One of Us (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"One of Us" is the 16th episode of the third season of Lost
. It aired on April 11, 2007, making it the 65th episode of the series. The episode was written by Carlton Cuse
and Drew Goddard
and directed by Jack Bender
. The title of the episode is not only a reference to the season two episode entitled "One of Them
", it is also a major theme of the episode, as Jack tries to convince the other flight survivors that Juliet is "one of us", rather than an Other.
The character of Dr. Juliet Burke
(Elizabeth Mitchell
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks, which reveal how Juliet got on the Island and why she went to the island in the first place. While on the island, Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
), Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
), Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) and Juliet trek back to the beach camp, and Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) is struck by a mysterious illness. Andrew Divoff
, William Mapother
and Nestor Carbonell
again reprise their recurring roles as Others; Mikhail Bakunin, Ethan Rom and Richard Alpert
. The Island events in this episode take place between December 13 and December 15, 2004.
She then moves out onto a dock, where she meets Ben Linus. Juliet is shown operating with Ethan and Goodwin (Brett Cullen) on a pregnant patient, Sabine, who dies; she is comforted by Goodwin. Juliet meets with Ben, and explains her theory that the problems with pregnant women happen at conception. She wants to test this theory by having a woman conceive off the island, but Ben refuses to let anyone off the island. When Juliet tells him that nothing else can be done and asks to go home and be with her sister, Ben informs Juliet that her sister's cancer has come back. He offers her a choice: either Juliet can go home and be with her sister as she dies, or she can stay and he will have Jacob cure her sister's cancer.
Juliet is in bed after sleeping with Goodwin. Afterwards, she is given x-rays of Ben's back, and when she determines that Ben has a tumor, she confronts him and accuses him of lying about Rachel. He denies lying to her and refuses to let her go home. The next day, immediately after Flight 815 crashes, Ben takes Juliet to the Flame Station to see Mikhail. Ben tells Mikhail that he wants information on all of the passengers of the plane, then asks him to bring up a live feed. On the screen a newspaper is shown with the current date, September 22, 2004, followed by a shot of Rachel playing with her child (Rachel named her son Julian, presumably after Juliet.) in a playground, and Ben explains that her cancer is in complete remission. The final flashback shows Juliet and Ben discussing their plans immediately before the events of "Left Behind". Ben tells her to handcuff herself to Kate and say she was left behind. She is also told that Claire's "implant" has been "activated" and that this will make Claire ill. Juliet is to use drugs left at the drop point to cure her and earn the trust of the survivors; Ben gives her a gas mask and leaves. While setting up her shelter, Juliet looks around the camp and ties a final double knot as Jack smiles at her.
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) engages Juliet in casual conversation. Juliet guesses that Hurley was sent to keep an eye on her. He tells her the last Other who came over, Ethan, was killed and buried nearby.
That night, Jack tells everyone that he trusts Juliet and that should be enough, but Sayid disagrees. Jack continues to explain that John Locke blew up the submarine that was to take him home. Claire suddenly collapses with blood gushing from her face. Juliet takes Jack and Kate aside and tells them she knows what's wrong with Claire because she did it to her. At the camp, Juliet explains that Claire's immune system has turned against her due to a latent reaction to medication in her bloodstream. The medication was designed by Juliet to keep Claire alive during her pregnancy. She was brought to the island to find out why women couldn't have children. The mother's body treats the pregnancy as a foreign invader and the immune system attacks; every pregnant woman on the island has died. Claire was the first to survive even though she showed some of the symptoms.
Juliet explains that Ethan kept a stash of the serum at a nearby drop point. She goes out into the jungle and retrieves the serum, but Sayid and Sawyer have followed her, and they want answers. Juliet tells them there is no time, and realizing they are not going to budge, she stands up to them and says she finds it interesting that they are the camp's moral police, considering their violent pasts. She takes the serum back to the beach and gives it to Jack. He warns her that if anything happens to Claire, he will not be able to protect her against the will of the survivors any longer and she would be alone, to which Juliet states that she already is. At the camp, Claire wakes up. She is feeling and looking much better. Juliet is now on the path to being trusted by the survivors. Jack brings her supplies to set up her tent area and tells her eventually everyone will need answers. Juliet asks why Jack trusts her and does not ask for answers. He says because when the submarine exploded, he saw in her eyes that she wanted to get off this island more than anything. That makes her "one of us."
. It was written by Carlton Cuse
and Drew Goddard
; the pair had never before collaborated on an episode.
As usual, the scenes on the beach (the survivors camp) were shot at Oahu
's Papa'iloa Beach, while the island scenes were actually filmed at the Waialua Mauka Ranches. The Mittelos secure building exterior scenes were shot at the Honolulu Advertiser Production and Distribution Building. Most of the scenes displaying the Others' camp were shot at the Hawaii
Film Studio, with the exception of the barracks which were filmed at YMCA Camp
Erdman. The inside of the submarine was filmed inside the SS-287
which is located at the USS Arizona Memorial
. Once again, the song "Downtown
", by Petula Clark
was used in flashbacks; it was already used in the earlier episode "A Tale of Two Cities
".
by 53% among Adults 18-49, the largest ever margin of victory for Lost over CSI: NY in original episodes. The ratings were also an increase over the previous episode, and improved the timeslot by 5.7 million viewers over the same night last year. Lost was the fifth most watched program for the week in the key adults 18-49 demographic, achieving 5.2 million viewers. In the United Kingdom, the episode attracted 1.09 million viewers, and was the second most watched program of the week on the non-terrestrial channels, beaten only by Live FA Cup Football.
Reviewer Chris Carabott of IGN
rated the episode with an 8.7 out of 10, commenting that "One of Us" was "yet another solid effort from long-time Lost director Jack Bender
who deserves credit for bringing us some of the best episodes the series has to offer. Bender has helmed "Walkabout
", "Man of Science, Man of Faith
" and this season's best "The Man from Tallahassee
" just to name a few". BuddyTV
Senior Writer Jon Lachonis commented that "One of us" was "perhaps the most perfect episode of Lost ever produced, bar none. For those of you who were upset with how inelegantly "Exposé
" squandered its flashback opportunities, prepare for a huge apology from the producers. For those Lost fans who stuck around knowing that the show would obtain that mythical level of greatness that seemed to come so natural, here is your pay-off." In this same review, he complimented Elizabeth Mitchell on her portrayal. Elizabeth Mitchell
later submitted this episode for consideration on her behalf in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
" at the 2007 Emmy Awards
.
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. It aired on April 11, 2007, making it the 65th episode of the series. The episode was written by Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
and Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard is an American film and television screenwriter and producer best known for his collaborations with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams .Goddard joined the crew of Lost as a freelance writer for the first season in 2004...
and directed by Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
. The title of the episode is not only a reference to the season two episode entitled "One of Them
One of Them
"One of Them" is the 39th episode of Lost and the 14th episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. It first aired on February 15, 2006 on ABC. The character of Sayid Jarrah is featured in the episode's flashbacks...
", it is also a major theme of the episode, as Jack tries to convince the other flight survivors that Juliet is "one of us", rather than an Other.
The character of Dr. Juliet Burke
Juliet Burke
Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...
(Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell , is an American actress/modelwho is known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia.-Early life:Mitchell was born Elizabeth...
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks, which reveal how Juliet got on the Island and why she went to the island in the first place. While on the island, Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
), Kate Austen
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
(Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
), Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) and Juliet trek back to the beach camp, and Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
(Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) is struck by a mysterious illness. Andrew Divoff
Andrew Divoff
Andrew Daniel Divoff is a Venezuelan film and television actor, best known for playing the evil Djinn in the two first Wishmaster films and the villains Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami and Mikhail Bakunin in Lost.- Early life :Divoff was...
, William Mapother
William Mapother
William Reibert Mapother, Jr. is an American actor and former teacher, perhaps best known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series Lost.-Personal life:...
and Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Gastón Carbonell is an American actor, known for portraying Richard Alpert in ABC's drama Lost and Mayor Anthony Garcia in the film The Dark Knight...
again reprise their recurring roles as Others; Mikhail Bakunin, Ethan Rom and Richard Alpert
Richard Alpert (Lost)
Ricardo "Richard" Alpert is a fictional character played by Nestor Carbonell in the American ABC television series Lost. Alpert is introduced in a flashback of the character Juliet Burke , where he claims to be a doctor for a bioscience company called Mittelos Bioscience; he is later revealed to...
. The Island events in this episode take place between December 13 and December 15, 2004.
Flashbacks
Juliet arrives at an airport with her sister, where Richard Alpert and Ethan Rom are there to escort her the rest of the way. Juliet says good-bye to her sister, Rachel, promising to be back before her baby is born. In the airport terminal, Alpert pours sedative into a glass of orange juice and gives it to Juliet to drink, explaining that the trip is very intense. Juliet is wary of drinking the juice, even though she is okay with the other circumstances surrounding the trip. Alpert interrupts and tells her the place she is going is very special and that she has a gift with which she is supposed to do something significant. Juliet drinks the orange juice and passes out. She wakes up in a submarine with her arms and waist strapped down for safety.She then moves out onto a dock, where she meets Ben Linus. Juliet is shown operating with Ethan and Goodwin (Brett Cullen) on a pregnant patient, Sabine, who dies; she is comforted by Goodwin. Juliet meets with Ben, and explains her theory that the problems with pregnant women happen at conception. She wants to test this theory by having a woman conceive off the island, but Ben refuses to let anyone off the island. When Juliet tells him that nothing else can be done and asks to go home and be with her sister, Ben informs Juliet that her sister's cancer has come back. He offers her a choice: either Juliet can go home and be with her sister as she dies, or she can stay and he will have Jacob cure her sister's cancer.
Juliet is in bed after sleeping with Goodwin. Afterwards, she is given x-rays of Ben's back, and when she determines that Ben has a tumor, she confronts him and accuses him of lying about Rachel. He denies lying to her and refuses to let her go home. The next day, immediately after Flight 815 crashes, Ben takes Juliet to the Flame Station to see Mikhail. Ben tells Mikhail that he wants information on all of the passengers of the plane, then asks him to bring up a live feed. On the screen a newspaper is shown with the current date, September 22, 2004, followed by a shot of Rachel playing with her child (Rachel named her son Julian, presumably after Juliet.) in a playground, and Ben explains that her cancer is in complete remission. The final flashback shows Juliet and Ben discussing their plans immediately before the events of "Left Behind". Ben tells her to handcuff herself to Kate and say she was left behind. She is also told that Claire's "implant" has been "activated" and that this will make Claire ill. Juliet is to use drugs left at the drop point to cure her and earn the trust of the survivors; Ben gives her a gas mask and leaves. While setting up her shelter, Juliet looks around the camp and ties a final double knot as Jack smiles at her.
On the Island
Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, Sayid Jarrah and Juliet Burke move back to the beach camp. As they stop for the night, Jack explains to Kate the deal he made with Ben Linus (Michael Emerson). Sayid attempts to interrogate Juliet, but Jack intervenes and defends her. At the beach camp, Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) hears Claire Littleton's baby, Aaron, crying and wakes up Claire. Claire says she is not feeling well, so Charlie offers to take care of Aaron. James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) sees Jack, Kate, and Sayid returning. Though happy about their return, he expresses his displeasure at seeing Juliet.Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) engages Juliet in casual conversation. Juliet guesses that Hurley was sent to keep an eye on her. He tells her the last Other who came over, Ethan, was killed and buried nearby.
That night, Jack tells everyone that he trusts Juliet and that should be enough, but Sayid disagrees. Jack continues to explain that John Locke blew up the submarine that was to take him home. Claire suddenly collapses with blood gushing from her face. Juliet takes Jack and Kate aside and tells them she knows what's wrong with Claire because she did it to her. At the camp, Juliet explains that Claire's immune system has turned against her due to a latent reaction to medication in her bloodstream. The medication was designed by Juliet to keep Claire alive during her pregnancy. She was brought to the island to find out why women couldn't have children. The mother's body treats the pregnancy as a foreign invader and the immune system attacks; every pregnant woman on the island has died. Claire was the first to survive even though she showed some of the symptoms.
Juliet explains that Ethan kept a stash of the serum at a nearby drop point. She goes out into the jungle and retrieves the serum, but Sayid and Sawyer have followed her, and they want answers. Juliet tells them there is no time, and realizing they are not going to budge, she stands up to them and says she finds it interesting that they are the camp's moral police, considering their violent pasts. She takes the serum back to the beach and gives it to Jack. He warns her that if anything happens to Claire, he will not be able to protect her against the will of the survivors any longer and she would be alone, to which Juliet states that she already is. At the camp, Claire wakes up. She is feeling and looking much better. Juliet is now on the path to being trusted by the survivors. Jack brings her supplies to set up her tent area and tells her eventually everyone will need answers. Juliet asks why Jack trusts her and does not ask for answers. He says because when the submarine exploded, he saw in her eyes that she wanted to get off this island more than anything. That makes her "one of us."
Production
"One of Us" was the nineteenth episode directed by Jack BenderJack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
. It was written by Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
and Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard is an American film and television screenwriter and producer best known for his collaborations with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams .Goddard joined the crew of Lost as a freelance writer for the first season in 2004...
; the pair had never before collaborated on an episode.
As usual, the scenes on the beach (the survivors camp) were shot at Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
's Papa'iloa Beach, while the island scenes were actually filmed at the Waialua Mauka Ranches. The Mittelos secure building exterior scenes were shot at the Honolulu Advertiser Production and Distribution Building. Most of the scenes displaying the Others' camp were shot at the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
Film Studio, with the exception of the barracks which were filmed at YMCA Camp
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Erdman. The inside of the submarine was filmed inside the SS-287
USS Bowfin (SS-287)
USS Bowfin , Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the bowfin, a voracious, predatory fish native to the Great Lakes, the Mississippi valley, and nearby waters...
which is located at the USS Arizona Memorial
USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese imperial forces and commemorates the events of that day...
. Once again, the song "Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
", by Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
was used in flashbacks; it was already used in the earlier episode "A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (Lost)
"A Tale of Two Cities" is the third season premiere, and 50th episode overall, of the American Broadcasting Company's serial drama television series Lost. The episode was written by co-creators/executive producers J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Lindelof and directed by...
".
Reception
"One of Us" was watched by 12.09 million Americans, ranking Lost as the twentieth most watched program of the week. Lost defeated CBS' CSI: NYCSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
by 53% among Adults 18-49, the largest ever margin of victory for Lost over CSI: NY in original episodes. The ratings were also an increase over the previous episode, and improved the timeslot by 5.7 million viewers over the same night last year. Lost was the fifth most watched program for the week in the key adults 18-49 demographic, achieving 5.2 million viewers. In the United Kingdom, the episode attracted 1.09 million viewers, and was the second most watched program of the week on the non-terrestrial channels, beaten only by Live FA Cup Football.
Reviewer Chris Carabott of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the episode with an 8.7 out of 10, commenting that "One of Us" was "yet another solid effort from long-time Lost director Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
who deserves credit for bringing us some of the best episodes the series has to offer. Bender has helmed "Walkabout
Walkabout (Lost)
"Walkabout" is the fourth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by David Fury. It first aired on October 13, 2004, on ABC. In the episode, flashbacks reveal John Locke's plans to get to Australia and participate in a walkabout tour...
", "Man of Science, Man of Faith
Man of Science, Man of Faith
"Man of Science, Man of Faith" is the first episode of the second season of Lost and the 26th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on September 21, 2005 on ABC. The flashbacks focus on Jack Shephard's struggle to heal Sarah, who...
" and this season's best "The Man from Tallahassee
The Man from Tallahassee
"The Man from Tallahassee" is the 13th episode of the 3rd season of Lost, and the 62nd episode overall. It was aired on March 21, 2007 on ABC. The episode was written by Drew Goddard and Jeff Pinkner and directed by Jack Bender...
" just to name a few". BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
Senior Writer Jon Lachonis commented that "One of us" was "perhaps the most perfect episode of Lost ever produced, bar none. For those of you who were upset with how inelegantly "Exposé
Exposé (Lost)
"Exposé" is the 14th episode of the 3rd season and 63rd episode overall of the American Broadcasting Company 's serial drama television series Lost. It was aired as on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on March 28, 2007...
" squandered its flashback opportunities, prepare for a huge apology from the producers. For those Lost fans who stuck around knowing that the show would obtain that mythical level of greatness that seemed to come so natural, here is your pay-off." In this same review, he complimented Elizabeth Mitchell on her portrayal. Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell , is an American actress/modelwho is known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia.-Early life:Mitchell was born Elizabeth...
later submitted this episode for consideration on her behalf in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series-Superlatives:-1960s:*1960: no award*1961: no award*1962: Pamela Brown – Victoria Regina*1963: Glenda Farrell – Ben Casey...
" at the 2007 Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
.