Does Sawyer know Nikki? Edit

• In a future flashback, it will be revealed that Sawyer knew Nikki prior to their arrival on The Island.
  • He essentially taught her what little she knows about conning rich people, because either he conned her, or he used her to help him con someone else.
  • They had either spoken privately early on, or he made it clear to her in his behavior, that they were to have nothing to do with one another on The Island, and he repeatedly said "Who the Hell Are You?" and variants, in his (rather successful) attempt to convince everyone he didn't know her.
    • May also be an in-joke about how they just magically started getting air-time and lines in the show. The Crew have inserted in-jokes before (See: Pissed off Giraffe)
  • A variant on this is that he did NOT know her as Nikki. This would explain why just after Hurley tells Sawyer he thinks Nikki's dead, Sawyer's cryptic response is to look right at her and say, "Who the Hell is Nikki?" When he did know her, she went by another name.
  • Nikki and/or Paulo may have conned Sawyer, or vice versa, before the plane crash, without physically meeting each other, which would tie in with the theme of characters being connected to each other obliviously.
  • Sawyer did not know Nikki prior to their arrival on the island. He makes the comment 'Who the hell is Nikki' because he has lived on the same island with her for months yet does not even know her name. It is an inside joke as all the audience will also be thinking 'Who the hell is Nikki!'.
• Nikki may have bumped into Sawyer at the airport, similar to how Jack ran into Ana Lucia.

Foreshadowing? Edit

• As Zukerman joked to Nikki about bringing her character back in a later season, does this mean Nikki may be brought back later on?
• There is a cryptic Locke moment when he tells Paulo, "Nothing stays buried long." Is this a subtle hint at them returning?
  • Miles dug up their graves in "Dr. Linus" to obtain the diamonds buried with them. Could be connected.
• Is the Nikki & Paolo story arc an example of fractal storytelling, with Nikki representing the Man In Black and the potential consequences of his plans (mutual desctruction)?

Either Nikki or Paulo or both are alive Edit

• Nikki's eyes shot open just as dirt was thrown over her face, a sign that her paralysis was starting to wear off. However, her grave was quickly filled, SEEMINGLY preventing her from digging herself out and allerting the survivors. Nikki or Paulo managed to free his/herself from the grave and discovered that (s)he could not locate the diamonds, and, either not considering searching the grave, or simply running out of time, the survivor fled, and A) died, B) was found by the Others and killed or manipulated into joining, or C) found an alternate escape route. It would make more sense if it was Paulo, since most of the diamonds were on Nikki's body, and when Miles dug up the grave he may not have noticed Paulo's absence.