Season 3, Episode 16 "One of Us"

We're getting there. Plot holes are being filled in, questions are being answered, and progressions are being made. I enjoyed last week's episode, and I think Juliette's character is proving to be one of the more important people on the Island. And I appreciate the fact that the writers have let us in on her secret for now...I don't think I could have dealt with another "is she or isn't she a spy" type of situation for another few episodes. But with one secret revealed, we're still left with plenty of questions...most importantly: after all that she's been through, why would Juliette still want to help Ben and the Others?

We find out quite a bit about Juliette through this episodes flashbacks. She enjoys a nice tranquilizer cocktail from time to time, she not very good at keeping pregnant women alive, she's banging Goodwin (and NOT Ben, as some thought), and has pretty much wanted to leave the Island from the moment she got there. So one thought is that her desire to get off the Island is so strong that she will betray Jack once again and spy for Ben and the Others. But what is there to spy on? Haven't they tortured these people enough?

Well, at one point, Ben argues that they will have to "find more pregnant women" when discussing their depleting sample of preggies in Othersville. Therefore, one reason for Juliette's presence is to keep an eye on who may be pregnant on the Island. We know that Sun has conceived, and at this point, Sawyer's probably game to knock someone up...I mean, it's probably bound to happen when you're stranded on a deserted island with some good looking ladies, right? So Juliette finds some more test subjects, and in exchange she will finally be able to leave the Island and reunite with her sister Rachel. OR, she's just playing Ben and the Others. We can't rule this out just yet, cause at this point, with the sub apparently blown up, there is no confirmed way off the island to begin with. Regardless, we'll find out in a week, as that's when Ben will come retrieve her. (But don't forget that a week in "Lost" time could mean another 4-6 episodes. Damn.)

And what about the Island curing cancer but not allowing births? Rachel is cured, as is Rose (remember her? She hasn't had any face time this season really but she was dying from cancer before the Island cured her). Ben had a "tumor", but they never went so far as to call it cancer. And the pregnancy problems? When did these start? Because let's not forget that Ben was apparently born on the Island, Rousseau gave birth to Alex, and that Claire had Aaron (although it seems like she had some help from Juliette and the Others on that front). Not sure what the answers are here, but it seems that something happened to stop Island births. Was it associated with Dharma's presence?

....

A couple of quick things: Juliette meets Richard Alpert and Ethan at Herarat Aviation which is likely an anagram for "Earhart," as in Amelia Earhart, the doomed female pilot trying to cross the Atlantic.

And here is an interesting pic that I thought I'd include. The workers on the sub are wearing a T-Shirt with a Dharma inspired logo on it. Without the details of the relationship between the Others and Dharma fully known at this point, it's worth pointing out this little catch. (Did they steal the sub from Dharma? Could there have been some Dharma defectives? )

And here is just one other easter egg from last Wednesday...

Rachel's Chart that Ben shows Juliette (when he tells her the cancer has returned)...likely a prop error unless we are to believe that Juliette would miss such a glaring error.

And now onto next week. Not sure if any of you caught the latest Lost article/blurb in the most recent Entertainment Weekly, but without mentioning any minor spoilers, the next few weeks sound pretty promising. Looking forward to tomorrow night, see you here later this week.