Season 4, Episode 6: "The Other Woman"

Ok, so maybe not the strongest episode of the season, but again, it was a somewhat welcome break after the crazy shit the writers have been throwing at us for the past few weeks. And while "The Other Woman" seemingly focused on Juliette, did anyone get the sense that (other than the nice bikini scene) this episode seemed to have a rather Ben-centric theme to it? We'll get to that, but first let's go over what we learned this week.


So was anyone else semi-fooled at the show's opening? I first thought that maybe Juliette had somehow tricked the world into believing that she was one of the Oceanic 6 - even though that sweet teased 80's hairdo totally screamed otherwise. However once our old pal Mr. Friendly pops in we realize that we've entered into a good 'ole trusty flashback. Another hint that this was a flashback (for you eagle eyes out there) was Harper's credentials hanging up on the wall behind her. Apparently she has received her degree in "Experimental Social Psychology" (or something like that...it's pretty hard to read) - a degree that is credited by the Hanso Foundation.




Does this mean that Harper could be one of the lucky ones that Ben brought to his side before executing the Purge? Obviously he had to keep a few folks alive to keep a functioning society going, so I think it's likely that more than a few of the remaining Others are former Dharma folks. The rest are likely natives, a la Ageless Richard (who by the way has been regrettably absent this season...damn you new CBS drama Cane!) (Although I'm pretty sure that show got canceled...hopefully this means future Richard sightings for us).

Moving on, the next flashback shows the ever so sweet first meeting between star crossed lovers Juliette and Goodwyn. Goodwyn tries to cover up the fact that he's got a chemical burn and Juliette totally disses Goodwyn's wife. Nice play on both ends. We get a hint that the crush is developing nicely when Goodwyn brings Juliette an extra egg salad on rye after Ethan "calls in sick" (Seriously? How do you call in sick as an Other? Is he checking his emails from home? Also, the Island can cure paralysis but can't cure the common cold? I call bullshit on lazy ass Ethan). This scene is important only for how Ben reacts to Goodwyn's sudden enthusiastic pop in. He sees the excitement in his and Juliette's eyes and doesn't like it one bit. This, in my opinion, is where this episode diverts from Juliette's story and starts to focus more on Ben's creepy obsessive behavior.

So it's no joke that Ben has a crush on Juliette. He's as lame as ever when he tricks her into coming over for a "dinner party" and nearly overcooks his ham. But is it really feelings that he has for her or is it a desire to "posses" Juliette as his own? It is at this moment that the episode's title becomes relevant. Who is "The Other Woman?" Sure there is the love triangle between Harper, Goodwyn, and Juliette....and the newly forming love triangle between Jack, Juliette, and Ben. But the real triangle here could be between Juliette, Ben, and Ben's Mom (helloooo, Dr. Freud). Too off the wall?? Maybe. But what do you think Harper was talking about when she said to Juliette that she "looked just like her" when explaining why Ben liked her Juliette so much? So soon we forget that Ben basically idolized his Mom (or maybe the idea of his Mom, since she died upon giving birth to Ben) while living under the unloved tyranny that his soon to be murdered father created for him. And let's also not forget that Ben and an illusion of his Mom shared quite a moment in his first childhood flashback on the Island. And guess who she looked like?



But getting back to Ben's "crush." I don't think that he really wanted to get into Juliette's pants or anything...that's not his style. He instead need to feel that he exerted a power over her, and that he had control over her. This observation is never more evident when Ben exclaims "You Are Mine!" to a grieving Juliette over Goodwyn's decaying body. Ben obviously has some power issues, and we've seen that those traits have not worked out so well for him at the present time. But even seeing him in captivity, we still feel that he is running the show. And even though Juliette has for the moment broken free of his grasp, she states to Jack that "Ben will win," and for some reason that prediction is all too easy to believe. After all, we know Ben makes it through this current mess and gets off the Island in the future (and is still up to his usual shenanigans). And more immediately, we also know that he'll meet up with Sawyer and Hurley for dinner...once again talking his way out of captivity...


But enough psychoanalysis jibber jabber. Let's get to what's happening with Jack and Co. First and foremost Juliette encounters an out of nowhere soaking wet Harper in the Jungle telling her to kill Faraday and Charlotte on orders from Ben. There are a couple things happening here. First, the voices are back. Second, the simple fact that Harper comes and goes without a trace. How is that possible? Well, even though we haven't seen him in quite a while, I believe that this is the work of our old friend Smokey. We know that the Black Smoke is some sort of defense system for the Island, so what better defense than to try and kill the folks that are trying "hurt" the Island. And we know that Juliette had her mind "read" by Smokey back in the episode titled "Left Behind," when she was trapped in the tree with Kate in the Jungle and the Smokey descended upon them, flashing lights into their eyes and generally scaring the crap out of them. So theoretically, Smokey could have used her memories to deceive her (as Yemmy did to Eko and Dave did to Hurley) into thinking that Harper was for real. Of course an obvious question here is how could Jack have been able to see her as well? Well, the smoke itself can be seen by everyone, so why couldn't a manifestation of the Smoke be seen by everyone?

[Another theory posed by my brother on this topic is that the voices and Harper's sudden appearance and disappearance can be explained by this whole Time Travel business that we have encountered in the recent past. That maybe the Others (or Natives) have been able to harness this power and seemlessly travel from time to time without consequence. I am intrigued by this theory, but for the time being I'm convinced that only one's consciousness can travel through time and not his or her entire body (as that seemed to happen in this example). However...it's something to keep in mind.]

My biggest problem with the episode is that no one ever explained HOW the Tempest Station gas-release was triggered. We eventually found out that Faraday and Charlotte were working feverishly (in what turned out to be a very predictable and anti climactic scene) to STOP the release and to save the Island's inhabitants rather than to kill them. But what wasn't explained was how the countdown was initiated and who started it. Surely some would say that one of Ben's cronies started the release, but then my answer would be: why? Why would they effectively kill themselves? It makes no sense. I guess my only answer is that Charlotte and Faraday purposefully triggered the system so that they could subsequently control it manually from that point on. In that case, no one would be able to use it against them (and would clear the path for more of their allies to embark the Island). But I'm still pretty confused over the whole ordeal...a part of me thinks that it was just an elaborate storytelling construct that didn't have a lot of substance behind it (and after writing that, I'm getting ready to seriously put my foot in my mouth...we'll see).


I know that I didn't talk at all about the fact the Whidmore is supposedly behind all of the freighter business. While I don't necessarily dispute this assumption, I also think that we need to know a lot more about the situation to actually believe a word that Ben says on the matter. I mean, seriously, when has the guy spoken truthfully about anything? But Locke, the impressionable sponge that he is, believes the shit out of him and then even invites him to dinner. Go figure. Although I do think that we'll find out who Ben's man on the boat is very soon...and don't say I didn't tell you so! (Again...that foot's going to just stay in there for a while...)

Easter Eggs:

Book Club Time! I didn't want to again include another book reference into the main section, but it is notable to realize that the new Dharma "Tempest" station probably has some relevance to Shakespeare's famous play about - well, a bunch of folks stranded on a deserted island. A quick recap of the play by sounds familiar:

Much like Lost itself, the story of The Tempest involves a group of characters who crash on a deserted island, and then come into conflict with supernatural forces and a group of other inhabitants. Prospero, the powerful man in control of this island, serves as the central character of this drama. Prospero uses his magic, as well as his skills of manipulation, to keep his daughter Miranda, his servant Caliban, and an invisible spirit Ariel all under his control. Eventually, after a complicated power struggle among different parties, Prospero chooses to release all of his subjects from bondage, and all of the characters sail away from the island to return happily to civilization. (thanks to DarkUFO)


The Map that Danielle had...how'd they get there hands on that nice little prize?


A few shots of the Whidmore tape. Your guesses are as good as mine as to who the captive is...Richard? Who's filming?


And finally, we'll end on a bit of humor. For those of us that are hopelessly addicted to Lost, we finally have a cure....





And that'll do it for this week. As usual, let me know what I missed in the comments!