That whole section of the show was just a letdown for me.

The rest of the episode….. fantastic!

Thanks for the great podcasts!!

Mike R.

In “One of Us,” Juliet’s line to Sayid still intrigues me: “If I told you who I was, if I told you everything I know, you’d kill me.” He already knows she is an Other at this point, part of the community responsible for abducting and experimenting on the survivors. What secret knowledge beyond what we’ve seen would assure such a severe reaction? Ending fertility, the wellspring of life? Having been changed by the monster into something truly other? Directing the timeline toward the devastating incident? (recall the landing strip and Juliet’s “And here we go” as if she knew it was all beginning to happen.) This all returns us to one of the most basic questions of Lost–what are the Others up to, what does defending the island require?

Notice the blinking red light of the parachutist’s beacon in Catch-22. It’s identical to those we’ve seen on answering machines and the omnipresent video camera that’s always watching just to name a few. I always cite this example as evidence for one of my favorite crackpot theories– that Lost is all a virtual dream on a hospital ward. Fragments of true reality, such as the lights and alarms of consciousness-sustaining machines, intrude upon the dream from time to time and are transfigured into significant symbols by the mind. For instance, the whispers are people speaking in the same room. This theory probably won’t literally be true, but they are signs of a reality behind or beyond the one that we are immediately aware of. Just recall how the menu screens melt away from one reality to the next as you rewatch past seasons on DVD.

We get a typical example of the speaking in tongues theme in DOC. How many languages does Naomi employ? And then, if that were not confusing enough, Mikhail misreports what she actually said. She says, “I am not alone.”

What a great episode! Juliet is one of the most wonderfully complex characters I can ever remember on a TV show. And this episode really sets the stage for her. I remember the first time around questioning her motives, etc. and at the end of the episode she seems to be just a female version of Ben. Even when she manipulates Sayid and Sawyer, it could have been Ben talking. But now, with my Season 5 eyes, I love her character — she’s my favorite. And Elizabeth Mitchell is just amazing. She deserves an Emmy in my opinion.

One major question lingers for me after re-watching “One of Us” — was Ben just manipulating Juliet when he told her that Rachel was going to die, but he (or Jacob) can cure her? For all Juliet knew, that could have all been a con. Or are we supposed to believe that Jacob can cure cancer?? And on the mainland, no less. I don’t think we’ll ever get these kinds of answers, but one can hope….

Thanks again for the great podcasts. I’m really enjoying the Season 3 re-watch and the Season 6 “Forward Cabins”.

Best Regards,
Mike R.

Lingering questions: What did Naomi say to Mikhail? And why did she only speak English later? He remains a bit of a mystery. I can’t wait to review the rest of the season and just might run through 4&5 again before January.

Can’t wait to hear the podcast,
Namaste,
Bonita

But I did enjoy the subtext of Sawyer and Jack’s Pong Game and especially Desmond’s meeting with Penny.

I wonder now if the ‘calling’ Desmond had could’ve been a first Jacob contact. I’d completely forgotten he’d run out on a planned wedding, I wonder if he ever told Penny?

My big question is what exactly happens if you are not sedated for the journey to the Island.

And WHO was that in the Sub as Juliet was exiting? Michael?

I got 5 minutes into the episode and found myself tearing up. The scene where Juliet and her sister Rachel say goodbye to each other is so heartbreaking, especially now that we know (or think we know) Juliet’s fate. Juliet left Rachel under the pretense that they would see each other again in 3 months, only to be held captive on the island by Ben. Odds are that Juliet will never be reunited with her sister. Juliet’s whole island experience really is quite tragic.

Oh, how much I hated Juliet after this episode! Funny to remember that I once used to despise both her and Ben, and now they’re both in my top five. But that last flashback is a gasper, for sure!

I want to know more about Claire’s implant. How is it activated? Do the Others have a remote-controlled implant activator? Which is capable of sending a signal from New Otherton to the beach? And did they originally place the implant because their plan all along was to eventually send in Juliet to infiltrate? Seems kind of silly to me.

How was Jacob able to cure Rachel’s cancer? And did he agree to do it because he knew that Juliet needed to stay on the island in order to trigger the Incident in 1977? Was it Jacob’s idea? Or Ben’s?

Another crack-up line from Ben: “Mikhail, it’s Ben. I’m here with Juliet. We’re approaching the house. Don’t shoot us.” LOL