LOST episode 4.06- "The Other Woman"

What happened in this episode: When Daniel and Charlotte leave the beach without explanation, Juliet and Jack go after them. A woman from wherever the Others are living these days comes to Juliet and tells her that Ben wants her to go to the Dharma Station where the 2 Freighties are headed- a chemical station called The Tempest- and kill them before they can release the toxic gas. Kate comes back from the Barracks, finds Daniel and Charlotte in the jungle, gets knocked out by Charlotte, and gets found by Juliet and Jack. Juliet uses this opportunity to slip away from Jack so that she can get to The Tempest first. She finds Daniel working on a computer, trying to do something to the chemicals. Charlotte and Juliet engage in a cat fight. Charlotte persuades her that they are not trying to release the gas but to neutralize it so that Ben can't order another Purge like the one that killed all the Dharma people. Meanwhile, back at the Barracks, Locke tries to establish control over "I always have a plan" Ben, who shows him a videotape of Charles Widmore- the man trying to find the island so that he can exploit its special qualities (like healing Locke). Supposedly. Who really knows why Widmore is looking for the island or why he sent out a team to get Ben. Except Ben. And he's certainly not sharing everything he knows. But he did manage to persuade Locke to release him from his basement prison, presumably by telling him who his man on the freighter is.

Flashbacks show Juliet living on the island with the Others prior to jumping ship for Dr. Shepherd. She tries to discover the reason that pregnant women die on the island. She figures out that their immune systems turn on the fetus... Whatever that means, I'm not a science person. Anyways, Ben has some weird, schoolboy crush on Juliet, but she's having an affair with Goodwin (Brett Cullen = awesome. I have great respect for actors who choose to be on fantastic shows, a.k.a. shows that I love- and he's had guest-starring roles on LOST and Friday Night Lights). His wife, Harper, is the psychiatrist for the Others ("It's very stressful being an Other, Jack"). During a session, Harper informs Juliet about Ben's feelings for her- which she says makes sense because Juliet apparently looks just like "her" (Probably Annie, Ben's childhood sweetheart)- and also that she knows about Juliet's affair with Goodwin. Harper warns her about what Ben will do if the relationship doesn't end. Well, as we know, Ben sends Goodwin to infiltrate the Tailies, and Goodwin ends up getting killed when Ana Lucia discovers who she is. Ben takes Juliet out to see the body. She is distraught, especially when she realizes that Ben knew what the outcome would be of sending Goodwin (did he also send Ethan to his death for some indiscretion on Dr. Rom's part???). It is a chilling moment indeed when Ben screams at Juliet that he did it because "you're mine."

Who I thought was the most awesome in this episode: Juliet. I think Elizabeth Mitchell is a phenomenal actress, and while Juliet is not the main female character on the show, she has definitely become a formidable force. I continue to be interested in what motivates her. Clearly getting off the island is her top priority, but as long as she is living here, why does she make the choices she does? The best piece of acting during this episode, in my opinion, was the scene where Ben and Juliet go to see Goodwin's body. He's impaled on a large branch, his skin is gray and there are flies around him. Immediately I am disgusted. But Juliet runs to him, kneels next to him, and caresses his face. It goes against my instinct to see her do that, but it's beautiful at the same time. Add to that Michael Emerson being his crazy incredible self and yelling like an angry child that she's his before calmly saying, "Take all the time you need." Whoa.