"The Other Woman"

Episode Rating: B+

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight's episode felt a bit more like something out of the first three seasons. It was slower, less about plot and more about character. While this season's other five episode have been rapid-fire plot development and action, "The Other Woman" is a bit lighter on plot. I'm not calling this a bad episode; indeed, I enjoyed the character development on the part of Juliet, and Ben's sub-plot was mind-blowing. Overall, however, this is the season's weakest episode. From point a to point b, the plot only inched forward. But as always, there were dozens of very, very interesting points to examine.

Let's start at the beginning of the episode. Juliet's counselor from the good ol' days, came to pay her a visit. Right off the bat I was suspicious...illusion (like Mr. Eko, Jack, Shannon, and Kate have all chased on the island) or the real thing? The fact that Jack and others saw the woman somewhat confirms she was real, but there's still doubt. She said Ben sent her, and though I know Ben is an absolute genius, I fail to see how he would have done so. Besides, as Ben pointed out later, if his people wanted them they'd come and get him. I think it's safe to say that Ben is not in contact with his people.

So this leaves the obvious; the counselor was not sent by Ben. Who's calling the shots for the others? I don't know, but I lean towards my initial theory; that's not the real person. It could be an illusion created by the island, or the smoke monster, which I assume is the source of the illusions we've seen thus far.

The episode's main plot involved Juliet tracking down Charlotte and Faraday. We were lead to believe they would be releasing the toxin Ben used to wipe out Dharma so many years ago (revealed in the season 3 episode, "The Man Behind the Curtain), thus fulfilling Ben's prophecy that everyone on the island would be killed. At the end, we found out they were trying to shut off the toxin; I saw this one coming a mile away. It was a rather obvious twist, and a rather weak climax.

But it does pose a very relevant question. Just what is this freighter up to? They obviously want Ben; that much is certain. What do they want with him? Do they want him dead? Whatever the case, they want him flushed out into the open, and to do that, they'll need the help of the castaways. Charlotte said they shut off the toxin so Ben wouldn't use it; but I think it's safe to say that Ben wouldn't use it. He can still make allies out of the castaways. This was most likely a ploy to make the survivors distrust Ben even more; I suspect it's one of many incidences to come. Once the people from the freighter have gotten all the castaways together in hating Ben, they can launch a successful attack against him.

And tonight, we learned the answer to a question that I thought we wouldn't find out for a long time; who the leader of the freighter was. It's none other than Charles Widmore, Penny's dad and nemesis to Desmond. I always knew that guy was a jerk, but that didn't stop this moment from being one of the biggest twists in the shows history. There have been clues; in last week's episode, when Desmond was in the past, we saw Widmore bidding on artifacts from the "Black Rock," the ship that crashed on the island and is home to all the dynamite (the survivors have visited it in the season one finale, "Exodus Part 2, and the season 3 episode "The Brig).

How long has Widmore known about the island? I assume he and Ben have been nemesis's for a long time, and that Charles has known about the island for a long time. My initial reaction was that he found out about the island when Penny started searching for Desmond, but the timeline in that scenario doesn't work; he was seen buying artifacts eight years before that.

And Penny, what of her? Does she know of her Dad's villainous deeds? I think not, as she didn't know about the freighter in last year's finale. Perhaps, in an upcoming episode, Desmond will reveal the truth about her father to her (when the two are reunited). In that case, she would be a huge asset to bringing down Mr. Widmore.

All this further solidifies my theory that Ben is not the villain of this show; not the main one, anyway. Manipulative, cunning, and conniving though he may be, Ben is doing what's best for the island, and Widmore is threatening it. In the third episode of this season, in Sayid's flash-forward, we heard Ben talking about trying to track down "him." We now know who "him" is. Widmore. I predict that Widmore will slowly become this show's main villain, and Ben will be one of the key assets in bringing him down. The series' climax will probably take place when the Oceanic Six return to the island to help take down Widmore.

Of course, I may be getting ahead of myself. This speculation will have to wait a long time for an answer, because the scenario I presented probably won't take place for a while.

The third major plot in this episode was Juliet's flashback. The last five episodes of this season have had very plot-driven, relevant flash-forwards/backs, but Juliet's really had little to do with the plot. It was akin to the flashbacks of the first three seasons; more about character than plot. In that element, it succeeded. I found new respect for her, and there was a whole new layer of character revealed about Ben. I had a hunch he had the hots for Jules, but it seems to be a complete obsession. What does this stem from?

The counselor said something akin to "you look like her," to Juliet when they conversed about Ben. Whoever Juliet resembles, she must have been important to Ben; important enough to warrant deranged obsession. This woman is probably Annie, the young girl who befriended Ben as a boy, and whose fate has been left ambiguous (this is detailed in the season 3 episode, "The Man Behind the Curtain). We know little about Ben's past, and I'm betting he and Annie got together at some point, the relationship being doomed. Perhaps Annie got pregnant, and thus, died, causing Ben to seek out someone to research this phenomenon. The theory seems plausible. Whatever the case, expect this obsession to become relevant the next time Juliet and Ben come face to face.

Though this flashback felt like something out of a different season (as did this whole episode,) I do feel it was needed for character, and overall I enjoyed it. This was probably the season's weakest episode thus far, but it was not at all bad. There were some little touches I particularly enjoyed. For instance, we saw Hurley once again besting Sawyer at a sport (horseshoes).

The line about "taping over the red sox," was not only funny, but gave good insight into the timeline of when Ben's footage was filmed. Ben showed Jack the Sox game in the season 3 episode, "The Glass Ballerina." So this happened between then and now. A good touch by the writers. In Juliet's flashback, we also heard her mention the kids the others kidnapped from the tail section. Another nice touch, hopefully a promise by the writers that this plot will be expanded.

And yet the question still remains....who is Ben's inside man on the freighter. He was just about to tell Locke...and then it went to commercial. But I stick by my theory that the inside man is none other than Michael, the traitorous single father from the first two seasons. This would make sense for a few reasons. First, Ben is very manipulative, and in sending Michael off the island (Season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone") was probably one of his ploys. We know that boats can't get out of the island's "orbit," and when Michael couldn't escape, Ben probably sent him to the freighter. My second reason is that the actor has been credited as part of the main cast for six episodes, without appearing in new material, and as we witnessed in the next episode preview, we'll find out the inside man next week. Could there be a better time for the man to appear? Plus, the ABC guy said we "won't believe who it is."

But now that you've read my two cents, it'll probably be easier to swallow. Whether I'm right or wrong, we'll find out next week....I'm on the edge of my seat.

The next episode should be good. Cast member Jorge Garcia (Hurley) said it was the most shocking of the first eight episodes. After next week's episode, and the week after that, the show will go on hiatus until late April, when 5 new episode (thus completing season 4) will air.

I'd also like to say that this is my 50 th entry on YourHub! It seems like just yesterday I was writing my 30 th post. I've been writing a lot for this site, and it's all thanks to you, my readers. Thanks for reading my loud opinions; without you guys, I wouldn't have made it to even 10 posts. I think I'll have one or two reviews up for you all before next week's Lost episode; there's a few movies that look mildly interesting, and some good DVD's coming out Tuesday.

So until next Thursday, try and keep the anticipation down. This show is like an addictive drug....

REFERENCE EPISODES:

(Episodes Tonight's Installment Referenced or Expanded Upon, sorted in Episode Air Order)

"Exodus: Part 2"---dealt with the ship "The Black Rock."

"Live Together, Die Alone"---Michael's last appearance-and the introduction of Penny and Charles Widmore.

"The Glass Ballerina"--- Origin of the Red Sox tape

"Enter 77"---first instance of Hurley beating Sawyer at sports

"One of Us"---featured a flashback where we first saw Juliet's affair with Goodwin

"The Brig"---dealt with the ship "The Black Rock."

"The Man Behind the Curtain"-explored Ben's past.

"The Economist"---featured a Sayid flash-forward in which we saw Ben hunting down a then un-specified Widmore.

"The Constant"---Featured Widmore buying items from "The Black Rock."