LOST: Episode 3:16

"One of Us"

I LOVED this episode. I know I've complained many times about the addition of new, unnecessary characters to the story, but I just can't complain about Juliet and Benry. As characters, they are fascinating and the actors are incredible.

Juliet - What in the world is she up to?! I never trust her completely, but she was totally winning me over last night. She had me crying when she saw her sister on the video feed from Miami, for crying out loud! But I should have known better. That final scene of her with Benry in the wheelchair was amazing. I was nodding my head even while I was "Oh-my-God"-ing.

Actually, I think she's playing both sides right now (or at least I hope she is). It's pretty clear to me that her motivation for doing just about everything is finding a way off of the island. Perhaps she struck another deal with Benry? She could be doing Benry's bidding in the hope that he still has access to a way home.

While we don't know exactly what she's up to, we did get a lot of information about her:

She and Benry were not in a romantic relationship prior to the plane crash, as I thought;
She and Goodwin were. Weirdly enough, I think I was more grossed out by Goodwin in the bed than I would have been by seeing Benry;
She dragged Kate into the jungle and handcuffed herself to her last week;
She was not kidnapped by Mittelos but voluntarily drank the drugged OJ so she would be unconscious for the trip to the island;
She was brought to the island to research and treat the problem of pregnant island women dying after their immune system turns on the fetus, and she doesn't seem to have solved the problem yet;
She and Ethan were responsible for the Claire abduction and injections and, if you believe Juliet, for saving Claire's and Aaron's lives. So maybe she has solved the problem? Or perhaps the women die only if the child is conceived on the island?

Quick Thoughts

• Will Claire have to continue receiving injections, or was this a one-off and the injection Juliet gave her negated the effect of the implant (in effect "shutting it off")?
• Worst line of the night: "She's under my protection." Oh, give me a break.
• The sign on the wall behind Juliet when she drinks the OJ reads "HERARAT Airlines". "Herarat" is an anagram for "Earhart". Hee.
• Whether or not Juliet is evil, she was right about Sayid and Sawyer.
• Benry and Juliet's visit to Mikhail's station was one of my favorites scenes this year, between Benry's snarky remarks on the way in and Juliet's reaction to seeing her sister alive.
• At first I wondered who the "Richard" was in Miami that Benry was talking to about the video feed, but I looked it up today and he's Richard Alpert, the guy who recruited Juliet.
• The mark on the tree where Juliet found the medicine bag is very similar to the mark on Juliet's back.
• I enjoyed Kate and Sawyer's reunion on the beach. I never really cared about all the love triangle stuff before, but now I think they belong together.
• Benry told Juliet he would see her in a week. Season finale, perhaps?

And now for your weekly dose of the Desmond: