Lost: What Naomi really said
Naomi, the mysterious parachutist, said some mind-blowing things to the crash survivors in "D.O.C." Besides the bizarre news that someone had found the 815 wreckage and its dead passengers, she revealed that she's multilingual. Over the course of the episode, she spoke Chinese, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. She also had a secret conversation with Mikhail.
Lost fans have been busy translating Naomi's statements from Wednesday's episode. TV Squad's Brigitte Dale and many others have pointed out that Mikhail lied about Naomi thanking him. She actually said "I am not the only one." As if the plane crash news wasn't strange enough! Her statement could be interpreted several ways, depending on who she's working with. At the very least, it sounds like someone else could have landed on the island.
One possibility is that Naomi works for Penny, who has been looking for the island for some time (Season Two finale). Naomi might be part of a search party made up of at least one other person. She was carrying a photo of Desmond and Penny, after all. In "Catch-22," Desmond and others heard a splash in the water before the crash in the jungle. Did another person drop into the ocean? This mystery person could be Penny, one of the Brazilians at the listening station, or someone else entirely.
It is also possible that Naomi is connected with the Others. Mikhail didn't accidentally stumble across Desmond, Jin, Hurley, and Charlie. He ran right toward them with a purpose, in response to the flare. Perhaps Mikhail and the Others were expecting Naomi, and the flare gun was meant to be used as a signal to them. Our one-eyed friend was also very interested in the items that Naomi was carrying, particularly the satellite phone. If the Others' communications capabilities were destroyed, they would need new supplies. Naomi may have been delivering the satellite phone to them, as part of the restoration.
I thought it was suspicious that Naomi didn't start speaking English with Hurley until Mikhail took off. When Mikhail was present, she spoke to him in a language that none of the others understood (she had already figured out that Hurley spoke Spanish). In "Enter 77," Bea Klugh spoke Russian with Mikhail when she was captured by Kate and Sayid. The Others could have a plan in place that involves switching languages around outsiders. Was Naomi informing Mikhail that a second Other came with her to the island?
Neither one of these explanations completely lines up. If Naomi is Penny's employee, why was she so chummy with Mikhail? If Naomi was an Other, why did she have Desmond's photo? We'll have to wait at least another week to get any real answers. In the meantime, what do you think? Is Naomi a friend or a foe?

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