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"One of Us" is the sixteenth episode of Season 3 and the sixty-fifth produced hour of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on April 11, 2007. Jack, Kate and Sayid return along with Juliet, who faces distrust and fear from the other survivors. At the survivors' camp, Claire is struck with a sickness.
Synopsis[]
Previously on Lost[]
- Richard recruits Juliet for what she believes to be Mittelos Bioscience. Later, she is overjoyed to discover her experiments on Rachel were successful, and her infertile sister is now pregnant. ("Not in Portland")
- Jack insists that Juliet join him, Kate, and Sayid on the way back to camp, because "they left her behind too." ("Left Behind")
Flashback[]
September 21, 2001[]
As Juliet and Rachel pull up to the gate of Mittelos Bioscience center, Juliet turns off the radio. ♪ Ethan Rom and Richard Alpert come out to welcome Juliet and inform her that for security reasons her sister cannot accompany her past the entrance gates. Juliet says goodbye to Rachel thinking that she will be back in six months. Juliet has a moment of doubt but Rachel reassures her, pointing out that her cancer is completely gone, and that she's finally going to have a baby. Juliet promises to return before the birth. ♪
After signing papers in a sitting area of Herarat Aviation, Ethan and Richard ask Juliet if they can record her vitals. Richard empties a packet of powder into a glass of orange juice quite openly and when Juliet warily asks what it is, he calmly states it's a tranquilizer. Ethan says it's for the best because the journey ahead will be "pretty intense," and seeing that Juliet is balking, Richard reminds her that if she works for them, she can accomplish great things to help many people and that she has already accepted a lot of unusual requests.
Juliet gulps the orange juice down in one go, and Ethan says that she shouldn't have drunk it so fast. Juliet slumps unconscious almost right away. She awakes in the Galaga. Her hands, waist, and feet are restrained tightly on a bunk. Juliet tries to speak but has lost her voice, and Ethan says she'll just be a little hoarse for a few hours. He apologizes for strapping her in as the "last leg is always a little bumpy" and tells her that they've arrived. She makes her way up through the exit hatch on her own, still feeling the effects of the tranquilizer. As she steps out, she finds herself in a tropical climate with an imposing jungle and cliffs in front of her. On the dock, Ben Linus introduces himself and welcomes her to the Island. ♪
March 2002[]
Six months later, in the Staff operating theater, a pregnant woman, Sabine, dies on the table while being operated on by Ethan with Juliet and Goodwin's assistance. Goodwin attempts to comfort the distraught Juliet, telling her to leave and that he will speak to Ben.
Ben approaches Juliet outside as she sits on the rocky coast. Ben says that Sabine knew "the risks" she was taking when she became pregnant. Juliet declares her theory that "the problems" occur when the baby is conceived and that she can only be certain of her theory if she is allowed to take one of the women back to Miami. Ben flatly refuses, so Juliet says that there is nothing more she can do there.
Juliet apologizes and acknowledges that Ben put a lot of faith in her, but it's time for her to go home to her sister, who is only three months away from having her baby. Ben informs Juliet that her sister won't be giving birth in three months because Rachel's cancer has returned and that she will be dead before Juliet can return. He takes a folder of medical papers from his bag, documenting the cancer, and shows them to Juliet.
Juliet is angry and distressed that Ben didn't inform her sooner. She asks where he got the information, and Ben says he got it from Mikhail. Ben offers a deal to Juliet: if she stays on the Island and continues her research, he will make sure that Rachel's cancer is cured. He points out that none of the people on the Island have ever had cancer. Juliet retorts "that's here" and that Ben won't let Juliet bring Rachel to the Island. He says that Jacob will take care of it personally... unless Juliet "[doesn't] even have faith in him."
September 21, 2004[]
Two days before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, Juliet eats ice cream while in bed with Goodwin and observes that the next day will mark her third year on the Island. ♪ There is a knock at the door and Juliet tells Goodwin to wait in the bedroom. Karl has developed some X-rays for her, and she looks at them with concern, then marches over to Ben's house.
Ben welcomes her and comments that the book she recommended, Carrie, is depressing. She shows the X-rays to Ben, explaining that what she assumed was a small fracture or herniated disk is actually a large tumor surrounding his L4 vertebrae. Ben is taken aback and Juliet asks why he is surprised. He says it is because he has cancer, and she points out that she said it was a tumor, not cancer. She asks him why he is scared, but he denies that he is as he goes to the kitchen for a glass of water. Juliet angrily challenges Ben's claim that nobody on the Island ever had cancer and calls him a liar. How could he promise to cure Rachel and claim no one has ever had cancer on the Island what is she to make of her promise to cure Rachel. She suspects that Ben might never have saved Rachel's life after all. She demands to see her sister, furiously knocking the glass out of Ben's hand. He refuses, and Juliet screams that he has lied to her all this time. Ben insists that Rachel is fine, and Juliet bursts into tears, begging him to let her go home. He coldly replies "No," and leaves Juliet sobbing at the kitchen counter.
September 22, 2004[]
Juliet wipes tears from her eyes as she prepares for her book club meeting. ♪ The village is disturbed as Oceanic Flight 815 breaks apart in the air and Ben calls out instructions to Goodwin and Ethan. He then calls after Juliet, asking if he can have a moment to speak with her.
Juliet and Ben walk to the Flame. Inside, a stack of TV monitors show Oceanic Flight 815 leaving, and news reports from numerous networks reporting that the flight is missing somewhere in the Pacific. Mikhail gives Ben the basic facts about Oceanic 815, such as that 324 people were on board. Ben asks for detailed files on every passenger and Mikhail says that he's already on it. Ben asks Mikhail to uplink to Richard in Acadia Park. Juliet looks on, clutching the Stephen King novel, Carrie. Ben puts on a pair of headphones, saying that he was hurt when she called him a liar. The screen shows an image of the Miami Journal. Ben, seemingly communicating with the person who is operating the camera, asks "Richard" to zoom in to the newspaper, showing the date as September 22, 2004 to show that the feed is live. The camera moves to show Rachel in a park playing with a toddler. Ben says that a little over two years ago, to everyone's surprise, Rachel's cancer went into complete remission. Juliet is overjoyed and grips the screen while crying. Ben says that shortly after Rachel recovered, she gave birth to a boy whom she named Julian. Ben thanks Richard and tells him to "get back here" as soon as he can because they may have some visitors. He closes the connection with Richard, and Mikhail shuts down the video feed. Juliet frantically begs for a few more moments. Ben points out again that this proves he wasn't lying. She asks again to return home, but Ben tells her she cannot leave because "that's not our agreement"--she must stay on the Island until her work is finished. Juliet pleads that it's impossible because the mothers keep dying. Ben says they will find more mothers and suggests that there might even be one on the plane.
December 11, 2004[]
Months later, Juliet and wheelchair-bound Ben sit at his kitchen table at night. He tells her to go over the plan again. Juliet recites it: she will take Kate into the jungle handcuffed together, pretending that she has been left behind as well. If she's discovered, she'll admit it but claim she did it to simply gain Kate's trust. After that they'll go back to the beach camp, though Juliet comments that there may be a trust issue surrounding her from Kate's group. Ben replies that they have already set-off the implant in Claire, making her symptomatic in the next 48 hours. By the time Juliet arrives, there will be a perfect opportunity to gain trust by her ability to save Claire. Ben has already sent Pryce to put the serum at Ethan's "old drop-off point" for her to use. They exchange stares as Ben gives Juliet a gas mask and leaves, stating, "I'll see you in a week."
Present day[]
Kate, Sayid, Jack and Juliet make their way back to the beach. ♪
They collect firewood and Kate wonders why Jack hasn't said anything about what happened in the week he spent with the Others. Jack explains that he cut a deal with them by helping Ben. He says, "I did what they told me and didn't ask any questions." Kate is skeptical that it was that simple, but leaves it alone. Meanwhile, Sayid questions Juliet about who she is but she refuses to tell him anything. She says he would kill her if she tells him everything he wants to know. He bluntly implies that he will kill her if she doesn't. Jack returns and tells Sayid to leave Juliet alone, and that she is under his protection.
On the beach, Charlie hears baby Aaron crying, but Claire is sleeping and unaware. Charlie comforts Aaron and wakes Claire. She complains that she isn't feeling well. Charlie takes the baby and leaves Claire to sleep.
Sayid violently plows his way through the jungle, annoyed at Jack siding with the enemy, while Jack and Juliet struggle to keep up. Neither Kate nor Sayid trust Jack's opinion of Juliet and Juliet expresses concern over how the other survivors will react to her presence. Jack tries to joke about the situation, but Juliet admits to being nervous.
Claire wakes and looks sick.
Sawyer goes to get her some aspirin. The camp notices Jack returning to the beach with Kate and Sayid. Everyone shares welcoming hugs with the returning castaways. Sawyer is particularly relieved to see that Kate is safe and they share a loving hug. ♪ Sawyer notices Juliet and the entire camp turn a piercing stare at the unwelcome visitor, demanding to know why she is there. ♪
Soon after her arrival, Hurley joins Juliet on the beach and asks her who she is and why she wasn't on the dock when they captured Kate, Sawyer, Jack and Hurley. She says that she had the day off, and then bluntly remarks that she knows he's only speaking to her because he was told to keep an eye on her. Hurley proceeds to tell the story of the last Other who was with them, Ethan, and coldly points to the spot where they buried him.
Jack attempts to convince members of the camp that Juliet was left behind as well and that she can be trusted. He also informs everyone that while Juliet is now "one of us," Locke has joined the Others as "one of them," highlighting the significance of the situation. Claire then stumbles into the "camp meeting" and Charlie catches her as she begins to cough blood. Jack helps Charlie carry Claire to her tent and Juliet calls to Kate. She explains that she needs to talk to Jack immediately, saying "I know what's wrong with Claire... because I did it to her."
Juliet reveals to Jack and Kate that pregnant women always die on the Island because the woman's body begins to attack the fetus as if it is a foreign object. She explains that Ethan was placed in their camp to take blood samples from Claire and administer Juliet's medication, which is why she was the first woman to give birth on the island without dying. She explains that the plan fell apart when Hurley realized that Ethan was not one of the survivors. Ethan kidnapped Claire on his own initiative, without consulting with the Others, and that kidnapping Claire never was the plan, and continued to administer the drugs. She explains that Claire is suffering withdrawal symptoms from the medication and that she must administer them or Claire will die. She gains Jack's approval to run to a hiding place where Ethan used to store the medication. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Sayid watch from a distance and confirm their suspicions of Juliet.
Juliet reaches a tree with a marking and finds a black case in the weeds. ♪ As she unlatches the case, Sawyer and Sayid appear. Sawyer opens the case and sees medical supplies. They tell her she will not be returning to camp until they get some answers about who she is. She counter attacks saying about how strange it is that Sayid and Sawyer have begun to cast moral judgment, given the crimes they have committed in the past. She mentions an incident in Basra involving Sayid, and reveals that she knows about Sawyer killing a man in cold blood the night before his flight. She bluntly informs the two men that she is taking the case back to camp now, because, if she doesn't, Claire will die and the last thing that either of them needs is "more blood on your hands." The men are stymied and she leaves with the case.
Juliet arrives at the beach with the medication. Charlie is reluctant to let her near Claire, but Jack implores Charlie to trust his judgment. Juliet states that the medication should go into effect within a few hours and Jack warns Juliet that he will be unable to protect her from the rest of the camp if Claire doesn't recover, that she will be on her own. Juliet responds that she is already on her own, and administers the medication.
Charlie has nodded off next to Claire's bed with one finger in baby Aaron's grasp and the other hand holding Claire's. Claire wakes and asks what happened. Charlie is relieved to see she is better and they smile lovingly at each other. ♪
On the beach Jack brings Juliet a tarp, blankets, and a few airline pillows saying that the camp has agreed to allow her to use one of the lean-tos as a temporary shelter until she can set up her own. He tells her that eventually they will want answers. She asks why Jack hasn't also pressed her for answers, and he replies that she was next to him when the submarine was blown-up and he saw in her eyes that the one thing she wanted more than anything was to get off the Island. "That makes you one of us." ♪
As Juliet ties a knot on her shelter, she recalls her conversation with Ben about their plan. She watches the survivors of Flight 815 as they laugh and chat. Though she smiles cutely to Jack, her private expression is reflective as she turns away, tightening the reef knot in a figure eight. ♪
Trivia[]
- Anagrams:
- Mittelos is an anagram for "Lost Time".
- Herarat is an anagram for "Earhart". Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot who disappeared under mysterious circumstances over the Pacific.
- Basra was the site of a major revolt against Saddam Hussein in 1991, which was put down with heavy force. There was another revolt in 1999 but Sayid had left Iraq by 1997.
- The symbol shown on the side of the submarine and on a crew member's T-Shirt is the I Ching trigram K`an, or "water." When combined into its hexagram, it denotes hexagram 29, 'Repeated Entrapment'
- Mittelos Bioscience uses two hexagons in its logo.
- The logo for Herarat Aviation is a triple Nike wing. In Greek mythology, Nike was a winged goddess who personified triumph. The name "Nike" means "Victory."
- Winged Victory is mentioned by Autumn in the TV show "Exposé." ("The Man from Tallahassee")
- This episode is rated TV-PG-LS.
Production notes[]
- This episode was originally titled "The Truth about Lying" and was to be Charlie-Centric. This also happened with the Season 2 episode "Collision" which was promoted as being called "Old Habits."
- A podcast rehash for the episode was released on April 16th, 2007. (Official Lost Podcast/April 16, 2007)
- This is the second and last Juliet-centric episode to come before a Desmond-centric episode, as "The Other Woman" in season 4 follows after the Desmond-centric "The Constant". Also, Juliet's flashback at the start of "A Tale of Two Cities" follows Desmond's flashbacks in the season 2 finale "Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2".
- 20:48, more than half of the episode's running time, is spent on flashbacks.
Bloopers and continuity errors[]
- In "The Cost of Living" Ben says that he discovered the tumor two days before the crash (September 20), but in this episode, it happens one day before (September 21).
- The tumor is said to be in the L4 vertebra, but on the radiograph the tumor is located in the second lumbar vertebra.
- The information at the top of the report (EKG chart) Ben gives to Juliet to prove that Rachel's cancer has returned, refers to a 187 pound, 5'11" male patient with heart trouble, not cancer.
- In "Not in Portland", Juliet's arrival on the Island is determined to be September 5, 2001. However, in this episode, she tells Goodwin the day before the crash that the next day would be her third anniversary on the Island, September 22, 2004.
- In Juliet's 2001 flashback, she carries a handbag from the 2006 J.Crew collection. This bag also appears in "Not in Portland".
- Juliet is not wearing shoes when she first wakes up in the submarine and the camera focuses on this. She is led straight to the ladder and you can notice she is no longer barefoot. Once she comes out of the top the camera again focuses on her feet - she is wearing shoes.
- After Juliet walks down the dock from the submarine, an Other climbs on top of the submarine. The boat noticeably shakes from his walking on it. A submarine would not shake from a man's weight.
- Ben's hairstyle changes between shots in the scene where the Others see flight 815 crash. (The earlier shots in the sequence were taken from "A Tale of Two Cities" but the dialogue between Juliet and Ben was shot for this episode.) In addition, as Juliet starts to walk away from Ben in "A Tale of Two Cities", Ben turns away from her, but he appears to continue looking at her as he calls her name in "One of Us".
- At Mittelos Bioscience, while Richard Alpert explains to Juliet that she "has a gift" (at 10:00 on the DVD), the boom microphone shadow is clearly visible on Alpert's left shoulder, moving to and fro.
- When we see Claire just before she escapes from the Staff the doctors in the medical room are wearing all white surgical scrubs. ("Maternity Leave") In this episode and also in "I Do" we see that all the Dharma scrubs are blue.
- When Juliet gets out of the submarine, the camera focus the dock and we can see no people there. However, few seconds later, the camera focus the dock again and we can see a man standing in the middle of the dock. Also that man is alone, but seconds later Ben appears on the deck, walking towards Juliet.
- Juliet says that Sawyer killed a man in cold blood the night before he boarded the plane. But Sawyer was in a Sydney jail under arrest for a bar fight the night before the flight. ("Exodus, Part 1") He killed Duckett in cold blood a week earlier. ("Outlaws")
- Claire asks if anyone has any "aspirin", the term is American and not Australian. She would likely have asked for panadol or paracetamol. The generic term "aspirin" is not part of Australian culture. However, it is possible that Claire adopted the phrase from the other survivors.
Music[]
The Season 3 soundtrack includes a statement of the first traveling theme as "Juliette Is Lost", the first such statement on an album. It also features a new variation on Jack's theme in "Beach Blanket Bonding".
Analysis[]
Recurring themes[]
Recurring themes |
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Animals • Black and white • Character connections • Children • Coincidence • Death • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Economics • Electromagnetism • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Games • Good and bad people • Imprisonment • Isolation • Leadership • Life and death • Literary works • Mirrors • Missing body parts • Nicknames • The Numbers • Pairings • Parapsychology • Parent issues • Pregnancies • Psychology • Rain • Redemption • Relationships • Religion • Revenge • Salvation • Secrets |
- Richard Alpert says that time "really flies" on the Island. (Time)
- Jack refers to the other castaways as "good people." (Good and bad people)
- Ben's tumor is said to be in the L4 vertebra. Ben says that Claire will become symptomatic in the next 48 hours. When Juliet ties a knot to make her tent, the number 8 appears in the rope. (The Numbers)
- Oceanic flight 815 has 324 people on board, exactly 3 times 108. (The Numbers)
- Ben and Juliet conspire to have Juliet infiltrate the castaways by giving her "a crisis to solve" upon her arrival. (Deceptions and cons)
- When confronting Sayid and Sawyer, Juliet alludes to secrets from each of their pasts. (Secrets)
- Juliet apparently saves Claire's life. Sabine dies during childbirth. (Life and death)
- Juliet says Claire is the first mother she has seen on the island. (Pregnancies)
- Juliet's being kept on the Island against her manifested will. (Fate versus free will)
- Sawyer calls Charlie, Hurley and Aaron "Three Men and a Baby", counting Hurley twice. (Nicknames)
Cultural references[]
Cultural references (direct references only) |
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Art • Automobiles • Games • History • Literary works • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- "Downtown": When Juliet approaches Mittelos Bioscience in her car with Rachel, the song "Downtown" by Petula Clark plays on the radio. This is the same song she plays when preparing for the book club meeting in "A Tale of Two Cities". (Music)
- Georgia O'Keeffe: Two paintings in the Staff in the fertility surgery flashback are by artist Georgia O'Keeffe, who is known for paintings of flowers as yonic (female genitalia) symbols. One painting is O'Keeffe's 1923 "Grey Line with Black, Blue and Yellow." [1], and the other is the 1919 "Music: Pink and Blue II"[2] The paintings were originally visible in "Maternity Leave". (Art)
- La Traviata: In flashback, when Juliet and Goodwin are on the bed and she is eating ice cream, the aria "Addio del passato" from Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata can be heard. (Music)
- The lyrics are:
“ |
"Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti, Le rose del volto già son pallenti" (In English) "Farewell, past, happy dreams of days gone by, The roses in my cheeks already are faded" |
” |
- Three Men and a Baby: Sawyer calls Hurley, Charlie, and Aaron "Three Men and a Baby," joking that Hurley counts for two men. (Movies and TV)
- Carrie: The novel by Stephen King. Ben is seen reading it and mentions that it's depressing. Juliet is seen with the book as well as the book club members who visit her home to discuss it. (Literary works)
Literary techniques[]
Literary techniques |
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Comparative: Irony • Juxtaposition • Foreshadowing Plotting: Cliffhanger • Plot twist Stock characters: Archetype • Redshirt • Unseen character Story: Flashbacks • Flash-forwards • Flash sideways • Framing device • Regularly spoken phrases • Symbolism • Unreliable narrator |
- Jack told Juliet "You wanna get off this Island more than anything else in the world. That makes you one of us." In the next scene, in flashback, Ben and Juliet were plotting how to infiltrate Jack's camp. (Juxtaposition)
- In an earlier episode, the Others had sentenced Juliet to death. After a negotiated reprieve, Juliet is apparently abandoned at the barracks. She joins the survivors on the beach, and they begrudgingly allow her to stay with them. At the end of the episode, a flashback shows that the abandonment was just part of an elaborate deception hatched by Ben to infiltrate the survivors camp. (Flashback) (Plot twist)
- Juliet says to Jack, "I can fix this." (Regularly spoken phrases)
- When dropping Juliet off and saying goodbye, Rachel asks Richard Alpert to "promise me you'll bring her back in one piece" to which Alpert replies "We'll try our best". His response hints that he may have known that Juliet would never able to return to Rachel. (Foreshadowing)
Storyline analysis[]
Storyline analysis |
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A-Missions • Crimes • Economics • Leadership • O-Missions • Relationships • F-Missions • Rivalries • S-Missions |
- Jack returns to the beach and reclaims his role as leader from Sawyer. (Leadership)
- Juliet refers to criminal incidents in Sayid and Sawyer's pasts. (Crimes)
- Kate and Sayid return from their successful mission to "save" Jack. (A-Missions)
- Ben sent Juliet to infiltrate the beach camp. (O-Missions)
- Juliet is romantically involved with Goodwin before his death. (Relationships)
Episode connections[]
Episode references[]
- Juliet explains Ethan's actions when he kidnapped Claire. As she does so, footage from that episode is shown. ("Raised by Another")
- Hurley tells Juliet about Charlie killing Ethan. ("Homecoming")
- Juliet mentions Sawyer shooting a man in Sydney. ("Outlaws")
- Sayid asks why the Others are making lists and kidnapping children. ("The Other 48 Days")
- Hurley says he doesn't remember Juliet from the dock, when the Others put bags over their heads. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2")
- A montage of the book club meeting and Oceanic 815 crashing is shown. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
- Sawyer refers to Jack saving Ben's life. ("I Do") ("Not in Portland")
- Flashbacks in this episode follow the events of Juliet's previous flashback. ("Not in Portland")
- Jack informs the camp that Locke destroyed the sub that was going to take him home. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
- In a flashback, Juliet and Ben go over their plan, which includes Juliet hancuffing herself to Kate. ("Left Behind")
Episode allusions[]
- This episode's title contrasts with Season 2's fourteenth episode, "One of Them".
- In "Stranger in a Strange Land", Ben warns Jack that no matter what he thinks of Juliet, she is still "one of us."
- Juliet is brought to the Island on the submarine, just as Mikhail had told the survivors he was. ("Par Avion")
External links[]
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