loved this episode, getting to know Hurley, and the numbers - only a bit though. I love the scenes with, Hurley, Charlie, Jack and Sayid. I loved Sawyer in this episode too, and the way Jack mocks him really. I loved it.moreless

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    0 1

  • 4 8 15 16 23 42

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Jacob316, Jun 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    Hurley finds that some of Rousseau's documents contain the repeated numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, the same numbers which Hurley had used to win a lottery jackpot. Hurley sets off on his own and finds Rousseau, who says that she does not know what the numbers mean: only that her party was drawn to the island by a radio transmission that was broadcasting the numbers. The numbers are revealed to be engraved on the side of the hatch. In flashbacks, Hurley wins the lottery, and over the coming weeks, everyone around him suffers increasingly bad luck. Numbers is my personal favourite episode of the season the flashbacks are brilliant, they were funny but also very important. The hike into the jungle trying to get a battery was fun. The ending was what made this episode a 10, fantastic cliffhanger.moreless

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    2 0

  • These numbers do mean more than we think, and it's not that funny

    10
    "Perfect"
    By DavidB226Morris, Jun 01, 2010 Report Abuse
    This has nothing to do with Lost, but considering how TV always seems to have perfectly shaped mini-Adonis's playing the leads, it always does my heart good to see someone on television who's got a weight problem. They know they don't quite fit in the world they're in, but they plug on regardless. These characters included Bunk Moreland on The Wire, Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy, and my all time favorite, the late Edgar Stiles on 24. Which brings us to the subject of this episode Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes.

    Up until now our perception of this guy was someone who was probably a slacker in the real world, but has turned into a compassionate, shrewd thinker on the island. We've seen him make intelligent decisions, and basically keep things calm, so it's hard to imagine that he's got any painful secrets like everyone else. Turns out that he's holding some of the most painful secrets of anyone, and the biggest irony is in the real world, no one would have believed him if he told him he felt cursed. Hugo won the lottery--- probably upwards of $80 million or so, but from the moment he got the money, his life just went to seed His grandfather died, his sister-in-law discovered she was a lesbian, the new dream house he bought burned down--- and that's just the stuff we see in this episode's flashbacks.. Now a lot of lottery winners think that their winnings bring them nothing but trouble, but Hurley has a very specific reason. His winning numbers were 4, 8, 15,16 ,23, and 42, and he has come to believe that these numbers were cursed. Where did he hear these numbers? From a mentally disturbed patient in a facility he shared with a few years back. (Again we won't know why until later.) Finding out what these numbers meant and what they were led him into Sydney, which is part of his burden--- he thinks that he caused the plane crash. He then heard that the man--- Sam---- was a radio worker who picked up this transmission in the Pacific. He used these numbers to win a drawing prize, and from then on nothing but bad luck seemed to follow him. Eventually, he committed suicide.

    (By the way, these numbers have been appeared in some form or other in a lot of the episodes. I have elected not to point them out, because a)that way lies a special kind of madness, and b) Hurley only seems to think they're dangerous when they're all together. Otherwise there's no way he gets on flight number 815.)

    These numbers are the impetus of this episode. Going through the drawings that Rousseau used, he ran across these numbers being drawn over and over again. This leads our beloved Hurley, looking like Lawrence of Arabia really gone to seed into the jungle looking for Rousseau.

    Because the information that he found is vital to the show, I'll repeat it: the team that Rousseau was on heard this transmission, leading them to crash onto the island in the first place. They spend the next few months trying to figure out where they came from, but then the crew started dying. Eventually, Rousseau found a radio tower, and recorded the transmission we heard in the Pilot over it. There's probably a very good reason why these numbers were going out, but since it's central to Season 2, I will refrain from mentioning it.

    All of this is vitally important stuff to the bible of the show, but we might miss it because we're laughing so hard. Don't get me wrong, Hurley's flashbacks are very painful to him, but in the context of everything else we've seen so far it's almost hysterical to watch his fortunes unravel as his bankroll increases. Plus, let's face it, Hurley should be the type completely over matched by Rousseau's traps, but somehow he manages to outmaneuver them, leaving Sayid and Jack (who are supposedly trying to save him) looking on in wonder. (And it looks like Matthew Fox is cracking up at the sight of it, which is nice to see.)

    Eventually, Hurley does find Rousseau, and what we see is remarkable. Even though he's got a gun pointed at him, he looks pissed off for the first time since we've met him. (And you have to admit, his "I want some frigging answers" is classic, because it's what everybody watching has been demanding.) He sounds a little crazy, and that may be what saves him, considering that Rousseau is already in a fragile state. And when he finally hears someone tell him what he's wanted to hear for years, it does resolve something for him. He doesn't know what the numbers mean (we're still not sure, even now) but he's gotten some confirmation. Problem is, the numbers do have another meaning-they're on the hatch.

    So much of this episode is centered on Hurley that everyone else seems to fade into the background. However, there is one critical scene where Locke takes Claire aside to help make something. The scenes may seem like they don't mean anything, but think about it: Locke's had almost nothing to do with Claire up 'til now, but after she returned from her abduction, he seems to have reached a conclusion that some fans may have by now: the Others have a significant interest in Claire's baby. He doesn't know yet what this means, butt here has to be some significance that he's building a cradle for it. Pro-Locke people will think this is another one of those philosophical, compassionate act he does; anti-Locke fans will no doubt think that perhaps he thinks that this child is important to the island, and that he wants to make sure Claire trusts him. We will soon see that the costs that Locke imposed to be one with the island. (Incidentally, it turns out while Hurley invested his lottery winnings, he bought a box factory in Tustin, which we will eventually have concrete evidence is the one that Locke was working at, pre-island. This can't be a coincidence, but it's hard to know what it's significance is, even now.) 'Numbers' is one of the most enjoyable episodes we've seen, partly because it has some great individual sequences, partly because some vital parts of the mythology are intertwined in it, and partly because it shows, for the first time, what a gifted actor Jorge Garcia is. He's been the high point of many episode (he certainly has some of the funniest lines), but now he demonstrates, in case we haven't gotten beyond the laughter, that he's a very talented actor, and that he's got his own level of desperation here. What's sad is that Hurley can not escape the curse of the numbers even now. When Charlie, his closest friend on the island, tries to lighten his burden by telling him about his greatest horror, Hurley does the same thing--- and Charlie doesn't believe him. He is carrying a heavier burden than even Jack is right now, and this burden isn't something he's going to lose even when he leaves the island. We may not know what the numbers mean, but it's clear that he can't outrun them. Somehow, they are of his destiny.
    Score:9.8moreless

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  • Pirates of Craphole Island: The Curse of the Rich Hurley

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Rufam, Dec 28, 2009 Report Abuse
    Hurley wins the lottery, which, instead of luck, brings him misfortune. While desperately trying to uncover the origin of the winning numbers, Hurley bumps into Rousseau; then hugs her. -

    This was a great episode. If "...In Translation" was about emotions and character development, "Numbers" is about mystery and intrigue and of course lots of fun. It is Hurley episode, so loads of fun are predictable. So, this episode introduces the numbers, one of the key-mysteries in Lost, and one of the most interesting ones. Hurley's flashbacks are both intriguing and hilarious and the same things apply also for the action on the Island (altouhgh it is not as interesting as the flashbacks). Finally, Hurley hugging Rousseau was a terrific scene -two of my favorite characters sharing some love- and the revelation that the Numbers are also on the Hatch was creepy. Overall, superb episode.moreless

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  • (4 8 15 16 23 42)????????

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Dante_Edy, Jun 20, 2009 Report Abuse
    Lost have a long List of Mysteries about the Island:

    - The monster (or somenthing else)

    - Polar Bear

    - What Really Happened With The French Woman

    - Other People in the Island, besides the Crash Survivours - What These Nunbers Mean (4 8 15 16 23 42)

    - Walt is Special?

    - Locke Couldnt Walk Before!!

    - The Island Make You See Things

    This episode is most strangest episode of the show to date.

    I really didnt expected that hugo flashbacks could be this way, not at all. He won the lottery, however the numbers he used to win, gave him bad luck, really bad luck. We also learn that hugo had psychriatic problems, since there is one part in the flashback with the doctor and hugo, that give you that clue.

    This is why this episode is really strange, you really dont know if that really happened with hugo, only time will tell.

    Overral, a really strange episode, with funny, strange and mysterious moments, with another great cliffhanger.

    Others events in the island were on normal mode.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • In this episode, Claire makes a comment to John Locke that he should have one of those shows where he fixes homes. It is interesting to note that in the season two episode Lockdown, John is inspecting homes for a living. Edit
    • Martha said that her husband heard the transmission with "The Numbers" 16 years ago. 16 is one of "The Numbers". Edit
    • Hurley's grandpa Tito had a pacemaker 4 years before Hurley won the lottery. 4 is one of "The Numbers". Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Ian Somerhalder (Boone) didn't appear. Edit
    • International Airdates: - Denmark: May 6, 2005 on Kanal 5 - Greece: August 27, 2008 at 23.00 on ANT1 Edit
    • This is the first episode to be named after a book in The Bible. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Claire: It's my birthday today. Locke: Why haven't you told anyone? Claire: I'm pregnant, single, and on an island in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't really matter that it's my birthday, does it? Locke: I guess not. At least your birthdays will be close together, you and the baby, and that's good luck. Claire: Yeah, you think? Locke: Yeah, I do. Claire: You believe in that? Luck? Locke: I believe in a lot of things. (Locke finishes with the thing they're building) That should do it. Claire: Okay, I give up. What is it? (Locke turns it over.) Claire: It's a cradle. Locke: Happy birthday, Claire. Edit
    • Hurley: They're cursed. You know that, right? The numbers, they're cursed. Rousseau: Numbers are what brought me here. As it appears they brought you. Since that time I've lost everything, everyone I cared about. So yes, I suppose you're right. They are cursed. Edit
    • Claire: Thanks, for this...giving me something to do. I'm tired of trying to remember what happened to me out there. Locke: How's that coming? Your memory? Claire: Bits and pieces here and there. Nothing that makes any real sense. Locke: Well, maybe I can help. I'm good at putting bits and pieces together. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The island's bestseller list has grown, as Sawyer is trying to read Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. Coincidentally, ABC aired an original television movie of the novel of the same name last year on the network. Edit
    • Number: 23
      23 is a prime number (indivisible except for itself and 1), and is one of the "illuminated numbers" as explained by The Illuminatus Trilogy. Edit
    • Number: 23
      Actually, taking the hitchhiker's reference a little further, in "The Life, The Universe, and Everything" Prak, the man who tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth, says that the question and the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything are both mutually exclusive, as knowledge of one precedes knowledge of the other and both can never be known for the same universe. However, if both do become known there is a likely chance that the universe would disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarrely inexplicable, and that maybe this has already happened. Edit

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