One of Us

"One of Us"
Season	3
Episode	16
Airdate	April 11, 2007
Flashback	Juliet
Days	82-83
Writer	Carlton Cuse Drew Goddard
Director	Jack Bender
Guests	Robin Weigert - Rachel William Mapother - Ethan Rom Brett Cullen - Goodwin Andrew Divoff - Mikhail Nestor Carbonell - Richard Alpert Joah Buley - Other dude Tyrone Howard - Airport guard

"One of Us", the 16th episode of Season 3, was originally broadcast on April 11, 2007.

Synopsis

Flashbacks

Juliet and Rachel arrive at the Mittelos Bioscience center

Juliet and Rachel are on their way to the Mittelos Bioscience center. Ethan and Richard appear to help Juliet with her bags and inform her that her sister cannot accompany her past the entrance gates. Juliet says goodbye to Rachel under the premise that she will be gone for six months. Juliet seems unwilling to leave and has a brief moment of doubt. Rachel assures her that she shouldn't risk this opportunity because of her condition. She continues by saying that the cancer is completely gone and that she's finally going to have a baby. Juliet promises to return before the baby is born. After signing papers in a sitting area of Herarat Aviation, Juliet knowingly drinks orange juice with a large amount of tranquilizer with Ethan and Richard standing by. She awakes in the submarine and is welcomed to the Island by Ben.

Rachel's cancer

A heart monitor flat-lining and the operating room from the Staff station. A woman on the table, Sabine, is being treated by Ethan and he apologizes to Juliet while declaring that the woman is dead. Goodwin, also present in the operating room, attempts to comfort the stricken Juliet. Juliet sits on the rocky coastline as Ben approaches. Ben consoles Juliet saying that the woman knew the risks she was taking when she became pregnant. Juliet declares her theory that the problems occur when the baby is conceived. She continues by pointing out that she can only be certain of her theory if she is allowed to take one of the women from the Island. Ben simply states that this is impossible and Juliet angrily asks to go home because she believes she is no longer needed and states that six months have passed. Juliet wants to return home to see her sister, but Ben informs her that Rachel's cancer has returned and that she will be dead before Juliet can return. Juliet becomes extremely angry and distressed that Ben didn't inform her sooner. Ben attempts to make a deal with Juliet that if she stays on the Island and continues her research, then Jacob will make sure that Rachel's cancer is cured. As proof, he points out that none of the people on the Island have ever had cancer. Juliet seems to agree.

Juliet and Goodwin kissing

Juliet eats ice cream in bed with Goodwin. She states that the next day will mark her third year on the island. A knock at the door signals Karl bringing x-rays to Juliet of Ben's back. She takes them to Ben, explaining that what they assumed was a small fracture or ruptured disk, is actually a large tumor. Ben is taken aback in shock and Juliet asks why he is surprised. He says it is because he has cancer, and she retorts that she only said it was a tumor. Juliet becomes very violent and begins shouting at Ben because she believes he lied to her about her sister. Ben is intimidated and is pushed across the kitchen by her verbal rampage. He pleads that he is not a liar and that her sister is in good health. Juliet begins to cry and asks to go home. He tells her that it is not possible. Juliet sobs on the counter.

Ben didn't lie

A familiar scene opens with Juliet wiping tears from her eyes as she plays "Downtown" and prepares for her book club meeting. We are shown a recap of Oceanic Flight 815 breaking apart in the air and Ben calling 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 approach the Flame, calling out to Mikhail so he doesn't open fire. Inside they are greeted with a stack of TV monitors showing Oceanic Flight 815 leaving, and news reports possibly reporting that the flight is missing. Ben points out the date on a newspaper rather blatantly to Juliet but she doesn't seem to care. Mikhail connects Ben to Richard and a video feed of a healthy Rachel with long hair is shown as she plays with her toddler son Julian. Juliet is overjoyed and grips the screen while crying. Ben points out that he wasn't lying. He coldly closes the connection with Richard and Mikhail shutting down the video feed. Juliet frantically begs for a few more moments. She asks again to return home, but Ben says she cannot leave until she finishes her research, and suggests that there might be a pregnant woman on the plane.

We see Juliet and wheelchair-bound Ben sitting at his kitchen table at night. He tells her to go over the plan again. She says that she is to take Kate into the jungle, and handcuff herself to Kate. That she is to act as if she were left behind as well, and if Kate finds out she should try to gain sympathy about them being stuck in the same situation. She is to return with them to the camp at the beach and she expresses concern about everyone distrusting her. Ben replies that they set-off the implant inside Claire and that within 48 hours she will need medical attention. He states that he will arrange for supplies to be placed at Ethan's old drop-off point. He then asks if everything is okay. They share cold, blank stares. Ben gives her a gas mask and leaves stating, "I'll see you in a week."

On the Island

Kate, Sayid, Jack and Juliet prepare to make camp

Kate, Sayid, Jack and Juliet make their way back to the beach. While making camp, Kate volunteers to collect firewood with Jack, and she confronts him about the week he spent with the "Others." Jack explains that he cut a deal with them by helping Ben saying "I did what they told me and didn't ask any questions." Kate seems skeptical but leaves it alone. Meanwhile, Sayid begins his interrogation of Juliet but she refuses to tell him anything. Jack tells Sayid to leave Juliet alone.

Charlie finds Aaron crying and Claire feeling sick

On the Beach, Charlie hears baby Aaron crying, but Claire is asleep and seems unphased. Charlie comforts Aaron and wakens Claire to find that she isn't feeling well. Charlie watches the baby and leaves Claire to sleep. Kate and Sayid plow their way through the jungle while Jack and Juliet struggle to keep up. It is apparent that neither Kate nor Sayid trust Jack's opinion of Juliet. Claire awakens and looks worse than ever. Sawyer offers to get her some aspirin. Suddenly, the camp notices Jack returning to the beach with Kate and Sayid. The camp shares welcoming hugs with the returning castaways, and Sawyer seems particularly relieved to see that Kate is safe. Then, Sawyer notices Juliet and the entire camp turns a piercing stare at the unwelcome visitor.

Soon after 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 comically says that she had the day off. She then bluntly remarks that they sent Hurley to keep an eye on her and he nods in confirmation.

Jack has reassumed command and it is clear that the key members of the camp do not approve of Juliet staying on the beach. Jack attempts to convince them that she was left behind as well, as Claire stumbles into the "camp meeting." Charlie reproves her for not sleeping and she sways without responding. Charlie catches her as blood starts coming from Claire's mouth. Jack helps Charlie carry Claire to her tent and Juliet calls to Kate. She explains that she needs to talk to Jack saying, "I know what's wrong with Claire because I did it to her."

Ethan's injection bottle.

Juliet reveals to Jack that pregnant women always die on the island because the womans body begins to attack the fetus as if it is a foreign object. She explains that Ethan was placed in the camp to take blood samples from Claire and administer Juliet's medication. The medication was the reason that Claire had survived and the baby was born without any problems. She explains that things went wrong when Hurley realized that Ethan was not one of the survivors. Ethan kidnapped Claire on his own and continued to administer the drugs without telling the rest of the "Others" his plans. She explains that Claire is suffering withdrawal symptoms from the medication and that she must administer them to Claire or else she will die. She gains Jack's approval to run to a hiding place where Ethan used to store the medication. Sawyer and Sayid bond over their uneasiness about Juliet.

Juliet near the tree mark

Juliet reaches a tree with a marking, resembling the brand on her back, and looks in the weeds for a black case. As she is unlocking the case, Sawyer and Sayid appear. Sawyer opens the black case and confirms that it only contains medical supplies. They tell her she will not be returning to camp until they get some answers about who she is. She remarks about how strange it is that Sayid and Sawyer have begun to cast moral judgment when they have committed immoral crimes in their past. We learn about an unknown incident in Basra involving Sayid, and Juliet reveals that she knows about Sawyer killing a man in cold blood the night before his flight. She retrieves the black case from Sawyer and rushes back to camp.

Back on the beach, Juliet arrives with the medication and Jack tells her that he will be unable to protect her from the rest of the camp if Claire doesn't recover. Juliet administers the medication and states that it will go into effect in a few hours.

Jack and Juliet

Charlie is shown sleeping next to Claire's bed with one finger in Baby Aaron's grasp and the other hand holding Claire's. Claire awakens and asks what happened. Charlie is relieved to see she is better and they smile lovingly at each other. Jack brings a tarp, blankets, and a few airline pillows to Juliet saying that the camp has agreed to allow Juliet to use one of the lean-to's as a temporary shelter until she can set up her own. He tells her that eventually they will want answers. She asks why Jack never needs answers. 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."

File:Juliet's tend.jpg

Juliet is building her tend

Juliet is shown building her own tent while staring around the camp with a blank expression much like Ben's on her face. It is revealed in a flashback that Juliet was sent to the camp by Ben. They go over her plan to infiltrate the camp via the handcuff ruse, tells her they 'activated the implant in Claire' and that they will meet again in one week. She smiles at Jack and then turns away from him to tie a knot as her face turns cold.

Recurring Themes

• Richard Alpert says that time "really flies" on the Island. (Time)
  • See also: Time on the island (theory)
• Jack refers to the other castaways as "good people." (Good and bad people)
• 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: Sawyer's killing of Frank Duckett and an unknown incident in Basra involving Sayid. (Secrets)

Unanswered Questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: One of Us/Theories

• What effect takes place when one arrives on The Island? Why is it better to arrive unconscious?
• Did Ethan really improvise while trying to help or is that just part of Juliet's tale?

• Even if true, didn't the Others still want to take Aaron from Claire?

• Did the baby survive the surgery after Sabine died on the operating table?
• Will Juliet go through with her ruse? Why is she infiltrating the survivors?
• Will the medicine that Juliet gave Claire have side effects later on?

• Was it truly a medicine or a placebo?

• What is the nature of Claire's implant? How is it controlled by The Others?
• Did this problem with pregnant women begin recently?

• What about Ben? He's been on the island his whole life, but was he born here?

• Did Juliet truly come to the island on the sub or was she just made to believe she did?
• Was Rachel (Juliet's sister) ever brought to the island? Did she really have cancer, or was Ben lying? How was her cancer cured (if it was)?
• The only other teenager, besides Alex, who was conceived off the island, is Karl. Was he born on the island? How?

External links

• Primetime grid
• ABC press release