This episode, and maybe even the entire Nikki/Paulo thing, was a work of pure genius. The fact the Nikki and Paulo were almost universally reviled is undeniable. This episode makes me think one of two things: 1) those characters were created intentionally as annoying and unlikable with this episode in mind as a 'breather', or 2) the writers realized how poorly received they were during season 3's hiatus and 'fixed' this episode later to give viewers this ending. Either way, the dispatching of these terrible characters was extremely satisfying to behold, and made one of my favorite inconsequential episodes/running story lines of the series. Long live Lost.