Juliet Burke

Dr. Juliet Burke (née Carlson) is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. She is among the group of people referred to as the Others by the survivors of Flight 815 on the Island. She is a medical fertility specialist who is recruited to the Island by Richard Alpert to solve the fertility problems occurring. Being unable to leave, she suffers from several breakdowns, wishing to see her sister again. Being unsuccessful with curing the problem, she is sent as a mole to the survivors, but quickly turned on Ben, the Others, and then becomes close to Jack and the remaining survivors of the crash. After Jack and five others are rescued, she forms a relationship with James "Sawyer" Ford.

The anti-heroine of the third season, Mitchell describes Juliet as being the bridge between Benjamin Linus and the other characters, as well as a "little salt in the oyster of Jack and Kate."^[1] The character was conceived by the writers as the next possible love interest for Jack.^[2] Although, with the progression of the story, the direction of the character changed. Despite being described as making morally questionable mistakes,^[3] Juliet is a compassionate and intelligent individual who dedicates her time to helping others, but often feels conflicted over her own needs.

The character has received significant praise and is often referred to as the series' best female character. Mitchell's performance has been lauded by television commentators and she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2010.

Character's background

Prior to arrival on the island

As a child, Juliet Carlson was devastated and angry to learn that her parents (Michael Trisler and Amy Stewart) were divorcing. Her mother claimed that although she and Juliet's father loved each other, they were not meant to be together. This statement seemed to affect Juliet's later outlook on relationships.

Before coming to the island, she was a doctor and medical researcher, living in Miami near her sister Rachel (Robin Weigert). Now going by her married name of Juliet Burke, she was working for her ex-husband, Edmund Burke, (Željko Ivanek) as a fertility scientist at Miami Central University. Edmund bullied an acquiescent Juliet and flaunted his sexual conquests, but despite her docile nature, Juliet was performing unauthorized experiments on her sister. Rachel's reproductive system had been ravaged by chemotherapy, rendering her sterile. Juliet was attempting to restore her fertility.

In 2001, Juliet was approached by Mittelos Bioscience and offered a job where she would "lead a team of highly trained people," according to Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell). Claiming her ex-husband would never allow her to leave, Juliet jokingly said she would not be able to accept the job offer unless he were hit by a bus, before breaking down into tears and rushing out.

When Juliet got home from the interview, her sister revealed to her that she was pregnant. Later that day, Juliet told Edmund the news. During their discussion, Edmund stepped off the sidewalk and into the street, only to be hit by a bus and die of his injuries.

Richard showed up at the morgue with Ethan Rom (William Mapother). They expressed their condolences and again asked her to join their company. Juliet accepted, believing that her job would only last six months. Soon after this, Rachel's cancer went into remission.

Upon arriving at a private airfield to depart for her new position with Mittelos, Juliet was unsettled at the amount of secrecy involved — especially considering she didn't even know where the company was located. Richard then offered her orange juice he admitted was filled with tranquilizer. Sensing reservation on Juliet's part, Richard revealed that her expertise as a fertility specialist — especially her miraculous treatment of her sister — was the reason for her recruitment, promising she would see things on the island that she would never have believed possible. Persuaded, Juliet drank the juice and quickly fell unconscious.

On the island, prior to the crash

Juliet awakens aboard the Others' submarine, strapped down for safety. She is freed by Ethan and then disembarks to the island where she meets Ben Linus (Michael Emerson). A week after she arrives on the island, in mid-September 2001, she begins therapy with the Others' resident psychologist, Dr. Harper Stanhope (Andrea Roth). Their first discussion is cut short by Ben presenting her with a newly furnished house in the Barracks. Juliet is very appreciative, but protests as she is only going to be on the island for six months. Ben brushes off this fact. Later, in the Staff, she meets Goodwin Stanhope (Brett Cullen), who is attempting to find ointment for a chemical burn on his arm. It later becomes apparent Goodwin is Harper's estranged husband.

For the next three years, she treats pregnant mothers per Ben's orders, but with uniformly fatal results. At some point she also begins an affair with Goodwin. Harper later finds out about their relationship and confronts Juliet in one of their sessions. However, instead of being angry at Juliet, she offers her a warning that if their relationship is not ended, then there will be consequences, not from her, but from Ben. It is then alluded that Ben might have a crush on Juliet.

Later she is discouraged by the lack of results in her work, but is forced to remain on the island "until her work is done." Juliet seeks to return to her sister Rachel, but Ben reveals her cancer had returned — she would be dead before Juliet arrives. However, he promises if Juliet stays, he will cure Rachel's cancer. She accepts this, but becomes suspicious of Ben when she discovers his spinal tumor on an x-ray. She then confronts him, upset over his deception about no one on the island getting cancer. She tearfully asks to go home to her dying sister — whom she believed was never going to be cured — but Ben refuses to let her go, creating hostility.

The next day, a distraught Juliet prepares to host a book club when she is visited by Amelia (Julie Adams). In deleted extras only on DVD, just as she is about to show Amelia the contents of a hidden envelope, the rest of the book club arrive. While discussing Carrie, Juliet and the rest of the Others witness Oceanic Flight 815 breaking up in the air and crashing on the island.

Following the crash

Immediately after the crash, Ben sends Ethan and Goodwin to investigate the crash and infiltrate any survivors. After exchanging a meaningful look with Harper, it becomes apparent to Juliet that Ben sent Goodwin in order to get him out of the way. Ben then takes Juliet with him to see Mikhail Bakunin (Andrew Divoff) at the Flame, who opens a live satellite connection to North America, where her seemingly healthy sister is shown playing with her now two-year-old son, Julien. Juliet breaks down crying and begs Ben to let her return home, but again Ben refuses.

Several weeks later, Ben invites Juliet to his house, under the pretense of having a dinner party, however, it turns out to be a date. Juliet asks Ben about Goodwin, and Ben attempts to sow discord between the two by implying Goodwin is interested in a relationship with Ana-Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez). Ben also gives Juliet his thanks for how she has consoled tail section survivors Zach (Mickey Graue) and Emma (Kiersten Havelock). Several days later, Ben leads Juliet into the woods and they eventually come upon Goodwin's impaled corpse. Juliet is deeply distressed, and accuses Ben of wanting Goodwin to die. Ben does not deny this, and Juliet asks why. Ben becomes upset, telling her that she should know. He goes on to state it is because "You're mine." His attitude then abruptly changes, and he informs Juliet that she should take as much time as she needs with the corpse, and leaves her alone, even more distressed and upset.

Later, Juliet and Ben enter the Pearl station, where they watch Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) from one of the monitors. Juliet mentions she thinks Jack is cute. She soon questions Ben's motives for the planned kidnapping of Jack, to which he reveals his methods of persuasion. They leave shortly after, leaving behind a walkie-talkie, picked up by Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro).

When Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) is in captivity, Juliet visits him and informs him the Others have granted him a boat to leave the island. She also comments on how Walt Lloyd (Malcolm David Kelley) is "special."^[4] Later, Juliet tells Ben how dangerous Walt is becoming when he does something in "Room 23". Ben tells Juliet he's only a child, but Juliet then takes Ben to a pile of dead birds and tells him no child would do that.

Season 3

Juliet is assigned to interrogate a captured Jack in the underwater section of the Hydra station. At first, Jack refuses to cooperate, almost flooding the room, but Juliet manages to break through to him. She mostly brings him his food, but when she is called in to operate on Colleen (Paula Malcomson), she soon seeks Jack's help. Colleen dies, and Juliet attends the funeral, where Ben asks her why she showed Jack his x-rays. When she is told to convince Jack to operate on Ben, she plays Jack a video of her holding up cue-cards, telling Jack to "accidentally" kill Ben during surgery. When a desperate Jack holds Ben hostage during surgery and angrily reveals Juliet's plan, she claims Jack is bluffing. Ben wakes up during surgery and bargains with her to help Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) escape in exchange for her freedom off the island. She finds them held at gunpoint by Pickett (Michael Bowen), and kills him on the spot. She is then tried for her crime, but via a deal made by Jack, is spared execution by Ben. Instead, she is marked on her lower back and treated by Jack before returning to the barracks.

Since returning, and after the capture of Kate and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), Ben instructs her to infiltrate the survivors' camp in order to gain information on Kate, as well as other potentially pregnant women. She is then handcuffed to Kate and placed in the jungle, where she pretends to have been gassed and abandoned with her. However, after being chased by the "Monster", Juliet unlocks the handcuffs, and shuts out the "Monster" using the sonar panel fence. The two return to camp, where Juliet frees Sayid. She migrates with the survivors soon after, under the protection of Jack. However, en route to retrieving medication for Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin), she narrowly avoids an interrogation from Sayid and Sawyer, and manages to help Claire. Juliet also takes Sun Kwon (Yunjin Kim) to the Staff station upon learning of her pregnancy, and uses the equipment to perform a scan on her fetus; she confirms she conceived on the island, and informs her that she has until her second trimester, in roughly two months. Soon after, Juliet confesses to Jack about her purpose for being in the camp.^[5]

Later, Kate informs Jack and Juliet of Naomi Dorrit's (Marsha Thomason) arrival, prompting them to leave abruptly. They find Rousseau in the jungle and form a plan. When they return, they discover Sawyer has played Juliet's dictophone to the camp, revealing the notes she made on Sun's pregnancy. She then reveals the Others intend on invading the camp and abducting the pregnant women. Juliet and Jack lead the camp into the jungle to demonstrate their plan to defeat the Others. However, when Karl (Blake Bashoff) arrives to warn them of their immediate arrival, Juliet discloses information on the Looking Glass station, used for blocking outgoing signals, before heading off to the radio tower with the majority of the camp. After witnessing Sayid's plan backfire, Juliet gives Jack a kiss before parting and joins Sawyer in his rescue effort on the beach. After Hurley (Jorge Garcia) runs over one of the surviving Others with the van, Juliet corners Tom (M.C. Gainey) while Sawyer unexpectedly shoots him in cold blood.

Season 4

In the season premiere, Juliet along with Sayid, Sawyer, Bernard and Jin Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim), question Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) about the warning Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) had given before he died. However Hurley interrupts and questions Desmond of Charlie's whereabouts, Desmond tells them all Charlie had died, leaving the castaways devastated. Juliet is later present when Jack confronts John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) for the killing of Naomi and when the survivors split into two groups. Some survivors such as Sawyer, Hurley and Claire go with Locke to the barracks because they believe the people arriving at the Island will not rescue them. However, the majority including Juliet remain with Jack in hopes of getting rescued. Juliet, along with Sayid, disarm Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) and Miles Straume (Ken Leung) who had Jack and Kate at gunpoint. Later, Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) figures out Juliet was not on the plane and asks her where Ben is.

When Faraday and Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader) disappear without note from the camp, Juliet and Jack run into the jungle in search for the newcomers. Juliet is confronted by Harper — her former therapist — and ordered to kill Faraday and Charlotte, accused by Ben of heading to The Tempest chemical station, to kill everyone on the island. Juliet and Jack find Kate on their road to The Tempest, but as Jack treats Kate who was tied up and knocked unconscious by Charlotte, Juliet vanishes and pursues the two freighter people on her own. She finds them executing their mission in the station, and takes Faraday at gun point, just until Charlotte attacks her. When it turns out they are securing the station to prevent Ben from killing everyone on the island, she leaves them alone. Upon reuniting outside — and discussing the threat posed by a possessive Ben — Juliet and Jack share a kiss.

Once it is revealed Jack was suffering from appendicitis, Juliet operates on him. Following the operation, Juliet reveals to Kate they kissed and it was only for Jack to prove to himself that he didn't have feelings for someone else. Once Kate leaves, Juliet tells Jack she knows he is awake and he has overheard the conversation.

Later, when Daniel is evacuating people to the Kahana by Zodiac, Juliet chooses to stay behind until everyone is safe. Later, Sawyer emerges from the ocean and encounters her on the beach, drinking a bottle of rum. He asks her what she is celebrating, and she replies she is not celebrating, and motions to a billow of smoke over the ocean. Sawyer then asks "Is that our boat?", and Juliet replies "It was." Moments later, she disappears along with the rest of the island and its inhabitants when it's moved to its new location.

Season 5

Juliet remains with the Flight 815 survivors after the Island is moved, eventually staying with Sawyer and a few others after being separated from them during an attack by The Others. Juliet and Sawyer bond, which leads to Juliet deciding to stay with the other survivors once they join with the Dharma Initiative in the '70s. Over the next three years, she and Sawyer fall in love and develop a relationship, and are living together by the time Jack, Kate, and Hurley return.

Once their cover is blown, Juliet and Sawyer attempt to flee Dharma. They are captured, and set to be shipped back to the mainland, but escape when they learn of Jack's plan to destroy the Swan Station before it can be completed.

Through flashbacks, it is revealed Juliet's parents divorced when she was a child, telling her and her sister they still loved each other but were not meant to be together. Juliet later repeats this reason to Sawyer, believing he still has feelings for Kate. She decides instead to help Jack, hoping if his plan works, she will never meet Sawyer and thus never lose him.

When the magnetic forces beneath the Swan become unstable in "The Incident", Juliet is struck by a loose chain and pulled into the hole which has been drilled. Sawyer and Kate attempt to save her, but Juliet lets go to avoid having Sawyer and Kate die with her. Before she does, she admits she loves Sawyer more than anything. Juliet survives the fall, and - in the very last scene of season 5 - uses the last of her strength to strike the nuclear device Jack threw in earlier until it explodes.^[6]

Season 6

Right at the moment of the blast of the "Jughead" bomb, Juliet and the survivors are thrown forward in time to 2007. Juliet arrives buried under the rubble of the Hatch. Kate hears her cries for help and Sawyer and the others frantically begin to dig her out. Sawyer manages to reach her and Juliet says they should get a coffee sometime and reveals she has something important to tell him. However, before she can convey her message, she dies from her injuries. Sawyer emerges from the rubble carrying Juliet's body and later he and Miles bury her. Sawyer forces Miles to 'read' her; he says the message is "it worked" but they do not understand what worked. In "The Substitute," Juliet's surname - Burke - was seen on Jacob's wall, crossed out with the number 58 next to it.

Afterlife

Juliet appears as a doctor at the hospital where Jack works. She performed an ultrasound on Sun to confirm her child was alright as Sun recovered from a gunshot wound. Upon entering the room, Juliet says they don't speak English so she'll speak as little as possible. Juliet asked if they wanted to know the sex of the child. Sun and Jin remembered their lives and with it, remembered how to speak English and tell Juliet they know it's a girl. Juliet tells them, for the record, their English is fine.

Meeting Jack at St Sebastian, she takes David (her and Jack's son in the alternate time line) with her to the concert. While waiting to gain entry, she receives a message, and she must return to the Hospital. Upon arrival, she meets Sawyer, at the hospital vending machines. Juliet explains to James how to get the candy he'd just purchased out of the machine which didn't dispense correctly, by switching it off and back on. After James does this and the candy falls out of the machine, Juliet tells Sawyer "it worked" (her dying words in the original timeline). As Juliet passes the candy retrieved from the machine they brush fingers, and have flashes of their lives together, where they were in love. Remembering each other, they embrace and kiss passionately.

Juliet and Sawyer make their way to the church, where they reunite with other former denizens of the Island. After Christian Shephard opens the doors of the church, she moves on to the next reality while holding hands with Sawyer, her island lover.

Reception

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune declared Juliet the "Best female villain of the fall of 2006", saying up until the third season she thought Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson), was the "most chilling villain" on Lost, but Juliet is even scarier.^[7] Entertainment Weekly describes "scheming Juliet" as a "captivating minor character".^[8] BuddyTV Senior Writer Jon Lachonis commented Juliet's centric episode "One of Us" was "perhaps the most perfect episode of Lost ever produced, bar none." In this same review, he complimented Elizabeth Mitchell on her portrayal.^[9] Juliet has been considered by many critics and experts to be the strongest female character on the show, and is usually placed in the top ten outstanding characters of Lost by various critics and journalists, and is often placed in the top five. The character was listed in Wetpaint's "10 Hottest Female Doctors on TV".^[10]

Elizabeth Mitchell submitted the episode "One of Us" for consideration on her behalf in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" at the 2007 Emmy Awards,^[11] but was not nominated. In 2010, she received an Emmy nomination for her appearance in the series finale, "The End",^[12] this time in the guest actress category.

References

External links

• Juliet Burke on Lostpedia, an external wiki