Lost - Exposé / Tricia Tanaka Is Dead

 ** / ****

You ever watch an episode that leaves you debating whether or not you even like it? I asked myself if going through all the clever attachments to characters from Lost past and present, devoting such effort which obviously took serious creative energy, was worth it for the characters of Paulo and Nikki. Look, I won’t lie, Nikki scantily clad on an island isn’t exactly a disservice to the eyes but by the end of Exposé, getting to know her as this greedy B-television actress who, along with her lover Paula, poison (and murder) a filmmaker she had seduced in Sydney after her guest-starring part as a stripper/spy in an action show (named Exposé) leaves the viewer bidding her adieu with little care whatsoever. In fact I considered the burial of Nikki and Paulo ultimately symbolic, as a dig by the writer’s room towards them, a duo at first developed seemingly as an attempt made to interject “fresh blood” into the show. Their introduction was rejected, from what I have read, by the Lost fans, so as the show continued Paulo and Nikki were “buried” right back into the background until Exposé literally buries them…alive. And I can only guess these two, despite all the work in Exposé to elaborate their backgrounds and kind of justify the attempt to include them in the principle cast, will be all but forgotten as the third season builds on its major story arc involving Ben’s Others and the Oceanic survivors.

It’s funny, as damn good as the third season can be, it has included episodes that many Lost fans consider the worst of the series. While I thoroughly enjoy how the Lost Creative try to fuse Nikki and Paulo within all the major occurrences throughout the crash and stay on the island, I just don’t know if all that hard work was worth it on these two characters. Just the same, that is what the creative team did, as we see Paulo serving as a cook in order to poison the filmmaker’s food, the brief scene involving Billy Dee Williams (as this master criminal, The Cobra) during the action show where Nikki comes out as a stripper (well, I guess Exposé wasn’t a total lost cause, *wink, wink*) until she is shot by him, the theft of the filmmaker’s 8 million dollars worth of diamonds (essentially a McGuffin) that ultimately pits Paulo and Nikki against each other, and finally their burial. How the episode includes Shannon and Boone (the funny line of dialogue involving “not wanting to end up like them” made me laugh out loud) in an airport scene and early on the island during the initial horror of all the survivors in the first episodes just after the crash I did want to applaud due to the inventiveness. And the further nod to Boone when Paulo refuses to go to the plane, instead opting to investigate the hatch to The Pearl (this providing the Lost writers the chance to get in some of their main story arc as Ben and Juliet talk about manipulating Jack to take care of his tumor as Paulo looks on from the bathroom while hiding the diamonds in the toilet) as Nikki considers going into the entrance of the darkened hatch a big no-no is a rather imaginative addition to the Exposé narrative.

So the narrative almost feels like a long-term dig at these characters—and the actors hired to play them never could seem to get much of a chance to alter the opinions of the writers or fans—as Sawyer continually mocks their existence on the island as nobodies. I guess ultimately these characters were considered the “get off my screen” kind…well, Exposé sure makes sure to drive that point home. Arzt’s involvement in the story (as well as Ethan’s brief cameo speaking to the duo about luggage) introduces a spider that has a paralyzing poison so Nikki can use it on Paulo, as well as balk at Kate for them having hidden guns. I always enjoy the inclusion of dead characters prior to their demise, on the island when we were taken away with the principles. So Arzt getting all nervous around Nikki when she comes up to him in a bikini top and tight, little jean shorts tickled my funny bone, as does his “pigs” comment. Arzt was similar to Paulo and Nikki in that he was a character that just emerged with attention from the Creative team after some time where we never knew of his existence. And I had mentioned to my Lost friend at work how Arzt, with that kind of vocal presence and noisy personality, sure doesn’t appear to be the type that goes unnoticed until there was a need for a character to work opposite the principles. But with the early establishment of more than just the principles being on the island gave those on the writing team some room to include others in plot development on the island at a later date. It is just that this hasn’t always been as successful at the Creative team would like.

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 Charlie admitting to Sun he was responsible for dragging her into the jungle and her storming off to confront Sawyer for his initiation of this sort of felt like it was wedged in the episode to finally settle it so that Sun wouldn’t any longer consider the Others responsible. Plus, Sun telling Sawyer that she won’t tell Jin so that “another grave wouldn’t need to be dug”, accompanied by a good slap to his face, was cool, though. How many of us (and those on the island) just wanted to give Sawyer a solid open-hand slap? Sawyer, Hurley, Charlie, and Sun get some rub in this episode, involved in the burial of Paulo and Nikki. Sawyer’s dismissal of Nikki and Paulo continued to amuse me because I felt this was basically the writing team using him as their voice.

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Jack’s speech to the Oceanic survivors and how Nikki seems as stirred as others did cause me to grin a bit because that Lost friend of mine I always mention in my write-ups hates him. It is moments like this that I can just feel those that are anti-Jack cringe. Ben and Juliet in The Pearl looking into The Swan from one of the monitors does give us a glimpse into their awareness of the Oceanic survivors’ activities while Paulo’s visit to The Pearl [prior to Locke and Eko] provides a surprise revelation that lots happen on this island we are not aware of. If Exposé teaches us anything is that those who went to great lengths to build characters and developments on the island (and off), both in past and present terms, had to really often reach deep into their idea bag for creative methods for their storytelling. That brainstorming to provide all of those details for Nikki and Paulo (basically discarded characters that never received any amount of emotional investment by fans of the show) does seem like it could have better serves elsewhere.

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*** / ****

A consistent theme on the show Lost is that many of the principles had endured daddy issues in the past. It certainly shaped their personalities and altered their particular views on family life. Kate has mommy issues but that’s a story for a different review. In the case of Tricia Tanaka Is Dead, Hurley’s own absent father issues are exposed in flashbacks with his father leaving him when he was just a skinny kid. This is an effective point made regarding Hurley’s eating habits and overweight condition…his father, David Reyes (Cheech Marin!), gave him a candy bar in secret despite mother, Carmen’s (Lillian Hurst) objections before leaving the family for Vegas on his motorcycle. Seventeen years pass and here arrives David, obviously because Hurley won the lottery. But Carmen implies to Hurley (much to his distaste) that it had been 17 years and she has *needs*, for which David can fulfill. Hurley’s curse because of the numbers continues to be elaborated when a chicken restaurant he purchases is destroyed by a meteor! The title of the episode relates to a “puff piece” reported by Tricia Tanaka and her camera man, both of whom perish in the restaurant thanks to the meteor! All of what happens to Hurley after the lottery win haunts Hurley, but on the island he needs to believe that there’s hope in something worthwhile after suffering so much loss and disappointment. The millions had brought nothing to Hurley but grief and David’s re-emergence doesn’t help matters. Paying a psychic to influence Hurley towards abandoning his phobia of a curse on him, David’s attempted scheme is unsuccessful, further distancing the relationship between father and son. Hurley is about to leave for Australia when David tries to encourage him towards taking a trip together to the Grand Canyon in a car on blocks needing a carburetor. This car was to be their reclamation project together, but David decided otherwise. Chocolate bar in hand, Hurley takes that first bite and the unhealthy eating just took off as David did on his motorcycle to Vegas.

On the island, Hurley talks to Libby; he’s at her grave where he feels the most comfort in talking out his problems, missing her dearly. When talking with Charlie, Hurley notices Vincent with a skeletal arm in his mouth, a rabbit’s foot chained around the bony wrist! The rabbit’s foot chain has a key to a VW van turned over with the body of a Dharma Initiative “work man” named Roger inside. Also noticed are significant amounts of beer in the van, later to be guzzled by the likes of Sawyer and Jin while Hurley hopes to get it started. Jin is the only one from the beach willing to accompany Hurley to the van (Sawyer was still walking with Kate back from their landing spot after returning from Hydra Island) and help him turn it over on its tires. Sawyer soon arrives to survey the situation with his share of wisecracks while Jin informs Hurley that the van’s condition is dire, with no hope for it starting up. But Hurley refuses to accept defeat, eventually slapping Charlie out of his depression. Charlie is still reeling from Desmond’s admission that he sees his demise, but Hurley hopes that their trip down a hill will be what the van needs to start up. No surprise that the van eventually does…doing so right before a near crash into a rocky mountainside.  Just the ride around on island grass in circles gives Hurley, Charlie, Sawyer, and Jin a good hearty joy, and seeing that is pleasant if only because so much has happened to them. If anyone needed this it was Hurley, returning from the Others with sorrow in his heart, needing some hope and just a bit of fun. And the van starting up and allowing Hurley to take it for a spin is a nice respite during a period of suffering and misery.

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Kate and Sawyer are returning to the beach (Karl was “set free” by Sawyer) when they discuss the previous events on Hydra Island. Still remaining is angst between them, so Kate marches on, accepting that Sawyer won’t change. Once they make it back to the survivors, a welcoming committee is there with hugs and glee. Seeing Sawyer all uncomfortable with the revelry is hilarious while Kate looks over at him with regret…I can only guess she wishes things had turned out better. Just the same, Kate is determined to return to find Jack, hoping Rousseau will guide her to the Others’ community, with Sayid and Locke eventually joining the search party.

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But this is Hurley’s episode and overall this gives us a temporary reprieve from the gloom of island despair and onslaught of violence that never seems to discontinue. I like that the show, from time to time, gives us a break from the intense story arc, although the indifference between the beach Oceanic survivors and Ben’s Others is Lost’s bread and butter. Sawyer’s disregard for Roger’s skeletal remains and teaching Jin particular English (on how to talk to a woman!) while chilling next to the van while downing the Dharma beer is usurped by Hurley’s inspired spirit to get the van driving. Hurley hugging Sawyer and Sawyer’s startled response are endearing. Hurley getting Charlie to “snap out of it” is also a really  welcome scene, if just because he focuses on something else other than how he’ll die. And, admittedly, no Jack or the Others was also an appreciated gesture from the writer’s room, giving us a break from them. Because there are a number of characters to tell stories about, this gives Lost Creative opportunities to focus away from too much of certain principles. Locke and Sayid are only in this a few minutes while Hurley gets a lot of the focus. To me Hurley is the heart and soul of this show even as Jack, Locke, Kate, and Sawyer get a lot of story arc attention.

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Just the use of Vincent, Walt’s dog, to lure characters into the jungle is a neat plot device; since Michael and Walt have left the show, that the writer’s room hasn’t completely allowed the dog to be forgotten. That Vincent draws characters towards island plots gives the dog value on the show. No better examples are when Vincent draws Charlie to Sawyer’s tent and the Virgin Mary statuettes and Hurley to the VW van. I hope this continues throughout the remainder of the series…

Episode 10 of the third season.