Jorge Garcia did the watercolor painting that Hurley is working on outside the hospital ground before Charlie appears.
The letters "H" and "O" come up several times in this episode. This is interesting because "H" is the 8th letter of the alphabet and "O" is the 15th (815). Charlie first appears to Hurley near the "Ho-Ho's." When Hurley is in the mental institution, "H" and "O" can be seen in the background. Also, when Hurley and Jack play Horse in the gym, they stop after Jack gets the first two letters, "H" and "O."
This is the first season premiere that was not Jack-centric. It's also the first season premiere that didn't open with a shot of someone's eye.
In Hurley's vision in the interrogation room, Charlie has the words "They Need You" written on his hand.
When Hurley crashes the Camaro, his old boss at the chicken shack, Randy Nations, can be seen video taping the whole thing.