Hugo "Hurley" Reyes

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jorge Garcia. For most of the time, Reyes has served as the show's comic relief, but throughout the run of the series, most notably in the final season, the show has shown him in a more serious light. He takes over as the Island's protector from Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) then takes Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson) as his adviser as Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) took Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell).

His story line has mostly involved his insanity (he spent time in a mental hospital), his run of what he calls 'bad luck' with his lottery win and what is known as the numbers, and his short-lived relationship with Libby Smith (Cynthia Watros).

Character biography

Prior to the crash

Hurley was born in Miami, Florida in 1974 but his family moved to Santa Monica, California later on. As a child, Hurley's father (who was helping him attempt to fix an old Camaro) left the family, and Hugo's sadness and self-doubt (believing as many abandoned children do that his father's leaving was his fault) caused him to gain weight. Later in life, Hurley was involved in an accident in which a deck (designed to hold only eight people) collapsed as he stepped onto it, killing two people. Even though there were 23 people on the deck prior to his arrival, Hugo felt tremendous guilt and sank into a depressive state, doing nothing but overeating. Worrying about his emotional state, Hugo's mother put him in a psychiatric institution, the same one in which Locke's mother was once treated, and also where Libby was then a patient. He met Leonard Simms, a patient who kept mumbling 4 8 15 16 23 42. Hugo also met and befriended Dave, the only other normal person, in his opinion, in the institution, and the two would often create mischief behind the doctors' backs. However, when Hugo learned that Dave was merely imaginary (although possibly the ghost of Libby's late husband), Dave tempted Hugo to break out of the institution; he instead saw Dave out first before closing the window behind him. Having recovered from his previous stress, Hugo was released.

Hugo resumed his job at a fast-food restaurant, and moved back in with his mother. He decided to use the numbers that Leonard kept saying to play the lottery. While watching television one night, Hurley learned that he had won a 16-week roll over on the lottery, earning him $114m. He then quit his job, along with his friend Johnny, and embarked on a care-free day in which he also asked Starla, a girl he liked, on a date. The day came to an abrupt end when Johnny learned of Hugo's recent winnings. After winning the lottery, Hugo began experiencing constant bad luck: his grandfather died while being interviewed live on television; his brother's wife left him for a waitress; the priest at his grandfather's funeral was struck by lightning; and his best friend Johnny ran off with Starla. Hugo then bought his mother a new house, only to discover that it had caught on fire, and he was then arrested after being mistaken for a drug dealer. Following these mishaps, Hugo's net worth continued to increase, as did his bad luck, including the death of a well-known news reporter, Tricia Tanaka after the fast food restaurant he bought was hit by a meteorite. It was then that Hugo suspected the numbers he used to win the lottery were cursed. He visited the psychiatric institution again to speak with Leonard, who told Hugo the man who could explain the mystery of the numbers, Sam Toomey, was in Australia.

Before Hugo could make his trek to Australia, he was surprised when his father returned from his absence and moved back in with Hugo and his mother. His father teased Hugo about his weight, causing even further resentment from an already hurt and resentful Hugo. His father convinced him to go to a psychic to "cure" his curse, but Hugo discovered (with a well-placed bribe) that his father had paid the psychic to lie to Hugo. After this, Hugo gave up on his father and packed to leave for Australia. However, his father came to him and confessed that originally he only came back for a piece of Hugo's money, but then insinuated that he had renewed love for his estranged wife and son, and then encourages Hugo to do what he wanted to do - give the money away, saving only enough for the two of them to finally fix the Camaro and travel to the Grand Canyon, just as they'd always wanted. Hugo denied his father, who told Hugo that no matter what, he would still be there when Hugo returned, wanting Hugo to know that he wanted a relationship.

Once in Australia, Hugo visited the wife of Sam Toomey, the man who heard the numbers along with Leonard. She revealed that Sam was driven to suicide to escape his constant bad luck. Hugo attempted to fly home, but was faced with more obstacles, including a packed elevator (which Charlie was on), his car running low on gas, and being delayed at check-in. He eventually made his way to the gate, just in time to be granted access on the plane. Unfortunately, the plane crashed—something Hugo believes may be the result of his curse.

After the crash

Season 1

Hurley maintains a friendly persona after the crash. During the chaos post-crash, Hurley looks after Claire at Jack's request (moving her away from the crash and keeping watch on her false labor, and later sleeping next to her during the first night and giving her two helpings of dinner rather than one) and witnesses first hand Jack's heroics. After this, Hurley and Jack form a close bond- Jack realizes immediately that Hurley is a dependable ally, and Hurley recognizes Jack's leadership capabilities and becomes very loyal. He tries to help out whenever possible, most noticeably when Jack attempts to treat Edward Mars, but his hemophobia gets the better of him. He also helps the group by placing himself in charge of rationing the remaining food and water from the Plane. He is also shown to be good-hearted, most noticeably when he gives pregnant Claire two helpings of dinner instead of one, and frequently goes out of his way to engage other survivors in conversation. Unfortunately, this effort goes unrequited by castaway Jin, whom Hurley is convinced hates him for "spoiling his honor" when he refuses to eat sushi Jin has prepared. Hurley moves into the caves with some of the other survivors, where he discovers a pack of golf clubs. Inspired, Hurley creates a golf course, in order to ease the stress and tension of being stranded. It proves to be a success. When Claire claims to have been attacked one night, Hurley offers to create a census, asking every survivor their name. When he has a look at the official flight manifest, which was taken by Sawyer, he discovers that Ethan was never on the flight, and raises the alarm.

In one of Jin's flashbacks, where he first goes to send a message to the safety officer, the officer's daughter is watching TV and Hurley is seen on it in a white Tee-Shirt getting into a car.

Hurley develops a friendship with Charlie. However, Hurley grows concerned when Charlie exhibits strange behaviour, particularly when the two bury Ethan. The next day, Hurley witnesses Sun's revelation that she speaks fluent English - he is shocked due to earlier predictions that her husband was the one who spoke English. When Hurley looks at the maps that Sayid recovered from Rousseau, Hurley discovers a sheet of paper containing the cursed numbers. He treks into the jungle in search of Rousseau, with Jack, Sayid and Charlie in pursuit. After being separated from the rest of the group, Hurley eventually encounters Rousseau, who reveals that the numbers brought her to the island, and agrees that they are cursed. He later presents Sayid with a battery, which was needed for the raft.

That night, during a heart-to-heart, he tells Charlie about his wealth. Charlie does not take him seriously, and storms off. Hurley begins to mend his strained relationship with Jin by accompanying him on fishing trips, and the two begin to form a bond. One morning, Rousseau arrives on the beach and warns the camp that the Others are coming. She then leads Hurley, Jack, Kate, Locke and Arzt into the jungle, where they have a brief encounter with the "Monster". They soon arrive at a ship called the Black Rock, which contains some dynamite. After witnessing Arzt's unexpected demise, Hurley blames himself and his consistent bad luck. However, the four of them return to the hatch, where Hurley, after discovering the numbers on the side of the hatch, tries to prevent the detonation. However, the hatch is blown open regardless, and the four of them peer inside.

Season 2

Hurley is brought into the hatch a few days later, and is given the task of checking the food inventory, much to his resentment and fear stemming from his past experiences of losing friends from having what they don't. He brings Rose in to help, as she was the only person not curious about the hatch. After being confronted by Kate and Charlie regarding the inventory, Hurley, believing everyone will hate him, attempts to blow up the food with dynamite, but Rose manages to talk him out of it. As an alternative, Hurley decides to distribute the food freely, explaining to Jack that there is no feasible way to ration it. Jack, trusting Hurley, agrees.

Shortly after the arrival of the tail-section survivors, Hurley takes a liking to Libby and, after some coaxing, decides to speak to her. The two bond fairly quickly, despite Hurley finding her remarkably familiar. However, Sawyer eventually discovers Hurley's secret food stash, and blackmails him into helping him. Hurley agrees, shrugging off Sawyer's threats to reveal his stash. One morning, he and Libby go jogging together, where Hurley, guilty over hoarding food and wanting to change, decides to tell her about his food stash. The two of them destroy it together, only to learn of the food drop from the night before. The Oceanic survivors suggest Hurley take over the rationing of the food, a suggestion Hurley vehemently opposes. It is then that Hurley begins seeing his imaginary friend, Dave, from his days at the mental institution. Another likely possibility is that Dave is Libby's late husband (referred to as "David" in a conversation between Libby and Desmond), and is appearing to Hurley as a ghost and saboteur.

He breaks away from Libby and the rest of the camp, and restarts his eating habits, under the influence of Dave. Dave then leads Hurley to a cliff-top, convinces him that he is still at the institution in a coma and says the only way to "wake up" is to jump off the cliff, which he does himself. If Dave is in fact Libby's late husband, his purpose for doing this may be to prevent Hurley from entering a relationship with his wife. Hurley is about to jump when Libby stops him and makes him see reason. The two kiss before returning to camp. He then plans a surprise picnic for her, but forgets to bring blankets. Libby offers to retrieve them for him. After a confrontation with Neil, Hurley learns of Libby being shot and rushes to her side. She coughs out Michael's name before dying. Due to a combination of grief and his own natural passivity, Hurley declines the offer to help Michael rescue Walt from The Others. However, after speaking at Libby's and Ana Lucia's funeral, he changes his mind. He sets off, along with Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Michael across the jungle. During this trek, Hurley is surprised and disturbed when a bird flies overhead screeching what sounds like his name. After Michael is exposed as a traitor by Jack following a confrontation with The Others, Hurley angrily and disappointedly confronts Micheal, and later Jack for bringing them along on a mission when he knew it to be a trap. Eventually, they are led off course by Michael, and ambushed by The Others. They are tied, gagged and blindfolded, and brought to a pier. Hurley is released and instructed to return to his camp and tell his people that they can never come to this part of the island, something he is reluctant to do, but agrees after a signal from Jack.

Season 3

Hurley encounters Locke and Charlie on his way back, as well as Desmond, telling him of Locke's speech to rescue Jack, Kate and Sawyer. When Locke gives this speech later, after bringing Mr. Eko back, Hurley suspects Desmond of being able to see the future. Later, he and Charlie devise a plan to draw the truth from him by getting him drunk, only for it to backfire when Desmond angrily tackles Charlie. Later, Hurley follows Vincent into the jungle, where he discovers an old DHARMA van. He attempts to get help in overturning and starting it, but only manages to convince Jin. Sawyer later turns up and Hurley convinces him to help. It is then that Hurley pulls Charlie out of his depression and convinces him to help, cementing their friendship. Sawyer and Jin push the bus down a steep hill where Hurley wishes to jumpstart it. Just as they are about to crash, Hurley defies his curse chanting "You make your own luck, there is no curse" and miraculously starts the van. Later on, a cocky Sawyer bets against the camp that he can beat their best player in Ping Pong. Hurley ends up being their best, having been a near-championship level player in the past. He defeats Sawyer, causing him to refrain from nicknames for a week, which nearly cripples Sawyer in regards to Hurley.

Later, Hurley and Sawyer discover Nikki stumbling out of the jungle, uttering something. He mistakes her for dead and finds Paulo in the jungle in the same situation. After failing to find a certain cause of death, Hurley gives them a funeral. He fails to notice that Nikki had opened her eyes seconds before being buried. Hurley and Sawyer's burgeoning friendship strengthens when Hurley essentially cons Sawyer into being decent to his fellow castaways. When asked why, Hurley confides in Sawyer that he has nominated the conman to be the camp's new interim leader. When Jack, Kate and Sayid return to the beach with Juliet in tow, Hurley is sent to keep an eye on her. The next day, Desmond asks Hurley to join him on a hike, along with Jin and Charlie. On their trek, they notice a parachutist bailing out of her helicopter, prompting them to head inland. They find Naomi hanging from a tree, and the four cut her loose.

Hurley accidentally fires one of her flares, attracting Mikhail to the scene. After he tends to Naomi's injuries, the four carry her back to the beach, where they hide her in Hurley's shelter. Later, Hurley and the others are shown Jack's plan to deter the Others from carrying out their kidnapping. Just as Charlie and Desmond set off to the Looking Glass, Hurley offers to join them, to which his offer is declined on account of his weight(in reality, Charlie sends Hurley away because Hurley will stop him sacrificing himself for the group). He instead accompanies Claire to the radio tower. That night, he witnesses the backfire of Jack's plan, but must press on with the other survivors. As Sawyer and Juliet head back to the beach, Hurley, feeling useless, again offers his services, where Sawyer once again denies his help, hurting his feelings. Hurley then heads for the van and drives it onto the beach, killing a top Other Ryan Price, giving Sawyer and Juliet the chance to save the rest. Once the other two are neutralised, Hurley radios Jack and informs him of their success and safety.

Season 4

Hurley and Jack speak on the radio, and Jack tells Hurley they were successful and that rescue is imminent. Hurley, overjoyed, tells Bernard about his lottery winnings and that he's certain that since the world thinks he's dead, he'll finally be free of the money and the curse. Between this thought and the rescue, Hurley cannonballs into the ocean in joy. However, when he wades out of the water he sees Desmond returning to shore with Charlie's message("Not Penny's Boat"). Hurley, uncaring about anything else, demands to know where Charlie is. Desmond informs him of Charlie's death, devastating Hurley.

As Desmond, Sawyer, Juliet and Sayid argue about whether or not to radio a warning to Jack, Hurley takes charge and hurls the radio into the ocean, nullifying the argument completely. He then suggests they arm up and go to Jack and warn him in person.

On the way to Jack, Hurley is withdrawn. Sawyer, wishing to help, asks Hurley if he's alright, in which Hurley responds that he can keep up. Sawyer presses that that wasn't what he meant, but Hurley declines the offer of talk. Hurley then falls behind and runs after the group in a panic, only to find Jacob's mysterious cabin. Hurley sees inside and runs away, screaming for help, only to bump into Locke.

Locke and Hurley agree that the freighter Jack called is not rescue and become determined to stop Jack, and Hurley takes Locke to meet up with the rest. When the groups meet, Hurley relieves Desmond from telling Claire about Charlie, opting to do it himself. Hurley and Claire then break down together and embrace. Afterward, Locke suggests the group take refuge at The Others' village, an offer Jack refuses. With the group dividing, Hurley takes a stand and tells Jack that he won't be going with him, citing that he isn't choosing anyone except Charlie, who sacrificed himself to warn them.

Hurley travels with Locke's group and quickly becomes disturbed by Locke's ideas and methods, especially when Locke takes freighter member Charlotte hostage. When Hurley speaks up, Locke bullies him into falling in line. Once they reach the village, Hurley is convinced to aid Locke in setting a trap for Sayid and Kate, where he pretends he has been exiled from the group for disobeying Locke. Once Sayid, Kate and Freighter member Miles are captured, Hurley apologizes to Sayid while keeping a safe distance, despite Sayid's assurances that he won't harm him.

Hurley is put in charge of bringing Miles food, and eventually aids Kate in getting in to see Miles, albeit unwittingly at first. Once the group settles in, Hurley and Sawyer become room mates in their designated Other-House by Locke, something that irks Sawyer a bit. Later, Hurley is present at the group meeting at Locke's house; there, he learns that the freighter's crew plans to kill everyone on the Island after they capture Ben.

Hurley is present playing RISK with Sawyer and Locke when the phone alert rings. He gets Aaron and hides in Bens house with everyone. He's the first to notice Claire's house was blown up and places Aaron in a safe makeshift crib. Once Sawyer arrives back with a disoriented Claire, Ben denies Hurley to open the door for them, so Hurley breaks the window to let them in, despite Ben's protests. Later Hurley follows Ben's instructions and flees the house with everyone else. When they go outside and see the monster he asks "Did you call that thing?" before he and the others escape to the treeline. Once Ben catches up to them, Locke and Sawyer argue over who is keeping Hurley when Sawyer decides he's going back to Jack and the beach. Hurley convinces them to stop arguing and goes with Locke and Benjamin to find Jacob.

Hurley refuses to actually meet Jacob, leaving Locke to venture in alone. Afterward, Hurley follows Ben and Locke to the Orchid Station, where Ben and Locke must move the Island. After Ben "turns himself in" to distract Keamy and his men (sent by Charles Widmore), Locke attempts to find the secret passage that leads to the actual station, while Hurley looks on. Sawyer and Jack finds him; Hurley is delighted both are still alive. After Locke and Jack argue about the Island, Ben, who escapes the mercenaries, tells Jack and his companions to leave the Island. Hurley follows them to the helicopter, where Lapidus is waiting. Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, and Lapidus then fly off the Island, towards the freighter. After a series of tense events, the chopper, which cannot land on the freighter, since it exploded, and the Island, which vanishes, the crew takes refuge on a raft. An impressed Hurley remarks Locke did move the Island, a concept Jack disagrees with. Penelope Widmore's rescue boat rescues them, and Hurley, along with the rest of the Oceanic Six, move on to Sumba, where civilization awaits them.

After the island

After leaving the island, Hurley and the other survivors are transported by cargo plane to a military base. During the flight, a representative of Oceanic Airlines, Karen Decker (Michelle Forbes) informs them that their families will be waiting at the base, along with reporters, who have begun calling the survivors the Oceanic Six. Hurley along with most of the others are reluctant to speak to the reporters, so Jack volunteers. Jack also reiterates their story, and what they are supposed to do. Upon landing, Hurley is reunited with his parents. He is also present when Oceanic Airlines holds a press conference to tell the survivors' story. A reporter questions them as to why they all look so healthy, having been on an island for over four months, and Hurley takes this to be a question of why he is still over-weight. The reporter denies this, asking him how it feels to get all of his money back. Hurley says that he doesn't want any of it back, claiming it is bad luck. Later he returns home to his mansion to find it deserted. Growing concerned after finding a coconut on his floor and hearing strange whispers, he follows the sound and picks up a gold statue of Jesus as a makeshift weapon. He asks himself "Why am I doing this?" twice. When he opens the door where he hears the whispers coming from, he is greeted with a surprise birthday party thrown by his parents. Ironically, it is a party with tropical island theme. There he meets Aaron and Kate, who comments that Jack is running late. He also meets Sayid and Nadia. Sayid comments that the party has an "Interesting choice of theme". Hurley replies that that his mom "really doesn't get it." Hurley's father then appears, wanting to show him his birthday present. It is Hurley's old Camaro, which his father fixed-up after the crash as a memorial to Hurley. His father asks if he wants to take it for a spin, and Hurley jumps at the idea. However, when he gets in the car, he notices that the mileage is set to the Numbers. This greatly disturbs Hurley, and he accuses his father of making a joke. His father denies it, but Hurley is so disturbed that he runs away, yelling about how he doesn't want "Any of it".

When Sun, another member of the six, has her baby, Hurley arrives in Korea to congratulate her. He asks Sun if any of the others are coming. When answered in the negative, Hurley responds "Good". He and Sun then go to visit her husband Jin's grave.

Later, Hurley sees Charlie in a convenience store, and the incident greatly disturbs him. He runs for it, drives off, and leads the police on a long chase, something which Jack watches on television. Hurley is arrested and repeatedly cries that he is a member of the Oceanic 6. Hurley is brought to the police station, where Ana-Lucia's old partner Mike Walton, now a Detective, heart brokenly asks Hurley if he knew Ana Lucia Cortez (suggesting a romantic attraction). Hurley guiltily lies and claims to have never met her. Walton leaves, and Hurley looks onto the two-way mirror and sees Charlie drowning with the words "THEY NEED YOU" written in marker on his hand, much like the words "NOT PENNYS BOAT" were written in the finale of the third season. The mirror breaks and water come pouring out, and Hurley screams for help. Walton comes back in and sarcastically suggests that he can put Hurley in a mental hospital, something which Hurley quickly jumps at, especially when he sees that the whole thing had been an illusion. Hurley then goes to Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute where he is approached by a man named Matthew Abbadon, who claims to be an attorney for Oceanic Airlines. He asks Hurley if he would like to transfer to a nicer place with an ocean view, but Hurley denies the offer, not wanting to ever see the Ocean. Hurley, suddenly suspicious of Abaddon, then asks for a business card, which Abaddon claims he left at home. Abbadon, looking sinister, asks Hurley if anyone else is still alive. Hurley then freaks out and calls for a nurse. When Hurley goes to point him out, he has left the room.

When Hurley is sitting on the grounds one day, he is approached by Charlie. Hurley thinks he's going crazy again knowing that Charlie is dead. Charlie eventually convinces Hurley to sit down. Charlie admits to Hurley that he is indeed dead, but that he is also there. Hurley then tells Charlie he freaked out in the convenience store because he saw him there. Charlie then tells him that "They need you." Hurley closes his eyes and counts to five and Charlie is gone. Later, Jack (a much more stable and clean shaven one than seen in Through the Looking Glass) comes to see Hurley where they play a game of HORSE. Hurley, while glad to see him, knows that Jack isn't there to visit him and asks why he is there. Hurley thinks he's there because Jack thinks he's crazy and "is going to tell". Jack at first pretends that he's not there for this reason, but eventually fesses up. Jack then decides to leave. Hurley then apologizes to Jack about choosing to go with Locke instead of him, and Jack forgives him. Hurley then suggests that the Island wants them back, and that they should listen. Jack says that they never will go back. Hurley responds with,"Never say never, dude."

In Something Nice Back Home, Hurley's mental condition has deteriorated, and has refused to take his medications or participate in therapy sessions. Hurley's doctor contacts Jack, who comes and visits him. Hurley insists to Jack that none of them really made it off the island and that they are all dead. As the conversation continues, Hurley opens a note with a message from Charlie. Hurley tells Jack that Charlie wanted him to know that "You are not supposed to raise him, Jack", in reference to Claire's son Aaron. Jack visibly becomes upset and warns Hurley to start taking his medications again. Hurley tells Jack that someone will be coming to visit him too.

In There's No Place Like Home, Hurley is visited by Walt who reveals that Jeremy Bentham visited him even though none of the Oceanic 6 had done so. Later, Hurley is visited by Sayid who is intent on taking Hurley from the mental institution. Hurley is afraid Sayid wants to take him back to the island and mentioned an encounter with Jeremy Bentham. Sayid only says he is taking Hurley to someplace safe but not the island. Before leaving, Hurley "talks" to Mr. Eko about the chess match they were playing prior to him leaving.

Season 5

Hurley is accompanied by Sayid after he is broken out of the mental institution. Hurley is shocked to discover that Sayid was working with Ben, but a hostile Sayid tells him to do the opposite of what Ben says, if he should ever cross paths with him again. Sayid takes him to an apartment building, only to discover there are dangerous men inside waiting for Sayid to enter. Sayid fights with them, throwing one off the balcony and killing the others, but gets shot by a tranquilizer dart in the process. Hurley approaches the balcony, seeing the dead man below him, and picks up a gun. His photo is taken by onlookers below. Hurley then becomes an infamous suspect for the murders of the men in the apartment.

In The Lie, Hurley is speeding down the road with an unconscious Sayid, but is pulled over by the police. The policewoman approaching Hurley is Ana Lucia Cortez, who informs him of how to avoid the cops, and that he has "work to do". Hurley immediately finds a change of clothes at a convenience store, and then goes to his parents' house. Finding their house as the only place of refuge, Hurley confesses to his parents what happened to him on the island and that the Oceanic Six have been lying. Hurley's father takes the unconscious Sayid to Jack, the only doctor that Hurley can trust (who manages to revive Sayid). Jack is ordered by Hurley's father to stay away from Hurley, with his father fearful for Hurley's mental health and Jack's insistence that Hurley return to the island. Hurley hides inside his house as two policemen are stationed outside on the possibility that Hurley might be inside.

While alone in his house, Hurley is approached by Ben Linus, who stealthily avoided the policemen outside. Ben peacefully asks Hurley to come with him so they can go back to the island, to which Hurley declines, remembering that Sayid told him to do the opposite of what Ben wants. Hurley runs outside of his house, confessing to the murders that Sayid committed, and is arrested, just to get away from Ben. Ben would have his lawyer successfully get the charges dropped against Hurley, who is released from LA County Jail. Hurley leaves jail in a taxi, and rides along with Jacob who asks Hurley why he does not want to return to the Island. The two have a insightful conversation about Hurley's condition. Jacob explains to Hurley that he is not cursed, and that his ability to speak with his deceased friends is "a blessing". Jacob proceeds to give Hurley the information on the flight that will get return him to the island, and tells him that it is his choice, and that he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do. Jacob would leave a guitar case with Hurley.

Hurley would take Jacob's advice and go to LA X to leave on the flight with his friends Sun, Jack, Sayid, and Kate ,as well as with Ben Linus. It is shown that Hurley bought several seats on Ajira Flight 316 and refused to let other people who were waiting on standby to take them, in order to minimize the number of people who would be on board, and thus saving more innocents from the pre-ordained crash on the Island. During the flight, the plane encounters severe turbulence and a bright flash of light and disappears.

Return to the Island

Hurley survives the crash of Ajira Flight 316 and finds himself on the Island's lake, where he is saved by Jack. The two then wake up Kate nearby and witnesses Jin, wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit, pointing a rifle at them. Hurley alerts him and they are seen driving to an open field where Sawyer awaits them. After a quick reunion, Sawyer tells the three that the year is 1977; the Ajira Flight crashed on the Island in 2007. Sawyer, who is working with DHARMA Initiative and enjoying a quiet life on the Island with them, alters the recruitment records with Juliet to allow Hurley, Jack, and Kate in as members. Hurley is assigned work as a chef, and in his free time he wonders why he had traveled back in time, even arguing with Miles about the situation. He starts to write the second part of the Star Wars trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back, from memory, in an attempt to later sell it to George Lucas. While Jack and Daniel Faraday agree that dropping a hydrogen bomb will destroy the Island and its electromagnetic source, preventing Oceanic Flight 815 from ever crashing in 2004, Hurley is confronted by DHARMA member Dr. Chang, who questions him about his time logic. Hurley, unable to answer who is the current US President, admits being from the future. He, Miles, and Jin then take Kate, Jack, Juliet, Sawyer, and Sayid to the construction site where the Swan station will cause Oceanic Flight 815 to crash. Hurley stays behind in the van to treat a wounded Sayid when the hydrogen bomb is detonated.

Season 6

After the detonation of the bomb, the survivors are transported forward to 2007, still on the Island. Jacob, now a spirit, encounters Hurley again, telling him to take a dying Sayid to the Temple, a place where the Others live, since that is the only thing that will save him. Once they arrive at the Temple, they are almost killed by the native inhabitants until Hurley claims that Jacob had sent them. To prove it, he shows them the guitar case to Others leader Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada), which contains an ankh with a scroll from Jacob in it. The Others then try to save Sayid, still wounded, but are unable to do so. Dogen and his translator interrogate Hurley, who tells them that Jacob is dead, causing them panic and they barricade the Temple. When an angry Jack violently demands answers from them, Hurley alerts everyone about Sayid's unexpected waking up.

Later, Jacob's spirit again visits Hurley and gives him instructions. Hurley ventures alone to a room filled with Egyptian hieroglyphics, until he is detained by Dogen. Jacob, appearing only to Hurley, instructs him to tell Dogen that he is a "candidate," meaning he can do whatever he wants." When an alarmed Dogen asks how he knew that, Jacob merely looks at Hurley pleadingly, and Hurley tells Dogen the unimportance of it and sends him out. Jacob instructs Hurley to acquire Jack and walk to a lighthouse. Jack and Hurley arrive there, at the top of which is a large dial and a series of mirrors lined up. Each notch on the dial has a name listed next to it, corresponding to the surnames of various Oceanic 815 survivors and their respective numbers. Hurley begins to move the dial to 108 degrees as instructed by Jacob, but Jack turns the dial to the 23 mark, where his own surname is listed, revealing Jack's childhood home in the reflection, causing Jack to become extremely upset. He angrily interrogates Hurley, who is unable to answer any of his questions, leading Jack to destroy the mirrors. Outside, Jacob reappears to Hurley, congratulating him on bringing Jack to the lighthouse. Hurley realizes that Jacob did not want them to send a signal from the lighthouse, but instead needed Jack to see into the mirror and realize that he is important to the Island. Jacob also divulges that he needed to get Jack and Hurley away from the Temple because "someone bad" was arriving there.

The two spend the night near the lighthouse; in the morning Jack tells Hurley that they need to return to the Temple. Hurley deliberately stalls, until Richard Alpert, an Other and a seemingly ageless one, leads them to the ship The Black Rock. There, Richard confesses that he wants to commit suicide, and because Jacob made him special, he cannot kill himself. He asks Jack to light the dynamite for him, to which Jack agrees, sending Hurley into a panic. Jack, however, wants to talk to Richard, using the lit dynamite as persuasion, and sends Hurley away. The three eventually survive, as Jack apparently is 'special' too, since the dynamite did not explode. They head back to the beach where they first began their struggle for survival, back in 2004. There they meet Ben, Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson), Miles Straume (Ken Leung), Sun Kwon (Yunjin Kim) and Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey).

They struggle to decide what to do next, but Hurley is seen by Jack one night to be talking to thin air, but not in English, but in Spanish. Hurley assures Jack that he is not talking to Jacob. The next day, he follows a still suicidal Richard into the jungle. When Richard is about to abandon Jacob and become a follower of Jacob's nemesis, the Man in Black, Hurley intervenes. He tells Richard that the spirit of Isabella, Richard's wife from 1867, had sent him. Hurley acts as an intermediary between the two, giving Richard the long-awaited opportunity to apologize to his wife. Richard tearfully thanks Hurley after Isabella's spirit leaves, but Hurley tells him one more thing Isabella said before leaving: the Man in Black must be stopped, or they will all go to hell.

Later, Richard decides to pack dynamite and explode the Ajira Airline to prevent the Man in Black from escaping. Hurley is initially on his side, but after Michael Dawson's spirit visits him and tells him he must prevent his plans, he tells Richard not to, or that they will all die. At this point, Ilana accidentally mishandles the dynamite she brought, causing her to perish in an explosion. When Richard refuses, Hurley secretly walks to the Black Rock and defuses the remaining dynamite. An irate Richard splits their group up by taking Ben and Miles with him to look for other explosives, while Hurley, Jack, Sun, and Lapidus are to go talk with the Man in Black. Later, Hurley follows the whispers and speaks with Michael's spirit, learning that the whispers belong to restless souls who cannot move on and are trapped on the Island, Michael being one of them. After a brief, tender talk, Hurley leads his group to the Man in Black's camp. The whole group walks on to the Ajira plane, as the Man in Black claims that they will all leave on it. Jack, however, runs off secretly with Hurley, Lapidus, and Sun to take them to a boat where Kate and Sawyer are waiting. Claire later joins them. As they sail to Hydra Island where Charles Widmore and his team are, Jack jumps off, wanting to stay on the Island. At Hydra Island, Widmore's team shoves them into cages, Widmore claiming that this detaining is for their own good. The Man in Black, Sayid, and Jack later free them and continue to head for the plane. However, the Man in Black turns the group around after discovering C-4 (explosive) in the plane, insisting they take Widmore's submarine instead. Unfortunately the Man in Black has tricked them by placing the bomb in Jack's bag, wanting to kill them all so that he can loophole the rule Jacob had set him and leave. Even though Jack promises that the bomb cannot hurt them, since he has Jacob's power to resist being killed directly by the Man in Black, Sawyer pulls its plug, causing the timer to accelerate. Sayid grabs it and runs to the far end of the sub to sacrifice himself, despite Hurley's plea. The bomb explodes, and the sub begins to sink. Hurley, Kate, Jack, and Sawyer escape, but Jin and Sun drown. At the main Island's beach, the four of them mourn the deaths of their two friends.

They make their way to find Desmond, whom the Man in Black wants dead and therefore may be a threat to him. Through the jungle, a young Jacob (Kenton Duty) demands to Hurley that he hand over the ashes of the adult Jacob, which he does. Hurley chases the boy for a while, until he arrives at a campfire where the adult Jacob is waiting. Hurley summons his three friends over and they all discuss the approaching of the end. Jacob explains that he chose them as candidates because they were alone and flawed, and that their lives only took an upturn on the Island. Jack volunteers to be the next protector of the Island, and goes through a drinking ritual that allows him to become it. He is to protect the heart of the Island, consisting of light with supreme qualities; if the light goes out, the Island will crumble.

Near the end, the Man in Black holds Desmond hostage and forces him to go down to the heart to turn off the light. Jack goes along, claiming that if this sinister plan succeeds, he will be able to kill the Man in Black. Desmond, who is immune to the electromagnetic quality of the light, shuts it off, indeed causing the Island to start sinking. This, however, also causes both Jack and the Man in Black to lose their immortality, and the two start a brutal fight, resulting in the Man in Black knocking out Jack with a rock. Elsewhere, as both Islands begin to crumble, Ben rescues Hurley from a falling tree. Jack re-awakens and manages to catch up with the Man in Black at a cliffside, and the two resume their fight. With the help of Kate, Jack kills the Man in Black, ending his threat. Critically wounded, Jack needs to restore the light to the Island, and takes Hurley and Ben with him, parting ways from Kate and Sawyer, who are to join Lapidus, Miles, and Richard at Hydra Island to escape on the bomb-free Ajira flight, for the last time. Back at the heart, Jack tells Hurley to take over the Island once the light is restored, since Jack himself is dying. Emotional, Hurley refuses, but Jack talks him into it. They go through the drinking ritual, and Jack again goes inside the cavern. He manages to hoist a wounded Desmond back up, and he restores the light, causing the two Islands to stabilize. Hurley calls for Jack, but receives no response. In tears, Hurley, now ageless but not completely immortal, wonders what to do next. Ben suggests they first treat Desmond and help him get home, and then do what Jack asked him to do. Hurley agrees, and asks Ben to be his adviser in protecting the Island. Ben gladly accepts the offer, and the two take up the post of guarding the Island.

After an undisclosed period of time, presumably in the present-day, Hurley appoints Ben to "tie up a few loose ends", including going to a DHARMA Initiative Logistics warehouse in Orote Peninsula, Guam. Hurley is last seen speaking to Walt in a Dharma van outside the Santa Rosa Mental Hospital about offering him a job when they return to the island. He lives for an undisclosed period of time and his death is unknown.

Afterlife

In the alternate timeline, Hugo is now describing himself as being the luckiest guy alive. He owns Mr. Cluck's Chicken franchise, a temp agency, which employs Locke, and is well known for his philanthropy work. When Locke is fired, he argues with Hugo in the parking lot about Hurley's badly parked Hummer before realizing that Hurley owns the company. One day Hugo is eating at a Mexican restaurant and Libby sees him and sits next to him. She then tells him that she thinks that they are connected and could be soul mates. Dr. Brooks then comes over to the table and takes Libby back to Santa Rosa Mental Hospital. Later Hugo is eating at Mr. Cluck's and runs into Desmond, who asks why he is eating so much chicken. Hugo says he only does it when he is depressed, and it is because of a woman who lives in a mental institution. Desmond then advises Hurley to seek her if he believes she may be right. After making a generous donation to Santa Rosa, Hugo is allowed to see Libby again. Libby then tells Hugo that when she first saw him on one of his Mr. Cluck's Commercials, she had a vision of the Island, with him being in it, and both of them being in Santa Rosa together. Hugo thinks she is crazy, but invites her on a date anyway. On the beach, Hugo sets out a picnic for Libby. They kiss and Hugo also remembers his life on the Island, and assures Libby she isn't crazy. In the final scene outside of Eloise Hawking's Church (above the Dharma Lampost Station in Los Angeles), where the survivors of Oceanic 815 meet, Hurley has a brief exchange with Benjamin Linus (who declines Hurley's offer to come with the survivors citing some issues he has to sort out first). In the exchange Hurley tells Benjamin that he was a "real good number two". Benjamin replies that Hurley was a "great number one".

Development

Jorge Garcia was the first actor the producers knew they were going to cast. In his audition where he read Sawyer’s lines, the producers recognised him from an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" which had aired the previous night. They thought he was spectacular, but didn’t fit the role of Sawyer, so they created Hurley for him. In a flashback to his childhood in "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" Hurley is played by Caden Waidyatilleka. Hurley appears in three mobisodes: The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt, Arzt and Crafts, and Jin has a Temper Tantrum.

In popular culture

The alternative rock band Weezer named their 2010 album Hurley after the character Hugo Reyes. The album's cover contains nothing but a picture of actor Jorge Garcia who plays Hurley.