TVSquad

DocArzt over at The Tailsection has come up with a very intriguing theory about the upcoming Lost episode "Exposé." The theory covers Paulo and Nikki's pre-island past, their relationships with the island's inhabitants, and some dark events that may be in their future. DocArzt's theory is based on more than a few spoilers, rumors, and screencaps, so anti-spoiler types should stop reading ASAP.

I thought that it would be fun to go over the main points in DocArzt's theory and open things up for discussion in the comments section. If even some parts of the theory turn out to be true, this week's episode will be seriously cool. In the newest Lost podcast, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse mentioned that they are curious to hear fan's reactions to "Exposé," and that opinions may be split on the episode.

The main points of DocArzt's theory are as follows:

1. Since Nikki and Paulo are widely disliked, their flashback episode will let viewers "feel justified in hating them."

I am definitely on board with this. Season Three has been lighter on the redemption episodes than in the past, which I think is a good thing. Eko essentially refused to redeem himself, and the island destroyed him. In general, the island and its inhabitants have become darker. It would be refreshing if more of the crash survivors turned out to be bad.

2. Nikki and Paulo had stolen diamonds with them on the plane. Ethan found out about them and forced them to go along with the Others' infiltration of the beach survivors. Paulo checks in with the Others on his "frequent bathroom trips," and it was Paulo who killed Scott.

DocArzt has quite a few episode screencaps to back this argument up. There are shots of diamonds in someone's hand, of Ethan showing something to an angry Nikki and Paulo, and Paulo burying something in the sand. I'm not sure what to believe about Paulo's bathroom trips, though. How often has Paulo been shown leaving camp on a bathroom trip? Are those trips that significant?

The "bathroom trips" theory does make sense, however, when you go back to "The Other 48 Days." I think Nathan, the crash survivor that Ana Lucia suspected of being an Other, made a few suspicious solo trips to the bathroom. Could he have been working with Goodwin in a similar capacity? Do the Others make bad people work for them?

3. Nikki will betray Paulo, and will shoot him in the head. Nikki will be presumed dead from a spider bite. She will be buried alive with the diamonds.

If this turns out to be true, it will be a hilarious and fitting end to the pair. A spider appears in several episode screencaps, and more than a few spoiler sites have claimed that Paulo will get shot in the head. I think it's safe to say that at least one of these people is toast.

Kudos to DocArzt for the theory. I cannot wait to see how the events of "Exposé" unfold! What do you think will happen?