I'll be live-blogging the show tonight.
************* Spoilers follow *************
Juliet, doing some feng shui . . . in comes a female doctor or therapist of some sort. Her name is Dr. Harper. By the way, Juliet has a very unfortunate hairdo.
This is a flash-forward, because Juliet is a celebrity, meaning she's in the Oceanic 6. Which is weird because she's not one of the Oceanic passengers.
Wait, this is a flash-back. We're in Otherton and I got duped. Ben is welcoming Juliet to her new house. "Ben, I'm only going to be here for six months." R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t.
Ben is evil. In a very charming way.
Back to the beach. Juliet is helping Sun set something up. Meanwhile, Jack's all perturbed because Charlotte and Daniel have escaped.
Jack, of course, forgot to tell anyone else that Charlotte and Daniel might not be friends. Jin, next time Jack cocks a snook with you, roundhouse kick him in the mug. For me.
Whispers in the jungle! Juliet's freaking out, and there's her therapist!
"Hello Juliet. Long time no see"
Commercial . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to deliver a message, for Ben". Faraday and Lewis are heading to the "tempest", and they're going to "release the gas."
This doctor lady is freaky. Seriously. All dead-pan and . . . she just disappeared.
To her credit, Juliet looks as confused as Jack. She's good. Trust me.
Flashback. Juliet is crying in some medical area. Oh, there's that guy Anna Lucia speared in the second season. I seem to remember Juliet and him having an affair or something . . . This is their "meet cute" moment.
"Pregnant women are dying on this island."
"No one expects you to fix it over night." I can't remember this guy's name!
Doctor Harper is his wife. "If you need to talk, I'm around."
"If you promise not to tell your wife what I said about her, I promise not to tell anyone how you hurt your arm. I know a chemical burn when I see one."
He's Goodwin! Yeah, that was it . . .
Back to the dark night and rainstorm of the jungle. Juliet lets Jack know that the Tempest is an electrical station that powers the island.
Jack wants Juliet to talk. He wants answers. She just wants his help. She looks vulnerable, sad. Jack agrees.
Elsewhere in the jungle (and in the daylight), Faraday and Lewis.
Daniel: "What happens if I can't do it?"
They must be planning on doing something terrible.
Ooh! There's Kate, randomly stumbling upon them in the jungle. She's coming back from Otherton. Charlotte almost blows her away.
Commercial . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charlotte is telling Kate that the Sat phone is out of juice, spinning some yarn about Daniel throwing his pack from the chopper. Some lame story. Kate wants to take a look, and finds a gas mask.
Kate just got cold-cocked by C.S. Lewis. Could the writers have, perhaps, chosen another one of my all-time spiritual heroes to name this loathsome character?
Jack and Juliet in the jungle.
Juliet, on why she needed therapy: "It's very stressful being an Other, Jack." Heh.
"Trust me jack, you don't want to see my file."
Flashback. Juliet explaining to Ben that the immune system of pregnant women turns on the fetus, but only for women who conceived on the island.
In comes Goodwin, and you can tell something's started between them, although they play it down because a) Ben is there and b) Juliet has an appointment with Goodwin's wife in a few minutes.
In therapy. Juliet is describing her great admiration for Ben to Dr. Harper.
"He's been very good to me."
Harper: "Of course he has. You look just like her." I wonder who "her" is?
Harper is suspicious of Juliet's relationship with Goodwin.
"When did you start sleeping with him?"
Juliet is acting offended. Harper knows it's happening; she has followed her, has watched them.
"If you continue to have a relationship with Goodwin (is that his first name?) there will be consequences. I don't want him to get hurt"
Evidently, she's afraid Ben will hurt him.
Now to Otherton, present-day. Locke is butchering some road-kill. Claire wants to talk with Miles. [Update: I just remembered the handgrenade thing. Does Miles still have that in his mouth?]
Claire doesn't think Locke's going to have much luck. She says "You killed one, Ben shot one." [Update: It took me a bit to remember who Ben shot. Now I remember - it was Charlotte, but she was wearing a vest]
"Don't you want to know who's boat it is?" Um, YES!!!
Locke's feeding Ben. By the way, it was a rabbit.
"This one didn't have a number on it, did it?" Intriguing.
Ben's reeeeeeeeling John in.
I mean, totally hook, line and sinker. John's trying to match wits, be all cool and everything, but he's not doing very well. Ben is imploring him to join forces against a common enemy (Widmore?)
John's not buying it. But I notice he's also not just knifing Ben, or at the least just leaving and closing the door, either.
Ben: "I guess I'll have to show you"
Commercial . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Flashback: Juliet in a bikini, having a beach-picnic with Goodwin, who evidently either doesn't have a first name or doesn't have a last name. Even his wife calls him "Goodwin".
Goodwin: "Why am I not just telling her?"
Juliet, why are you not just telling him that his wife already knows?
Heh, speaking of Ben, "he has a crush on you, he follows you around like a puppy"
Evidently Goodwin could "kill every man, woman,and child on the island if he hits the wrong switch" So I guess he's not afraid of Ben, even though Ben will soon send him to his death.
Flash (partly) forward to the breakup of Oceanic 815. Awesome scene! Ben sends Goodwin to the Tailies, and there's Harper in the background. Was she there in the background at the beginning of S3? I wonder.
Now, to the present (or whenever it is! All this jumping around's getting me confused), Jack and Juliet are running through the jungle. And they find Kate, beaten bloody by Charlotte Staples Lewis.
Kate lets Jack know they have gas masks. I think he already knew that, but had been remarkably bonhomie about it.
Now Juliet's gone. That woman's like the Flash.
Back to Locke, Ben and Otherton. Ben's promising "no tricks. We have a deal, right?" R-i-i-i-i-i-i-g-h-t.
Ben: "It's behind that picture".
It's a safe. 36-15-28 is the combination.
Jack opens it. It's a video of the Red Sox.
"I taped over the game." Heh! Ben's evil. But he does it very well.
It's a video of Charles Widmore. "This is the man who's boat is parked offshore. This is the man who has been trying to find the island."
There's a hostage with a blindfold. One of Ben's people who got caught. Widmore's beating the tar out of him.
Ben reminds John about the miraculous traits of the island (such as John not being in a wheelchair anymore). Widmore wants to possess the island, for obvious reasons.
For everyone who is always complaining about not getting any answers: we're getting a lot of answers here.
Ben just passed a notebook containing all he knows about Widmore to John.
John wants to know who the man on the boat is.
"Alright, but you might want to sit down."
We'll have to wait until after the . . .
Commercial . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So, who do you think it is? Wonder if we'll find out this ep?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Back to Kate. She recovered quickly and she's packing heat.
"At Locke's, why'd you stay?"
"I stayed to find out if the people on the freighter know who I am. They know that I'm a fugitive, that I'm wanted for murder."
Juliet, at some structure. Perhaps this is The Tempest. She looks pretty intense.
She's packing heat too.
Flashback. Ben invited Juliet over. He is all domesticated. Smiling, evil, and domesticated. He is Evil incarnate, wearing an apron. And evidently this is a date. He forgot to tell her. She thought it was a dinner party.
Ben is talking about the kids, the lists, etc.
This is after Oceanic 815 crashed. "What about Goodwin?" Ben isn't telling her about what happened, and he's sort of insinuating that Goodwin is infatuated with Anna Lucia, instead of being dead. Ben's just cheerfully chattering on. He's like a likable Heinrich Himmler.
Back inside The Tempest. It's a big ol' hatch on steroids. Someone's in a clean-suit down there, messing with the computer. Probably Faraday or Charlotte. The computer is complaining about this, in one of those emotionless famale voices sounding over a klaxon and lots of pneumatic sounds. Does it seem that ever since Hal 9000, all computers in TV and movies have been women, or is it just me? Juliet's about to shoot somebody. Well, she's holding a gun on him at least. It's Faraday.
Exasperated. "Juliet, what are you doing here"
Commercial . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Back to the standoff in Tempest. Juliet has not yet pulled the trigger.
Daniel tells her that he's trying to render the gas inert. But really it's just a dodge, so Charlotte can sneak up behind her and beat the crud out of her. But I think Juliet's going to make it. Yes, she has recovered, and now she's got Charlotte's mask off and has a gun on her. Juliet rocks.
Charlotte tells her that they are trying to render the gas inert before Ben uses it against them.
Maybe they really are trying to render it inert. Everyone's got their masks off.
We're down to the last second, and Faraday did it!
Ok, maybe they're not so bad after all.
Flashback to Juliet and Ben in Otherton. Juliet's telling Ben that Jack is a spinal surgeon.
She thought he would be more excited. "Ben, what's wrong?"
Ben takes her to Goodwin's dead body. Goodwin has looked better.
Ben: "Guess I should have listened to you."
Juliet: "Why did you bring me out here?"
Ben: "What, you mean instead of his wife?" Ow!
Juliet: "You knew this would happen." Juliet's starting to clue into Ben and his evil.
"Why?"
"You're asking me why? After everything I did to get you here, everything I've done to keep you here? How could you not understand?! You're MINE!"
Then, all pleasant: "Take as much time as you need."
Ok, that's pretty creepy.
Back to Tempest.
Now Kate's about to shoot them. I find Kate irritating. So very irritating. Do you?
Juliet is vouching for them. Charlotte will be "more than happy to explain how we just saved your life!" Kate relents.
Jack and Julet share in a tender moment.
Juliet: "Ben wanted me to kill them."
Jack asks the obvious "How can he tell you anything?"
These people came here to wage war on Ben. And "Ben's gonna win, Jack. You don't want to be anywhere near me when he does."
Heh. "He knows where to find me." Well said, Jack.
Jack and Juliet have some chemistry. I like Jackiet.
Alright! Sawyer and Hurley, playing horseshoes. Hurley wins. I love it when Hurley beats Sawyer.
They both notice Ben walking around free. He waves "See you guys at dinner."
Dumb John.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Next week: Sun has to get off this island. Some girl jumps off the boat into the water carrying a baby. We're going to find out who the sixth Oceanic 6 is. And we'll see someone we never expected to see again (Michael, probably).
This was a pretty good show. Thoughts?
- Charles Spurgeon
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/4455.
Meh,
Worst episode of the season for me. The whole Bathsheba plot with Goodwin, Ben, and Juliet wasn't set up nearly enough to deliver any emotional connection.
The shutdown of another station, the Tempest, also seemed contrived and the end result still leaves open the question whether the Boaties are good or bad.
And indentifying Charles Widmore as the arch enemy of Ben was pretty much assumed from prior episodes and also tells us nothing about his or Ben's true motivations.
Ah well, all the episodes can't be as great as last weeks. Even when it's weak, Lost is better than almost anything else out there.
BTW, agree totally about disliking an evil CS Lewis. I read an interview where the creators of Lost hinted that some later development with her character is going to explain the name choice. Guess we'll have to wait and see if the creators are admirers of Lewis or not.
"And indentifying Charles Widmore as the arch enemy of Ben was pretty much assumed from prior episodes and also tells us nothing about his or Ben's true motivations. "
I agree that the Widmore piece was known, but this show helped explain a bit more of his motivation, I thought.
Random, but I've come up with a theory (it's probably been floated elsewhere - I may even just think it's my idea but have heard it elsewhere).
The island is the Garden of Eden - hence the healing properties, spiritual forces, lack of visibility to the outside world, etc.
A twisted, after-the-fall Garden, but the Garden nonetheless.
Bill, along that line, my view has been for a while that the island is Atlantis, which has various similar mythic properties associated with it as the Garden of Eden.
Tolkien stated he had recurrent dreams of the Atlantis myth (a giant wave advancing from the sea) and confirmed that his Numenor in LOTR is largely based on that Atlantis myth. And, of course, we all know about the relationship between Lewis and Tolkien and there love of mythology in general.
As for the Widmore comment, the only thing we learned about Charles Widmore's motivation to seek out the island is what Ben says it is (i.e. profit), which may or may not be true. That is why I said it really tells us nothing about his true motivations.
I was totally expecting Ben to say "It's you, John."
That would have been awesome!
I know, right? I should totally write for "Lost." :-)
I actually thought this episode was pretty darn good. Not as good as the last two, but not bad. Not a letdown. This season has been awesome so far.
I'm excited about a Sun/Jin storyline next week. After Jack and Hurley, Jin is my favorite Lostie.
But now I figure it's Michael.
Way to go with the obvious, ABC.
It's pretty silly of the preview to act like we're going to be shocked to see Michael, as Harold Perrineau's name has appeared in the opening credits every episode this season.
Did anyone notice the safe was empty, except for the Red Sox tape? Then Ben pulled the file out of it a few minutes later? I'm sure it wasn't in there when John opened it. Ben can do strange things.
And it seemed like an awfully thin file for someone like Charles Widmore. Would he really keep that stuff in his living room safe? With all his secret rooms, the network of cells, laboratories, etc. I think the safe is just a "magic" box, like the one he told Locke about last season---the box he used to get Locke's father from Tallahassee to the island in record time.
I think Ben is fooling Locke. Again. Ben can see the future, I believe. I think he has the same time-traveling capabilities as Desmond and Walt. But he can control it very, very, very well. That's why he always seem one step ahead of everyone else, even while incarcerated.
I was hoping Kate would see Jack and Juliet kissing.
"I think Ben is fooling Locke."
True dat.
Locke has had the most precipitous drop on my Awesome scale of any character on that show. He used to be one of my favorite characters. Around the time he dropped Boone off with Jack and lied about what happened, I started to wonder. During the 2nd season when he whined a lot it got even more shaky. Last year things got a bit better, until he knifed Naomi. This season he's fallen even farther, and is a knave and a fool, and certainly not someone anyone would follow (which makes it less believable to me that all those Losties are following him). I can't stand him now. I like Ben more than I like Locke.
I was hoping Kate would see Jack and Juliet kissing.
Yes. I also like Juliet a lot more than I like Kate. I'm kinda glad Jack and Juliet are together now. Takes pressure off the silly SawyerKateJack thing.
By the way, the theory that Ben can see the future is an interesting one. You're right, it would explain a lot.
I don't like any of the ladies on the island.
Well, Rose and Sun.
But the rest I could take or leave, and yes, that goes for Claire too.
I've never much liked Claire either.
I am probably with you for the most part. I really like Sun (even with some of the shadier parts of her past revealed). I like Juliet but that like is tenuous - I could turn on her at any moment.
I greatly dislike Kate. The rest of the ladies I'm more or less neutral on.
Yeah, right. We can't stand Kate the Murderer because she's annoying. (I agree that she is.) But Juliet the Adulteress is starting to look good because she . . . what? Well, she smiles pretty, and she doesn't whine.
That's the thing about soap operas, which LOST is even though there's a bit more to it than just a soap: you start to try to sort out the bad guys and the good guys. But really over the course of the show, they all do really bad stuff to keep the drama going. SO it becomes a matter of who's the most likeable Sinner today or in this episode.
I like Faraday right now, but I'll probably find out something bad about him before it's all over. And Hurley disappointed me when he betrayed/tricked Kate and crew in the second or third episode of this season and turned them over to Locke. I can say that I never, never, never liked Locke. If he's really supposed to be a symbol of (Christian) Faith (I think it's pagan faith in the god of the island, and it's become faith in himself as the God and Saviour of the Island), then I don't like the writers' concept of Faith.
I'm having a hard time forgiving the writers for what they did to Hurley, making him betray his friends. Arrgh!
My favorite Hurley moment of all time, by the way, is him driving the VW Microbus to the rescue at the end of last season, and his triumphant and defiant message over the walkie: "Attention Others! Come In Others!" - Heh.
That's the Hurley I know. Innocent, brave, always willing to help, funny. Not a traitor.
Stinkin' writers . . .
Your points about Juliet are well taken. I guess for my part I know all the characters are deeply flawed (like Sun, also an adulteress). Some are more irritatingly flawed than others :-)
Fav line from Juliet this week "It's very stressful being an Other, Jack"
I didn't like Hurley betraying friends either. But remember, in his mind, he was sticking by his friend Charlie, and I don't think he wanted Charlie to have died for information they weren't willing to act on.
I don't like Juliet. Never have. And I'm still not entirely convinced she's a good guy. Meaning, good for the Losties.
I liked Locke for about 5 minutes. But even when he was "cool," I didn't like him. I didn't like him when he smacked Charlie around even though everyone thought that was awesome.
And being the Jack fanboy that I am, I have never sided with Locke in the Jack/Locke tension.
Speaking of everyone being bad: Has Jack sinned yet? I mean, yeah, I know he has. But aside from spiraling into drugs, depression, ambition, workaholism, faith-in-himself-ism, etc., has he betrayed anyone, murdered anyone, cheated on anyone, etc?
Honestly can't remember, but I don't think he has.
One more reason why Jack rocks a wide variety of kasbah-type structures.
I actually thought this was a pretty good episode. Though seeing Locke act so stupid just grates on my nerves. How can he let Ben get under his skin so easily? The writers took his mojo away and they need to give it back. They're yo-yoing Locke too much.
Some questions/observations :
- Just what are the whispers? Harper seems pretty real and non-ghosty when she appears to Juliet and talks, well, like a normal person would. Not like back-masking Walt. But then she just goes poof?
- I think this ep helps solidify Jules as a "good" character. At the very least it gives more credence to why she wanted to off Ben.
- Ben is bad bad bad bad bad.
- I don't think Dan or Charlotte are necessarily good/bad. They're just being used for Widmore's purposes. But at some point they'll have to choose sides.
- Where has Ol Smokey been hiding out?
Best line of the show? "See you guys at dinner"
Oh, one more thing, there is no way Danny boy was able to type that fast in hazmat gloves.
I think the Smoke Monster manifests itself as people (like Harper). But I'm not sure. Remember recently that Ben seemed to have no knowledge of it?
"Ben is bad bad bad bad bad."
True. But in a charming, understated sort of way.
"I didn't like him when he smacked Charlie around even though everyone thought that was awesome."
Man, that was awesome! Charlie deserved it, putting a baby at risk. Drug-addled creep (although he definitely got better).
"Has Jack sinned yet?"
Naw. He's just been a really unstable leader. Unlike Sayid, who not only rocks all Kasbahs, he fixes all Kasbah radios too.
But I like Jack a lot more than I like Locke. So far this season Jack's been pretty good.
Unlike Sayid, who not only rocks all Kasbahs, he fixes all Kasbah radios too.
Yeah, when he's not torturing the bejeebers out of random Kasbah dwellers.
Jack sort of like cheated on his wife, too, didn't he? In a previous life. Or maybe he was just attracted to the South American girl with the dying father. Whatever. It was enough to give his wife the excuse she needed to leave him. Soap opera stuff.
I think Jared has a point about Jack's demons - they are not so much overt sinful behavior toward others. More of a self-destructiveness.
But Jack has been, to his credit, a sacrificial leader. He is not as selfless as Hurley or Sayid (who I think is probably the most selfless character on the show), as there's an element of ego in what Jack does, but he will do pretty much anything for his people. The last episode of S3 redeemed Jack a lot in my eyes.
Did anyone else read the comment by the producers that the scene with Hurley setting up Kate, Sayid, and Miles was an homage to Lando Calrission (not a Star Wars fan, have no idea how to spell it...sorry!) in the Empire Strikes Back betraying Han Solo?
And yep, the gloves and the typing was completely distracting for me in that scene.
Since Dr. Harper is married to Goodwin, may be Goodwin's last name is Harper? Goodwin Harper.
Not that it matters seeing as he's, you know, dead.
About Jack sinning, he didn't necessarily do anything bad to others.
But if you remember in the tattoo episode...
*Shivers*
I like Juliet. I don't dislike Jack. But I like Jack and Kate better. I guess 'cause they never really confirmed their relationship... so I just want it confirmed before they 'break-up' and move on.
Good ep.
And I like Ben. Evil or not.
"But if you remember in the tattoo episode... "
Ah yes. I forgot about that one. Jack was really flying off the handle in that one.
Reminds me of one of the best quotes I'd read about Lost, Season 3 (especially the early part).
"Jack Sheppard, yelling his way to greatness, one woman at a time"
Heh.
"Who's your man on the boat?"
"You'll need to sit down."
I was totally expecting Ben to say "It's you, John."
You know, cuz of the whole time travel thing.
But now I figure it's Michael.
Way to go with the obvious, ABC.
Oh, and C.S. Lewis sure is a fan of blindsiding the ladies.