This episode was seemed like a microcosm of the entire series in many respects.

We had the gambit of flaws, personas and emotions:

-Murder
-Lying
-Deceit
-Secrecy
-Miscommunication
-Selfishness
-Greed

We got a great opportunity to help put some more solid dates on the time line. But we also got a some potential answers to some questions:

-The Others did use the Pearl recently.
-Paulo knew about the Pearl beforehand
-Paulo and Nikki were not part of the Others

The Losties were handed yet another tool that could help in their fight against the Others with the walkie talkie. My guess is there won't be more ambushes against them given this plus Desmond's ability.

Plus there were some interesting puns (paraphrased):

-"Please tell me we won't end up like that."
---They do fight like Boone and Shannon
---They seem like they ended up dead and buried like them
-"Things don't stay buried on this island."
---Dead people seem to make cameos
---Secrets don't stay secrets
---Hatches don't go undiscovered


I'm sure there's more I'm missing.

We got a great opportunity to help put some more solid dates on the time line. But we also got a some potential answers to some questions:

-The Others did use the Pearl recently.
-Paulo knew about the Pearl beforehand
-Paulo and Nikki were not part of the Others





Do we know for sure they weren't helping the others....the episode went by so fast, did they ever show how P and N wound up with one of their walkie-talkies?

Paulo found it in the Pearl Station....

-"Please tell me we won't end up like that."
---They do fight like Boone and Shannon



Great catch, great foreshadowing!

We had the gambit of flaws, personas and emotions:

-Murder
-Lying
-Deceit
-Secrecy
-Miscommunication
-Selfishness
-Greed



Seems a lot like the Seven Deadly Sins to me.

Paulo found it in the Pearl Station....

My next question would be: Did he ever use it? It seems strange that he would have just kept it as a souvenir. Thoughts?

we also now know why there were cigarette butts and ashes that Locke and Eko found in the pearl station. Apparently Paulo's nicotine gum failed to satisfy and he found some Dharma smokes down there. He probably went there frequently to have a puff or two.