It's entirely appropriate that the first Hurley-centric of the series is perhaps the most fun episode of Season 1. In Hurley's own words: "That's right, fun!"
First and foremost, I give David Fury and Brent Fletcher a ton of credit for making both storylines — flashback and island — equally entertaining and unpredictable. In each case we follow Hurley on a desperate mission to uncover the meaning of those oh-so-familiar numbers.
The flashbacks are a continuous string of funny moments and subtle twists. We're introduced to the hilarious Carmen, along with the revelation that Hurley was a resident at a mental health facility (definitely didn't see that one coming). Every attempt Hurley makes at enjoying his newfound wealth ultimately results in death and destruction, convincing him that either he or the numbers are cursed.
On the island, Hurley discovers that the numbers are scribbled all over Rousseau's maps. His journey into the jungle would have sealed his fate had Jack, Sayid, and Charlie not caught up with him. After encountering a spiked trap, rickety bridge, exploding hideout, and Danielle's rifle, Hurley STILL doesn't get to the bottom of the numbers' meaning. His consolation prize: Danielle agrees that the numbers are indeed cursed.
The side-story of Locke building a cradle for Claire is very heartwarming, a perfect complement to an episode that already provided much-needed levity.
Jorge Garcia's one of the most important elements of LOST, that much is a given. He is quite simply the voice of the audience, often echoing their sentiments at key moments in the series. An episode such as Numbers most certainly leverages his natural comedic ability.
I'd be lying if I said he's a phenomenal actor, but in some twisted way that's actually the magic that is Hurley. The fact that his acting is limited (at least compared to the ensemble cast around him) makes him even more endearing. And to be fair, there are times when he shows flashes of brilliance, such as his reaction when Danielle agreed about the numbers being cursed.
Bonus points to Lillian Hurst (Carmen Reyes), who instantly became the LOST fans' favorite mother with one hilarious line and facial expression after another.
Daniel Attias directed two episodes in the series, both of them Hurley-centrics (Numbers and Everybody Loves Hugo). Based on how Numbers turned out I definitely would've welcomed more of his work, for he made certain scenes really come alive.
The primary example is the scene with the rope bridge. I loved the way various angles established risk and built suspense as Hurley cautiously took one step at a time. It also established a false sense of security, for many of the same angles were used when Charlie attempted to cross.
Hurley searching for the Looking Glass cable was yet another slight twist on traditional LOST camerawork. The camera starts at Hurley's hands lifting the cable, then it pans up into a "hero shot", something I never would've expected but enjoyed nonetheless.
The episode concludes with us zooming in on the Hatch to see the numbers engraved on the side. Sounds great on paper but the execution was botched. The zoom speed is uneven, there was very little time to establish what we were looking at (on rewatch it's easy but on first watch?), and it just seemed downright cheesy. The episode should've ended with Hurley and Charlie's conversation by the campfire.
The "repeated viewings" portion of the Longevity category is an easy one to answer here. Yes, absolutely. As I watched this episode tonight I was shocked to see the timer at 34:00, for the episode just flew right on by.
Regarding Numbers' importance in the context of the series, that one could be debated for years to come. The numbers would obviously become a central component in the series for years to come, and in Season 6 we got closer to the source of their meaning — sort of. There are some gray areas that never quite get resolved, such as who broadcast the numbers from the island to draw in Danielle's crew, or why those specific numbers would be broadcast if Jacob's candidates were subject to change anyway.
Those questions aside, there are other aspects of Numbers that make it fun to revisit. Locke and Claire have an undeniable on-screen chemistry and this is one of the best examples of that. Also, any time you get Charlie and Hurley together in the scene you're almost guaranteed a few laughs no matter how many times you've seen the episode.
I can't say that Numbers will mostly be remembered for its atmosphere or emotional impact, but I certainly think it's a case where an episode is greater than the sum of its parts. The pacing is very smooth and it's got the ideal mixture of humor, intrigue, and character advancement. Take out the one cheesy moment where Sayid assures Shannon he'll be alright and I'd say the scene tapestry was pretty darn brilliant.
Numbers was also a bit of a risk in the grand scheme of things. This was the first full-blown comedic episode and the producers/writers should be commended for testing those waters. Luckily it turned out very well, adding yet another dimension to LOST's unique methods of storytelling.
