Trojan Whore

OK, before you jump all over me... I SWEAR I had already posted my thoughts from last week. AND, before ye cast the first stone, please reference Tripp West, who hasn't updated his blog since "Par Avion." At least I'm only one episode behind. (How do you like that shifting of blame?!)

OK, anywhoo. Let's begin with last week's "Left Behind." The Kate-centric revealed yet another pre-island connection, this time between Sawyer's leading women: old flame and baby momma Cassidy, and new chica (albeit post-coital) Kate. Seems that Cassidy helped our island fugitive get in a nice conversation with Mommy Dearest following aforementioned Mommy turning her daughter in to the feds after she blew up her husband. (Like sand through the hourglass...)

In terms of enlightenment, we sure as heck didn't get much from Kate's flashbacks. Meanwhile, back on the ranch (island), Kate woke up in the jungle after being gassed handcuffed (down, boys) to Juliet, both seemingly "left behind" by the Others. Angry Kate then decides to head back to Otherville to rendezvous with Jack and Sayid. Since, as we already mentioned, the girls are handcuffed to each other, Juliet has little choice but to go with bull-headed and determined Katherine, unless she wants to pull a 24, and cut off her own arm. However, on the way back to the village, Smokey shows up, and the girls make a run for it... all the way back to that darn tricky fence that has the nasty little habot of making people foam at the mouth and drop dead. Oh, well, since Juliet knows the code and has a key to the handcuffs, everything just turns out hunky (and dory).

OK, so clearly, Juliet was not "left behind." She was planted there, and we all knew it, even before this week's episode, "One of Us" aired. I mean, duh. But Jack, oh Jack, he just insists on bringing her back to the beach. End episode.

Amazingly enough, "One of Us" pretty much picked up where we left off, both in terms of Juliet's flashbacks and Island time. This week's episode began with an always distrusting Sayid asking Juliet the questions everyone wants the answers to: "Who the F are you, and why the F won't you leave us the F alone?!" (obvious paraphrase). And Juliet, ever evasive, responds "You would kill me if I told you." Um, well that right there is reason enough for me. Anyone else? Ugh. After Kate and Jack have a moment alone wherein Jack is less than forthcoming regarding his vacation in Otherville, they all arrive back at the beach, much to Sawyer's (who seems to have had a personality tune-up. Boooooooo.) delight. (Is it just me or was he just as happy to see Jack as he was Kate? And is it just me or is that weird?) Sawyer and Kate have a nauseating reunion, in the middle of which Sawyer realizes that there's an Other with them! Gasp! Um, fast forward, Claire gets sick (boo frickin' hoo, letherdieletherdieletherdie), Juliet can cure her, does, and earns the trust of the survivors for the moment.

Enter The Twist. Juliet was the one made Claire sick. Back in S1, when Ethan kidnapped Claire, and was injecting weird stuff into her, apparently that stuff was some sort of serum designed to keep the preggo alive, since it seems that any pregnant woman on the island is doomed to die a particularly gruesome death. So our resident Fertility Doctor brings this up, convinces Jack and Kate that she can get more magic serum, and Claire will be OK. She does, and Claire is (damn). As a reward, Juliet is given a tarp, a blanket, and a spot in the shade, all of which are worth more than gold on this island. Now, in the 2 minutes before LOST flashed on the screen at the end of the episdoe, we learned that it was all a set up. Juliet planned, along with Ben, all the details down to injecting Claire with a time-released thingydoo, that would go off at the most convenient of times, allowing Juliet the chance to avert a crisis and be a hero, earning the trust of the Survivors.

Um, that's a bit of a stretch for me. (But then again, what on this show isn't?!) At the end, we are let in on the fact that Ben and Co. will be back "in a week." Uh, what now? Are they floating just offshore somewhere, waiting in the wings for Island War II? Where did Locke go?

This show makes my head hurt.

Next week, "Catch 22" follows Desmond and Charlie on a dangerous trip into the wild, where Charlie begins to question Desmond's motives for bringing him along. (Kill him!!)

Anyway, what are your thoughts?