'Lost' - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead"

And, she certainly is... dead, that is.

While I enjoyed watching this episode, I'd have to label it as "fluff." Fun fluff, but fluff nonetheless. It didn't answer any questions, but at least it didn't bring up any new major mysteries.

The episode was Hurley-centric, something we really haven't seen in a while. It was a bit shmaltzy and contrived, I thought.

In Flashback:

A young and cute Hurley likes to work on cars. One won't start and he insisted to his father that it needed a new carburetor. His father, played once again by Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame), relied on hope to start it. "Having hope is never stupid. You make your own luck." Then he vanished from his family for seventeen years.

The flashbacks fast-forwarded to after Hurley won the lottery as the show went on, going more into how he felt cursed and folks died around him. He bought a Mr. Cluck Chicken Shack and became the boss of his ex-boss. While a television news reporter, Tricia Tanaka, was doing a news story about the grand opening, a meteor crashed through the restaurant killing her and burning Mr. Cluck to the ground. So, yes. She is dead.

His father returned after his extended absence as Hurley was packing to go to Australia. Since he believes the lottery numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) are cursed and he got them there while in rehab, he feels he must return. It turns out his mother had called his father and the "dad" was supposedly worried about him. He took Hurley to a gypsy who admitted for $10,000 that the father had set up the whole "get rid of the curse" act at the request of his father. His father told him he should give away the money (to him, I think he hopes). And, once again, he told Hurley that you make your own luck. Oh, and Hurley actually still had the car featured in the first flashback.

On the Island:
Hurley told Libby's grave the story of the big kidnapping. He thinks he can only talk to her and misses her. Charlie told Hurley that Desmond told him he was going to die (had actually died twice, but was saved). Hurley, but of course, is sure it's all his fault as he's cursed.

Vincent (the dog) came up to them with an almost mummified human arm, hand intact, in his mouth. Dangling from the wrist of the arm was a lucky rabbit's foot and a key on a chain. Hurley, who we now know is a car fanatic, recognized the key as a car key and got all excited, wanting to find the car on the island.

At the camp, Sun told Jin that she was only going to speak to him in English apparently trying to increase his skills in the language. Jin was the only one willing to go with Hurley to find the car.

There it was, overturned in the woods, with a skeleton (whose arm was gone missing) behind the wheel. The skeleton had a DHARMA uniform with "Roger Work Man" embroidered on its chest. So, Hurley decided his name must be Roger Workman. The vehicle itself was a late 60s VW Microbus with a DHARMA insignia in place of the VW one on its front. As they tried to remove Roger so they could get the vehicle upright, his head fell off and rolled to the floor.

Roger apparently had been on a beer run as the van had several cases of DHARMA beer within.

As they worked on the van, Kate and Sawyer returned to the camp and a happy reunion was had by all. Well, that was until Sawyer saw his belongings had all went missing... including his expensive Scotch. Charlie and Desmond 'fessed up and implicated Hurley. Sawyer went to confront him so he could yell at him, too. Charlie tried to get Desmond to tell him when he'd die, but Desmond told him it doesn't work that way.

Instead, he got a bear hug and Hurley told him he could have the beer from the microbus. Of course, as Sawyer reached in, he came across the skull of Roger first. Sawyer told Hurley that Roger had to be a janitor as it was "Work Man" and not "Workman" on the uniform. They righted the van and Sawyer imbibed beers with his new bud, Roger. He also gave Jin English lessons telling him the only things he needs to talk to a woman:

1. I was wrong.
2. I'm sorry.
3. No, that doesn't make you look fat.

Hurley convinced Charlie, Sawyer, and Jin to push the microbus hoping he could pop the clutch to jump-start it as the battery was shot. They pushed it to the edge of a very steep valley which had huge boulders, trees, and stuff about midway down. Sawyer told him it was too dangerous, but Hurley decided "you make your own luck" and there was no curse. Charlie jumped in for the ride.

Sure enough, just before a certain death by boulder, Hurley popped the clutch and it started up. When the engine started up, the radio was blaring "Shambala" by Three Dog Night (also playing in the first flashback scene of the show). All four went for a joy-ride with some beer-imbibing happening, too.

Heading back to camp with a case or two of beer, Sawyer took a moment to note that everyone had a sort of a partner (or more) except himself. Aw, that's what he gets for being surly most of the time.

Meanwhile, Kate decided that she had to save Jack despite her promise to him. She sought out out the French woman, but instead ran into Sayid and Locke who were tracking her. They wanted to help her, but... bang! A shot rang out! The maid screamed! Wait, there's no maid. It was Rousseau, the French woman. Kate told her that her daughter Alex is with them and she needed her help.

Lost [clunk]

So, that's that. It didn't really move the story forward much, as I mentioned. Now, mind you, I thought it was an enjoyable enough episode, but...!