The Juliet party continues! OUR FEELINGS SHALL ERUPT FORTH ONCE MORE.
So, video first!
- If we ignore my obsession with Juliet (LOL WE CAN’TÂ WHO AM I KIDDING), y’all should have guessed that I would certainly love an episode about loneliness and fitting in with people who are predisposed to disliking you. So, I get if this isn’t your thing? But it’s absolutely mine.
- I am a Juliet/Sawyer man all the way, until the end of time, as my body turns to dust I will utter JULIET AND SAWYER BELONG TOGETHER, AS DO WILLIAM ADAMA AND LAURA ROSLIN. This is immutable. This is the only way to understand me. Given this, I have to admit that this episode is one of a few in the series’ run that made me REALLY like Jack. The dynamic between him and Juliet is wonderful here. He treats Juliet with trust, respect, and kindness because she deserves it, and at the end of the day, he truly believes he deserves nothing in return. There are times when Jack/Juliet gets ridiculous, and that’s the case any time Jack feels the need to get all creepily patriarchal with the women in his life. But in this episode? He is the only person willing to stand up for Juliet unconditionally. Fuck, that is awesome.
- At the same time, I always appreciated that the writers didn’t invalidate the fears of the Losties. They really don’t have any reason to trust Juliet, and honestly? Jack’s trust isn’t enough. After the horrible things these people went through, I can’t blame them. Many were violated. Some are dead. Juliet does have to earn their trust, you know? They haven’t spent time with her in the same context as Jack.
- While the whole pregnancy storyline got super convoluted, I remember feeling like this episode answered the bulk of questions I had about why women could not give birth on the island. Then, “The Incident” answered the BIG why, of course, since the Incident was what caused the electromagnetic wackiness in the first place.
- All the on-island shit in this episode is great, but I am ALL ABOUT the flashbacks here. Juliet is often a selfless, empathetic person, usually the voice of reason, and nearly always willing to sacrifice herself in order to save or help others. She came to the island to help these women survive, and even while there, all she wants is to do what is best for others. What’s fascinating, then, is how this is contrasted with her deep desire to leave. At the time, I felt the end of “One of Us” was tacky and unfair. The writers had spent so much time making us sympathize with Juliet and the awful things that had happened to her, and then they revealed she was going to double cross everyone? What was the point of showing us how trustworthy and moral she was if she was just going to be an antagonistic force? In hindsight, I now know what she was really planning, but I can also appreciate it from another angle. As Jack says, no one wants off that island more than Juliet, and it would totally explain a possible betrayal. Juliet doesn’t often do things for selfish reasons, and that would have been a reason for her to be selfish. Remember, Juliet never does get off the island to see her sister or her nephew Julian EVER. She’d been lied to and was unable to go home because Ben was a bigot, and now there was a chance she might be able to.
- But she didn’t. So many tears, y’all.
Discuss!
Mark Links Stuff
– I am going on tour in 2013! There are 27 tour dates spread across the eastern half of North America. Please help suggest venues, offer up a place to crash, and RSVP for dates near you!
- ALL VIDEO COMMISSIONS WILL CLOSE ON FEBRUARY 9TH SO THAT I CAN WRITE POSTS IN ADVANCE FOR TOUR. The only exception to this are any upcoming projects I am doing, so I have listed all upcoming Mark Watches posts that are missing commissions.
- You can, however, commission me to read bad fic/fiction on ANY Mark Does Stuff Tour date. You can claim a specific date to have a live reading right here.
