Why? Hurley says it in TBOTE, but even after watching the finale...I don't understand why...what difference would it have made either way?

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOREVER!

And now I have seen the entire season and I really still don't know what Hurley meant!

I think Hurley simply feels guilty for possibly hurting Jack's feelings. That's the kind of guy he is.

I think Hurley simply feels guilty for possibly hurting Jack's feelings. That's the kind of guy he is.

Yep. I figure he just sees it as a slap in Jack's face, and there was really no advantage to going with Locke because everyone just got killed or blown up. Jack was "right" in the sense that those people (well, at least their helicopter) was the way off the island.

Maybe he thinks that if he hadn't gone with Locke, they wouldn't have found the cabin, and then the events that followed Hurley's decision (the mas killings at Otherville and the bad things Jack mentioned) wouldn't have happened.

Or, if he hadn't gone with Locke the second time (when Sawyer, Miles and Claire split off), Sawyer and Jack wouldn't have had to go looking for him at the Orchid, and the helicopter could potentially have taken off the island sooner, before the freighter exploded?

I just think Hurley still felt guilty about going with Locke. He made a speech that was crucial to splitting the Losties, he went with Jack's nemesis, and, in the end, Jack (and Sawyer) staged a dangerous rescue mission to get Hurley.

When Jack and Hurley see each other at the orchid, its all ackward between them because Hurley went with Locke the last time they saw eachother. Then the "rescue" happens and then they are all back in the real world so suddenly and then all split up. I think when Hurley says that at santa rosa, it was the first time they were alone together to talk about it since everything happened.
The bigger question to me is why did he tell Sun "good" when noone comes to Jins funeral?

I believe if he had chosen to stay with Jack the first time, he'd still be on the island with the rest of the survivors instead. Going with Locke set off a series of events that ultimately had him on that helicopter and part of the "Oceanic 6".

I saw this old thread, and have a comment or two.

I expected that we would see something in the finale that would clarify the purpose of the statement. What we saw that makes this statement even harder to understand were:

There was no problem with Jack's group that he could have provided help.
If Hurley hadn't been with Locke's group, Sawyer may have been killed.
I thought Hurley was deferential to Jack. But, we saw him stand up to Jack in regards to the disappearing island. I don't think he would say that if he didn't mean it.The only thing I can think of that Hurley regrets going with Locke is being involved with Jacob's shack. But, if he had been with Jack he may have gone out to the freighter and been blown up. Of course, TPTB wouldn't kill either Hurley or Sawyer at this point, but the possibility existed for the characters.

Is this perhaps an effect of the writer's strike where some details got lost due to the mad pace of making the production schedule?

This seemed like kind of a big deal between Jack and Hurley. Hurley has been Jack's biggest support in his role of leader of the losties. Locke sort of manipulated Hurley into making that speech, opposing Jack's leadership, ("So I'm not listening to you Jack. I'm listening to my friend (Charlie).") and splitting up the group. That had to be tough for Jack. Hurley knows it, which is why he looks all uncomfortable when he sees Jack again. And why he apologized.

Of course, if Hurley hadn't made that speech, probably no one would have gone with Locke, and that means that Ben wouldn't either, and the losties would all be together with Ben on the beach, defenseless, when Keamy came for him. So that would have been much worse, but he's not thinking through that, he's just sorry on the emotional level for undermining Jack's leadership.

I think it's about the time they lost when Sawyer and Jack had to find Hurley. He could feel guilty about everything. Maybe because he believed Locke would care about everyone and he didn't. At least Jack would have tried to protect them even if he was wrong about the freighter. Locke didn't open the door for Claire and Sawyer and that's the difference between Locke and Jack.

I don't think the apology was important but it was a nice twist for the episode.

...Of course, if Hurley hadn't made that speech, probably no one would have gone with Locke, and that means that Ben wouldn't either...

I agree with everything you said, except the above bit.

I think very few, if any, Losties other than Sawyer would have gone with Locke. I have no doubt Ben would have gone with Locke in any case since he didn't want any part of the freighties. Ben had more defensive capabilities in New Otherton than on the beach.

While I'm sure Sawyer would have gone with Locke with or without Hurley, I'm not sure of Claire. My thinking is that Claire would have gone with Locke without the Hurley speech simply because that was Charlie's last warning.

I think Claire would've stayed with Jack if not for the Hurley speech and I think that is where Hurley's guilt is coming from. One of the biggest issues for Jack in the future, he has many, but the one that it is eating away at him the most is that he left his half sister behind and is passing off his nephew as Kate's child.

I think Claire would've stayed with Jack if not for the Hurley speech and I think that is where Hurley's guilt is coming from. One of the biggest issues for Jack in the future, he has many, but the one that it is eating away at him the most is that he left his half sister behind and is passing off his nephew as Kate's child.

That's a good one, I buy it!

My guess is that Hurley regrets giving the speech about how Charlie's dying act was to urge distrust of the freighter, and that this led Claire to follow Locke - and ultimately to Claire and Aaron being separated. Hurley's concern for a mother and child reunion could also have been hinted at when he told Jack "you're not supposed to raise him."

I agree with everything you said, except the above bit.

I think very few, if any, Losties other than Sawyer would have gone with Locke. I have no doubt Ben would have gone with Locke in any case since he didn't want any part of the freighties. Ben had more defensive capabilities in New Otherton than on the beach.

While I'm sure Sawyer would have gone with Locke with or without Hurley, I'm not sure of Claire. My thinking is that Claire would have gone with Locke without the Hurley speech simply because that was Charlie's last warning.

That could be. It just seemed to me that without Hurley getting the ball rolling, nothing was going to happen, especially after Jack saying, "No one's going anywhere with you, John, because they're not crazy." The only person I could see standing up against that is Sawyer, and I'm not sure he was that motivated to do it. He seemed to take his time deciding to go, as it was. They weren't thinking about Charlie as much as they were thinking about Locke killing Naomi. And if Locke had brought it up, instead of Hurley, it may have seemed to manipulative.

Sure, Ben would have wanted to go with Locke, but outside the context of Jack's "defeat" in the situation, and the group dividing, I don't see Jack letting him go. As he said earlier, "I don't trust him with anyone but me." Now he's going to trust him with Locke? But yeah, we can't really know for sure what would have happened without Hurley's speech. Maybe someone should submit that as a question to Darlton in the podcast. That would be interesting.

Yep. I figure he just sees it as a slap in Jack's face, and there was really no advantage to going with Locke because everyone just got killed or blown up. Jack was "right" in the sense that those people (well, at least their helicopter) was the way off the island.

That's a little ironic.. The people trying to hide from the freighties were the ones that got killed, the only ones from Jacks side that died were the first few that got to the freighter via Zodiac.

...Sure, Ben would have wanted to go with Locke, but outside the context of Jack's "defeat" in the situation, and the group dividing, I don't see Jack letting him go. As he said earlier, "I don't trust him with anyone but me." Now he's going to trust him with Locke?....

I forgot about that. Dang, too much stuff to remember.:undecide:

Why? Hurley says it in TBOTE, but even after watching the finale...I don't understand why...what difference would it have made either way?

I agree with you, I still don't know the answer to this either. Maybe it's a foreshadowing of some kind? Maybe Locke taking over the Others was a bad mistake that Hurley helped facilitate by "helping" Locke find the cabin and Jacob? But, if this is true, how would Hurley know about it once he left the island (maybe Charlie/Eko and whoever else he's seeing in the mental institution is telling him what's happened on the island since he left?)?

i sent a message to jorge asking him what he thought, he said he didn't know either. my theory is that if he had chosen to go with jack, claire would have gone as well since she followed hurley. she probably would not have been in danger and vanished. hurley loves claire and feels guilty she is gone.

I think it was just a useful way for the writers to muddy the water as to who was right, Jack or Locke. It's written off easily enough with the backstory that Hurley is plagued with survivor's guilt. First the collapse of the deck, then surviving a plane crash (we've never really seen Hurley deal with this, which is unusual considering what he was in Santa Rosa for in the first place), and then escaping the island.

The only thing I can think of that Hurley regrets going with Locke is being involved with Jacob's shack. But, if he had been with Jack he may have gone out to the freighter and been blown up. Of course, TPTB wouldn't kill either Hurley or Sawyer at this point, but the possibility existed for the characters.

The trip to Jacob's shack led to the island being moved. Hurley could be sorry the island disappeared, which led to the necessity of the O6 lying. If they still knew the location of the island, they could have sent help back immediately and told the world about their experiences. With the island missing, the O6 have to lie about where they came from and what happened. Without the island to point to, who would believe the truth?

The trip to Jacob's shack led to the island being moved. Hurley could be sorry the island disappeared...

That's a good theory.

I always thought Hurley just meant simply that he was sorry he "defied" Jack by going with Locke. Hurley is the type of person who never wants to hurt anybody and he had always been on Jack's side before that point. I thought this way when the scene first played out and I haven't seen anything to change my mind since. I think it is that simple.

I expected that we would see something in the finale that would clarify the purpose of the statement. ...........
Is this perhaps an effect of the writer's strike where some details got lost due to the mad pace of making the production schedule?

I agree, and believe the purpose of that statement has not been clarified (add it to the list).

Yes, Hurley can be feeling guilty or responsible for any of the things mentioned in this thread. I'm sure he is, but that is not the reason he apologized to Jack months later.

The timing here is important. Hurley's already started seeing dead people, possibly even Locke. Something that one of the ghosts told Hurley prompted his need to apologize so long after the fact.

There's plenty of things that need to be clarified by tptb, and they'll get around to it. I do hope Hurley, of all people, snaps out of it soon!

If Hurley went with Jack he wouldn't have been able to help Locke find the Cabin, in which case they wouldn't have gone to to Orchid and move the island. I think Hurley thinks it's his fault that the island "disappeared".

On the other hand, if Sawyer and Jack hadn't gone back for Hurley, then Sayid and Kate wouldn't have gotten on the helicopter.

On the other hand, if Sawyer and Jack hadn't gone back for Hurley, then Sayid and Kate wouldn't have gotten on the helicopter.
That's a good point -- Assuming everything else working out the same, without Hurley going with Locke, Sawyer and Jack would never have gone after Hurley, Sayid and Kate would never have gone after Sawyer and Jack, and none of the O6 would have ever gotten on the helicopter.

I don't think Hurley's "I"m sorry" is limited to one event. Going with Locke set into motion a chain of events, and Hurley feels responsible for those events:

1. The Red Shirts who died in New Otherton because of Keamy and Company.

2. Claire's situation (whatever that is) and Aaron being one of the O6 without Claire
which leads to Jack's guilt and problems with Kate.

3. Remembering that the chopper's excess 200 pound weight issue caused Sawyer to jump and that had an effect on Kate and Jack.

4. Remembering that the delay of the chopper's taking off from the Island to fetch Hurley meant Jin was trapped on the freighter and Sun blaming Jack for that event.

5. The Island's movement to an unknown location (and/or time) that causes those on to be left behind with no way to rescue them.

6. Having to lie about everything (which must grate on Hurley's psyche a lot).

7. Jack's Season 1 comment about "live together, die alone" coming to pass as a result of creating Camp Jack and Camp Locke.

So, I took Hurley's comment to be about multiple things, not just one thing.