Were Juliet's Flashbacks Real?

[puff6962]

How does one reconcile them with her allegiance to Ben?

[Jugdish]

Please explain your point.

BUt I believe all flashbacks are real

[AstroJones]

I don't understand your question.  Of course they were real.  She has allegiance to Ben because she thinks he saved her sisters life.  She's also been there for 3 years, and we certainly don't know the whole story between them.

[Versed4every1]

How does one reconcile them with her allegiance to Ben?

The same thing could be said about any flashback -- are they real?  However, it is easy to reconcile Juliet's allegiance... it is to Juliet.

[dcnole]

Yeah, you need to flush out your point.  Her immediate conflict with Ben got resolved by seeing her sister alive and well, and beyond that, we don't know enough about what they're doing on the island to fully understand why she and the rest of the Others are so committed to the cause, but it is clear that their commitment is very very strong. 

[hefalumps]

Agreed - we have to assume that the flashbacks actually happened. I know there's always the "unreliable narrarator" trick that writers can use to completely turn a plot on its heels, and Juliet's character certainly has potential to be an "unreliable narrarator", but she isn't really telling the story when it goes back to her flashbacks, you know? They just kind of get injected into the story. Now, the parts where she's recounting how certain things happened (like Claire's abduction being completely Ethan's idea), she was narrarating that part - so that part could be a flat out lie. But her trip to the island, her arguments with Ben about her sister - I imagine all that has to be real. If it's not, then any of the flashbacks could be a lie, and the whole show just kind of breaks down. If Juliet's flashbacks turn out to NOT be real, then it would have to be some kind of space-time anomaly that screwed everything up!  

[Austruck]

Also, Ben WAS letting her go -- with Jack on the sub. But Locke screwed that up, not Ben (unless we see differently in the future). Sooo, she's still got some reason to be loyal to Ben. She knows if anyone can get her home, it's him, not Jack or the others.

[Walrus]

Agreed - we have to assume that the flashbacks actually happened. I know there's always the "unreliable narrarator" trick that writers can use to completely turn a plot on its heels, and Juliet's character certainly has potential to be an "unreliable narrarator", but she isn't really telling the story when it goes back to her flashbacks, you know? They just kind of get injected into the story. Now, the parts where she's recounting how certain things happened (like Claire's abduction being completely Ethan's idea), she was narrarating that part - so that part could be a flat out lie. But her trip to the island, her arguments with Ben about her sister - I imagine all that has to be real. If it's not, then any of the flashbacks could be a lie, and the whole show just kind of breaks down. If Juliet's flashbacks turn out to NOT be real, then it would have to be some kind of space-time anomaly that screwed everything up!  

I think that may be where Puff is coming from, ie the abduction/Ethan bit.  I agree that the off-island stuff is genuine.

[Walrus]

Also, Ben WAS letting her go -- with Jack on the sub. But Locke screwed that up, not Ben (unless we see differently in the future). Sooo, she's still got some reason to be loyal to Ben. She knows if anyone can get her home, it's him, not Jack or the others.

Was he?  Or did he manipulate Locke into blowing up the sub?  One thing that struck me was that apparently they hadn't searched the pack to find the explosives.

[JBRam]

Also, Ben WAS letting her go -- with Jack on the sub. But Locke screwed that up, not Ben (unless we see differently in the future). Sooo, she's still got some reason to be loyal to Ben. She knows if anyone can get her home, it's him, not Jack or the others.

Ben wanted Locke to blow it up, and Locke knew it.

[MichiganFan]

Based on Juliette's flashback, she wants to go home, but based on her discussion with Ben, she is cooperating with him (or appearing to be). This desire to go home is what convinced Jack that she is an ally... but it now appears that she is now a spy, lying about Ethan's intentions and her roles with the Others to the lostees. I hope the flashbacks show her true intention... to cooperate with Ben so that she can go home, even if this means screwing over Jack and the lostees.

[puff6962]

Ya, that kinda captures the reason for this topic.  After she sees the vid of her sister, she again begs to go home.  After the surgery, Ben promised her a sub ride home.  Flash....Now we see her sitting calmly in ben's apartment going over how to infiltrate the losties.  This conversation took place the same day (night of the same day) that the sub was blown. 

So, either her on-island flashback is unreal, ben has promised her another way off, or she's just a histrionic female that blabbers about going home but doesn't really want to.

[puff6962]

also, did you catch that juliet was post-coital with the Goodwin guy and she really didn't mind having spent three years on the island at that point.

there is again this waivering thread that has been present in trying to reconcile other character's flashbacks....Claire, Desmond, Charley, Jack, Locke.  it's almost as if the histories are describing similar but different copies of the individual.

[eelpie62]

However, it is easy to reconcile Juliet's allegiance... it is to Juliet.

Which is why she'll both do Ben's bidding and try to get Jack to kill him on the operating table. She'll do what she has to in order to leave the island.

[cbw420]

How does one reconcile them with her allegiance to Ben?

been asking myself the same thing all effin morning