NIKKI AND PAULO

'Nikki Fernandez' and 'Paulo' (pronounced ) are fictional characters on the ABC drama television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south Pacific.^[1] American actress Kiele Sanchez and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro play the survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815.^[2]
The couple is introduced early in the third season."Further Instructions." ''Lost'', ABC. October 18, 2006. Episode 3, season 3. The producers of the show were often asked what the rest of the plane-crash survivors were doing because the show only focuses on approximately fifteen of the survivors, and the characters of Nikki and Paulo were created in response.White, Cindy, (January 22, 2007) "Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse Promise That They Have Found the Plot Twists That Will Bring ''Lost'''s Viewers Back," ''Sci Fi''. Retrieved on April 1, 2007. Reaction to the characters was generally negative because of their abrupt introduction onto the show.^[3] ''Lost'''s show runner Damon Lindelof even acknowledged that the couple is "universally despised" by fans.Jensen, Jeff & Snierson, Dan, (February 8, 2007) "'Lost' and Found," ''Entertainment Weekly''. Retrieved on April 3, 2007.

Appearances

Nikki on day 69.

Originating from Brazil, Paulo is a con artist working with his American girlfriend Nikki. Paulo works as a chef for a wealthy television executive in Sydney, Australia, while Nikki guest stars on his show and seduces him, the latter of which Paulo is uncomfortable with. Paulo poisons his food, murdering him, in order for him and Nikki to steal his bag of diamonds, which are worth $8 million. Three days later, on September 22, 2004, Nikki and Paulo board Oceanic Flight 815 to return to Nikki's home in Los Angeles, USA.^[4]
They lose the diamonds on the island after the plane crashes and they spend much of their time searching for them. Paulo suspects that they are the only reason for their relationship, and thus does not tell Nikki when he finds them on their thirty-third day after the crash. One day while looking in the jungle, they come across the , a scientific research station built in the early 1980's. Nikki is uninterested, but Paulo later returns by himself on his forty-ninth day on the island, hiding the diamonds in the toilet. While in the washroom, Paulo overhears two of the mysterious and dangerous island inhabitants known as the Others speak of capturing some of Paulo's fellow survivors, however he keeps this information to himself.
On their seventy-second day on the island, Nikki and Paulo join Locke when he ventures back to the Pearl Station, hoping to communicate with the Others."The Cost of Living." ''Lost'', ABC. November 1, 2006. Episode 5, season 3. Paulo returns to the toilet to retrieve the diamonds, storing them in his underwear after that. As they leave, the group witnesses Mr. Eko's death and burial not far from The Pearl.^[5]
Eighty-one days after the crash, Nikki finds out about Paulo hiding the diamonds from her, and in anger releases a venomous spider on him that causes Paulo to be paralysed for the next eight hours. As he is entering the state of paralysis, Paulo admits that he only kept the diamonds from her because he thought that she would leave him after she got them. Nikki then gets bitten and is also temporarily paralysed. The pair is mistaken for dead after being discovered by the survivors. Nikki and Paulo are then accidentally buried alive by James "Sawyer" Ford and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes.

Characteristics

Paulo on day 6.

Paulo was written to be unlikable, with the hope that he would redeem himself when his backstory was revealed in his final episode.^[6] Paulo either resents or is indifferent toward the often heroic actions of some of the survivors, spending much of his time golfing.^[7] He complains to Nikki about not being included, however he does little to help out around the camp and does not try to improve his status in the survivors' hierarchy. When he does get chances to participate in treks, for example, when Hurley finds a car, Paulo is uninterested and discourages Nikki from joining Hurley on his adventure.^[8] Nikki tries to participate, tending to a wounded Mr. Eko and volunteering to go with Locke to the Pearl station, much to the surprise of Paulo. Paulo accompanies her, and he exhibits a constant sarcastic behavior in the Pearl.^[9]
Nikki is manipulative of Paulo and appears to care more about the diamonds than her relationship. After the crash, Paulo becomes suspicious that Nikki is just using him to get the diamonds. The first thing that she asks him after the crash is the whereabouts of the diamonds, and avoids answering Paulo when he asks if they would still be together if she did not need him to help find the diamonds. Paulo does what Nikki tells him to because of his fear of losing her, which results in their deaths.

Creation

At the end of the first season, the writers had the idea that one of the background survivors would emerge and receive an on-island flashback episode to help answer the question, "What the hell is going on with the other 35 people who nothing ever happens to?" At the end of the first season, Leslie Arzt was introduced, with the thought of giving background characters speaking roles, only for him to explode a few episodes later.^[10] It was originally conceived that only a woman would be introduced into the main storyline, however the idea later changed to include her boyfriend, as well.^[11] Nikki and Paulo were also originally set "to have anchored a winking arc of stories,"^[12] however the writers instead decided to tell their story in one episode and quickly remove the characters, due to complaints about the characters and the third season's decline in viewership.^[13] It also became a running gag that Sawyer did not know who Nikki and Paulo were, calling them "Nina" and "Pablo" and asking "who the hell [they were.]"^[14]
Nikki and Paulo's original introduction onto the show was deleted for time from the final cut of the episode, "Further Instructions."^[15] They were supposed to be accidentally found by Claire Littleton in Jack's tent having sex in the middle of the episode.^[16] They were instead introduced at the end of the episode when Locke makes a speech.

Casting

Santoro in New York City in May 2004.

Half-French, half-Puerto Rican^[17] Kiele Michelle Sanchez^[18] portayed Nikki in six episodes of the third season of ''Lost''. She had trouble filming her burial scene due to her claustrophobia.Malcolm, Shawna, (March 29, 2007) "Lost Boss Explains Last Night's Double Demise," ''TV Guide''. Retrieved on April 2, 2007.
Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro,^[19] who has been called "the Brazilian Tom Cruise" and "the Brazilian Russell Crowe,"Ausiello, Michael, (July 25, 2006), "Lost Snags "Brazilian Tom Cruise"," ''TV Guide''. Retrieved on April 3, 2007. was cast in his first major American television role as Paulo on ''Lost''.^[20] Appearing in a total of seven episodes, Santoro was reportedly paid "between $2634 and $6427 a week."^[21] Lindelof called Santoro "talented"^[22] and "perfect for ''Lost'' because he's a face that the American audience is not familiar with," despite being an award-winning actor in his home country of Brazil. A similar reason was given for casting actress Yunjin Kim, "the Korean Julia Roberts,"^[23] in the role of Sun Kwon.^[24] Part of the reason that Santoro was cast over other actors was because of his attractive physique, however the writers said that they were not interested in writing for his character with that in mind, nor did he want them to. Santoro has stated that he enjoyed working with Sanchez, and hopes to return to work on ''Lost''.^[25]

Reception

Reaction to the "devious, but doomed"Roush, Matt, (March 29, 2007) "Lost: Who Were Those Pretty People? Roush Dispatch," ''TV Guide''. Retrieved on June 29, 2007. characters was more negative than for other ''Lost'' characters. One ''Entertainment Weekly'' journalist gave Paulo the nickname, "Paulo Poops-a-Lot," referencing scenes from the episodes, "The Cost of Living" and "Enter 77."^[26] ''America Online's TV Squad'' criticized the writing for the characters,^[27] and the characters were called "boring," "flat," "unwanted"^[28] and "incredibly annoying" by ''Maclean's'' magazine,^[29] and Paulo was called a "walking collateral damage."^[30] ''TV Guide'' wrote that they were "too darn perfect-looking to be believable as humans."^[31] In spring 2007, Nikki and Paulo were voted "worst newcomers" and "worst characters" of the third season with 62% of almost 9000 votes in polls run by DarkUFO.^[32]
When rumors circulated the Internet and were mentioned in ABC commercials that characters were going to die, some viewers hoped for a "double murder"^[33] of Nikki and Paulo and rejoiced when their wish was granted.^[34] Over three months before the episode aired on television, Santoro stated in an interview with Brazillian ''Rolling Stone'' magazine that his character would die in the middle of the third season.^[35] It was also announced that Sanchez had signed on to film a fall 2007 pilot for another ABC show, ''Football Wives''^[36] and thus, it would have been unlikely for her to continue to act as a "murderous femme fatale."

References

External links

★ Biographies for Nikki & Paulo at the Official ''Lost'' Wiki

★ Articles Nikki & Paulo at the Lost Wiki

★ Seasonal promotional photographs for Nikki & Paulo at Lost-Media

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NIKKI AND PAULO

Appearances

Characteristics

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Reception

References

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