Hugo “Hurley” Reyes

(About the actor: Jorge Garcia) Jorge Garcia was the very first actor cast on Lost. Before joining the show, Garcia had played a drug dealer on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Flashback Episodes: "Numbers", "Everybody Hates Hugo", "Dave", "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead"

Flashforward Episodes: "The Beginning of the End"

Appears in Jin's flashback in "...In Translation". Appears in Sun's flashforward in "Ji Yeon."

Introduction: Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes is one of the survivors of Flight 815. Hurley is typically happy-go-lucky and keeps the spirits of his fellow survivors up. He has an eating disorder but has managed to overcome that with the help of Libby, and has even stuck to it after her death. He is also the voice of reason in the group, and uses his common sense to overcome difficult situations. He is the son of David and Carmen Reyes.

Hails from: Santa Monica, California

Plane Section: Middle

Who he was before: All around nice guy and employee at Mr. Cluck’s until he won $156 million in the lottery

Who he is now: Easy-going fuselage survivor with a big heart, Hurley organizes the first Island Open golf game. He also becomes the unwilling keeper of the Hatch food. Recently let go from the Others in hopes of telling the Losties not to come looking for Kate, Jack, and Sawyer. Hurley is a buddy to all most of the time, with Sawyer as the exception.

Why he was in Australia: To track down more information about the numbers that have cursed his life. Hurley meets the widow of Sam Toomey, the man Leonard Sims spent time on a boat with when they first encountered the numbers. Here in Australia, Hurley learns that the numbers also brought very bad luck to Sam and his wife, eventually leading to a bad car accident where Mrs. Toomey loses her leg. Hurley learns that Toomey eventually killed himself to escape from his bad luck.

Daddy issues: His father left for 17 years and only came back after he heard Hurley had won the lottery. Feels somewhat responsible for the bad luck his family had after he won the lottery.

Pre-island: Hurley was involved in an accident where a deck he was standing on collapsed and several people were killed. After this accident Hurley remains silent and eventually goes to live in a mental hospital. At the hospital Hurley tries to overcome his weight and psychological problems. Here, it is presumed, he conjures an imaginary friend named Dave who constantly "tells" Hurley to overeat and tries to get Hurley to escape. While in the hospital Hurley meets Leonard Sims, another patient who enjoys Connect 4 and constantly mumbles the numbers 4,8,15,16,23, and 42 over and over again. Unbeknowns to Hurley, Libby is also a patient in the same ward. Hurley is released from the mental hospital after eventually coming to terms with the accident and pushing Dave out of his thoughts. After his release, Hurley worked at Mr. Cluck's with his buddy Johnny. He was dedicated to his family and lived with his mother. The day after Hurley wins $156 million in the lottery he quits his job at Mr. Clucks and enjoys a fun day with his friend Johnny. That night Johnny learns from a news team that Hurley is a big lottery winner. Hurley wants to take care of his family with his new wealth, but only bad luck, death and destruction follow. Hurley invests his millions in several companies including a box company (where John Locke works) and a sneaker company in Canada that burns and kills several workers. Hurley bought himself a Hummer with his lottery winnings and also bought his mother a new house that caught fire the day he drove her to see it. The same day Hurley was mistakenly arrested by the LAPD and settles for a sum of money that only increases his wealth.

On the island: Cutesy romance with Libby, who he’s yet to realize was possibly in the same psych ward with him. Realized how much he loved her after she was shot by Michael in the Hatch, and gave her a heartfelt farewell during the funeral on the beach. Also made a golfing green for everyone to have fun and relax. Hurley is often victim of Sawyers mean, yet often hilarious insults. Hurley has only told a couple of people of his life before the plane crash, including Charlie and Jack. Charlie doesn't believe him for a single minute and Jack seems doubtful after finding out that Hurley also spent time in a mental hospital.

Big secret: He’s a millionaire, thanks to a now-familiar set of numbers he played in the lottery. His stint in the psych ward is not general knowledge. Hurley also had an imaginary friend named Dave. Hurley was also captured by the Others, but they let him go.

Character-Connections:
Owned the box company that Locke previously worked for. Stayed in the same hotel as Charlie pre-plane crash. Hugged Rousseau after she agreed that the numbers brought her bad luck as well. Went to the same insane asylum as Libby did. While working at Mr. Clucks (pre-lottery win), Hurley's boss is the same boss who also appears as Locke's manager at the box company.
The Numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42 are the numbers used as the access code on the hatch's computer before Locke breaks it, the numbers Hurley used to win the lottery, the numbers that he believes brought him bad luck, and the numbers on the side of the hatch before he, Jack, Kate, and Locke blow it open with dynamite at the end of the first season. "Stop! The numbers are bad! The numbers are cursed!" On the day flight 815 departed from Sydney, Hurley experienced one bad-luck event after another, all in some way relating to the numbers.

Questions:
Q: Why is it that Hurley never seems to lose any weight?
A: My guess is that the actor, Jorge Garcia, has to loose weight too, and maybe he doesn't want to. Maybe he's working on it.

Q: Why does everyone else's problems seem to get fixed on the island but not his bad luck?
A: Charlie's detox didn't exactly go smoothly either; it seems only physical conditions (like Locke's disability and Rose's cancer) are cured. BTW, Hurley hasn't been particularly unlucky on the island, compared to the other survivors -- he just continues to perceive himself as cursed.
Also, in the episode where he finds the Dharma Initiative van, "Tricia Tanaka is Dead," his bad luck seems to change when he actually gets the van to start.

Q: Will Hurley ever learn Libby was a fellow patient at the mental institute?

Q: Why sometimes does he seem so negative?

Q: What mental illness does Hurley have in the flashforwards?

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