Lost ReWatch: Not in Portland
Season 3, Episode 7
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Hero of the episode: Alex, Juliet Zero of the episode: Pickett, Edmund, Juliet
Quote(s) of the episode: “Don’t let him fool you. He’ll never let a patient just die.”—Juliet about Jack | “Nice to meet you, Sheena.”—Sawyer to Alex | “So what now? I just go back to my cell?”--Jack
Music vibes: strings slow and steady, building up to a creepy crescendo; strings get fast and imposing as Kate and Sawyer run
Little things: Juliet trying to hide from her ex-husband, Edmund, while he’s making out with his new girlfriend; Sawyer joking with Alex about her habit of digging holes; Tom getting queasy during Ben’s surgery
Episode notebook:
First flashbacks of Juliet’s past off the island. Glimpses of Ethan and Richard Alpert (who will have a bigger role in later seasons).
Juliet is running experiments on her sister, Rachel, hoping to fulfill her sister’s dream of having a baby.
Juliet worked for her ex-husband in his lab. He seems to have power over her, literally and emotionally.
Sawyer and Kate run but can’t get off the island without a boat.
Juliet and Jack betray each other to Tom.
Alex helps Sawyer and Kate. She’ll let them use her boat if they help her rescue her boyfriend Karl. Alex always seemed to be different from the rest of the Others. Is that because she’s Rousseau’s daughter? She wasn’t corrupted by the island.
Ben wakes up. Tells Juliet to let Kate and Sawyer go.
The Dharma Initiative covertly makes a recruitment pitch to Juliet. They love her research, but Edmund wants in on the glory too.
Juliet makes a move on Pickett.
Kate tells Jack the story he told her in the first episode.
Off the island, Juliet gets her wish to be free of Edmund but at what cost?
Episode recap: After the cliffhanger that was episode six, I’m wondering how I withstood the three-month break between episodes during the show’s original run? Yes, there was a three-month break between episodes six and seven. One week Jack is yelling at Kate to run and then nothing for the next thirteen weeks (I had to look that up). But of course, thanks to streaming, I can pick up where I left off whenever I want.
We open with a cryptic shot of Juliet sitting on the beach. But is this scene unfolding on the island, or somewhere else entirely? The camera work deliberately keeps us guessing. We see Ethan, Claire’s kidnapper, in the hallway say “hello” to Juliet before she enters a dark room. The scene seems suspicious until the red herrings dissolve, revealing that Juliet is in Miami, administering medication to her sister, Rachel. So definitely not on the island but some insight into Juliet’s life before the madness. Her sister is recovering from an illness that diminished her fertility/ability to have a child. Rachel is Juliet’s willing guinea pig. If Juliet’s research and methods result in a pregnancy, she can write her golden ticket in the medical community.
Though Juliet isn't interested in the fame or accolades that could accompany her research, her true motivation lies in fulfilling Rachel's dream of becoming a mother. But Juliet’s work draws the attention of her petty, controlling ex-husband, Edmund, and a mysterious medical science company. Edmund, who contributed nothing to her research, suddenly wants a share of the success, while the mysterious company is a front for the Dharma Initiative. When all her efforts result in Rachel's pregnancy, everyone wants a piece of Juliet.
However, fate has a way of intervening. Edmund meets his maker in a bizarre twist—he gets hit by a bus. A death Juliet jokingly wished would happen during her meeting with Richard Alpert of the Dharma Initiative. Is the island’s power that far-reaching? Ben needed a spinal surgeon, and one fell from the sky. Juliet subconsciously wants to break free from her ex-husband’s control, and he dies in the exact manner she joked about. Anything is possible for these characters. Juliet ends up on the island, but it looks like she was tricked/manipulated into coming. Her research was so “cutting edge,” Juliet’s expertise was needed on the island. Why? More to come.
On the island, Juliet’s expertise as a fertility doctor proves useless during Ben’s surgery. She doesn’t have the surgical skills to stop the bleeding, which Jack exploits to his advantage—briefly. Jack will let Ben bleed out until Kate and Sawyer are safe, but Juliet decides to flip the script. She’s ordering others to go after Kate and Sawyer while Jack saves Ben. But the good doctor reveals Juliet wants the island leader dead. Not knowing who to believe, Tom orders Juliet out of the operating room. Jack is all about saving people, would he really let a patient die, even if he is an enemy?
Ben conveniently awakens during the surgery long enough to offer Juliet a deal. Help Sawyer and Kate get free, and he’ll let Juliet go too. So, Juliet has been on this island against her will? Maybe not for the entire time, but even she has reached a breaking point. Before she can help, Kate and Sawyer get an assist from Alex. The rebellious teenager isn’t happy with how things run on the island, especially the treatment of her boyfriend, Karl. Alex will help our survivors get off the island if they help her rescue Karl.
Karl’s rescue was one of the more interesting moments of the episode. He was locked in a room, pumped full of drugs, and bombarded with loud messages/music playing on the screen. It seemed like the Others were trying to reprogram him. Karl was in a trance-like state. The messages briefly transfixed Sawyer. More work of the Dharma Initiative? Don’t do what we say, and we’ll find a way to torture you.
Pickett, Colleen’s vengeful husband, is still hot to kill Sawyer. Not even Juliet telling him Ben gave the order to let Kate and Sawyer go can stop Pickett. What would be powerful enough to stop a grieving husband bent on revenge? A bullet, several of them. Juliet kills Pickett, letting Kate and Sawyer sail to freedom with Karl in tow. Alex must stay behind, as Ben would have killed Karl if she left. What’s ahead for Juliet? What’s ahead for Jack, who eventually saves Ben? Are both destined to be locked in cages? Please keep reading my recap for episode eight is posted.
Need a notebook?
If you’re in the market for a notebook, please check out my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jaelfogle