First Kudos to the writers & Juliet... for conning some of our losties... and some of us. I had no idea Juliet was up to no good... especially since I wanted to believe her so badly (she's a favorite)

Anyhow...

Judging by her flashbacks, which are "hers" and weren't being told to anyone... so I imagine that are true...

What is her reason for helping Ben? Why would she agree to help him after every thing he has done to her? She seemed to be truly "bonding" with Jack... so I don't see her wanting to cause him any kind of harm, and she tried to get Jack to kill Ben at one point... so we know she doesn't exactly have a big heart for Ben.

So why agree?

Is it possible that she knows more than we do, and knows that there is no other alternative, as the absolute only way she can get off the island revolves around Jacob & Ben?

I'm just really not sure what her motivation is...

... and again...

Sad that she played us...

She was grateful to Ben for curing her sister's cancer. Whether he actually did or not remains to be seen, but Juliet believs he did.

Like you, I'm confused by her motivation after the sub blew up. She knows she's not going anywhere but she could think that she has a better chance with the Others because they do have the sailboat rather than the Lostaways who only have the outrigger (if they still do have it).

We saw Juliet make a deal with Ben: "If you agree to stay, we will save Rachel's life."

Juliet agreed to stay. Jacob/Ben/Others saved Rachel's life. Rachel is alive with a healthy son, and cancer-free (which could be a charade, but at least in Juliet's eyes, Ben lived up to his word.)

And what was Juliet's part of the bargain? "If you agree to stay...." There were no terms to get Juliet off the island. She traded her freedom for her sister's and nephew's life.

The only indicators we have seen of her wanting to get off the island were performances for Jack's benefit. As we saw tonight, this is likely one long con... part of Ben's manipulation of Jack & the 815 survivors.

Juliet's not trying to get home... she gave that up for her sister. Since that deal was struck, Ben owns her, and she does his bidding.

Also, they hit us over the head with this one tonight again, emphasizing that Ben is a man of his word. Brings to mind Ben's words to Jack in the O.R. when he told Jack to forget about Juliet... "she's one of us, Jack."

Which, btw, just happens to be the title of tonight's episode. A misdirection in itself, if you ask me. Juliet is firmly in the Others' camp, I have no doubt.

We saw Juliet make a deal with Ben: "If you agree to stay, we will save Rachel's life."

Juliet agreed to stay. Jacob/Ben/Others saved Rachel's life. Rachel is alive with a healthy son, and cancer-free (which could be a charade, but at least in Juliet's eyes, Ben lived up to his word.)

And what was Juliet's part of the bargain? "If you agree to stay...." There were no terms to get Juliet off the island. She traded her freedom for her sister's and nephew's life.

The only indicators we have seen of her wanting to get off the island were performances for Jack's benefit. As we saw tonight, this is likely one long con... part of Ben's manipulation of Jack & the 815 survivors.

Juliet's not trying to get home... she gave that up for her sister. Since that deal was struck, Ben owns her, and she does his bidding.

Also, they hit us over the head with this one tonight again, emphasizing that Ben is a man of his word. Brings to mind Ben's words to Jack in the O.R. when he told Jack to forget about Juliet... "she's one of us, Jack."

Which, btw, just happens to be the title of tonight's episode. A misdirection in itself, if you ask me. Juliet is firmly in the Others' camp, I have no doubt.

I don't think she is helping Ben because she made a deal with him.

I have one thing to go on... and that is her flashbacks. I never believe a word that comes out of her mouth (especially now) but I do believe her flashbacks, and judging by what we were shown tonight... she really wants to go back home.

The scene in which Ben shows her Rachel, her last words to him is her pretty much begging to go home and he says "No." I can't imagine she just wiped away her tears and just said, "Alright, whatever."

Unless her flashbacks are a lie, there's no way she's no longer concerned with going home. The only other thing I can think of is that we're missing information... from those flashbacks (kind of like how we got the 2nd part of the season opening scene tonight)

I like the theory though... that the whole thing is a con... it would make a lot of sense... judging by how they picked her out specifically due to the resemblance she has to Jack's ex-wife...

But again... based on the flashbacks, I don't think it's possible.

I think Juliet is in it (whatever it is) for herself entirely...

But I just don't know what she thinks she's going to get out of anything she does...

I don't think she is helping Ben because she made a deal with him.

I have one thing to go on... and that is her flashbacks. I never believe a word that comes out of her mouth (especially now) but I do believe her flashbacks, and judging by what we were shown tonight... she really wants to go back home.

The scene in which Ben shows her Rachel, her last words to him is her pretty much begging to go home and he says "No." I can't imagine she just wiped away her tears and just said, "Alright, whatever."

Unless her flashbacks are a lie, there's no way she's no longer concerned with going home. The only other thing I can think of is that we're missing information... from those flashbacks (kind of like how we got the 2nd part of the season opening scene tonight)

I like the theory though... that the whole thing is a con... it would make a lot of sense... judging by how they picked her out specifically due to the resemblance she has to Jack's ex-wife...

But again... based on the flashbacks, I don't think it's possible.

I think Juliet is in it (whatever it is) for herself entirely...

But I just don't know what she thinks she's going to get out of anything she does...
It's not that she said "alright, whatever." Why did she need to go home? To be with her sick sister. Her sister is not sick anymore, precisely because she did NOT go home. Again, remember Ben's deal with her... "IF YOU AGREE TO STAY, we will save Rachel's life." Ben honored his part of the deal, and Juliet is honoring hers... the deal was not to get Juliet OFF the island, it was a manipulation to keep Juliet ON the island. Ben gave her a choice, go home and watch your sister and her unborn baby die, or stay here and let them live. Your life for theirs. If I were in that situation, I'd trade my life so my pregnant sister could be cured... would you not make the same decision? We've seen throughout this season what Juliet's #1 priority is: Rachel and her pregnancy. She ensured success for both by pledging allegiance to Ben. Case closed.

They gave us a very precise, concrete reason for where Juliet's loyalties lie. They've shown us several performances that indicate she might still want to leave... but who's perspective did we see those from? Jack and the 815'ers. And to give credibility to *anything* that Juliet has said and done to the survivors, well... there is no credible reason to believe that anything the Others have done/said to any of the survivors is anything other than a misdirection, manipulation, or con, is there?

Also, I reference the title of the episode... during tonight's show, they stressed again how Ben is a man of his word. Recall his words to Jack as he lay in the operating room, telling him to forget about Juliet, "...she's ONE OF US, Jack..." The title is another example of narrative twinning by the writers, and appears to confirm exactly where Juliet's loyalties lie. Just where Ben said they did... she's "one of us," the Others. She made her deal with the devil and sold her soul... she does her master's bidding, and that is Ben/Jacob/the Others, clearly...

That still doesn't explain her reaction to seeing her sister alive though... She asks Ben to leave. He says "no," and she doesn't look very happy about it.

The very last time we see her prior to the con convo w/Ben she is talking about wanting to go home... in her flashback.

I'm only talking about her flashback... as I said... Idon't believe a word that comes out of her mouth.

I think that I'm in the camp that Juliet is actually playing both sides. I think Jack's line tonight towards the end of the episode when he said that he never questioned her mannerisms because she wanted to get off of this island as bad as he did was important. I don't think the Others or the Losties have any clue that she is, in my opinion, out for revenge. That last scene with Ben where she was begging to go home was, as most of you have said, to suspicious for her to just say ok I can't what do you want. I feel that they are shaping her up for a major betrayal of both the Losties and the Others.

I think she is sick and tired of being stepped on and pushed around by Ben, but she knows that being on the Other's side increases her chances of getting off the island better than pretending to be a Lostie. I look at her as a female locke in terms of her steadfastness. Anyway...kind of going every which way with this so we'll have to wait and see.

don't forget that AFTER she was shown her sister on mikhail's tv, she still plotted to have ben killed by jack, still played the jack/kate/sawyer/pickett situation into a ben promise to let her go home, and still planned on getting on the sub with jack. what happened AFTER the sub blew up and BEFORE we see juliet and ben in the last scene of last night's eppy? she had ben's word that she could go home. she still is acting for her own benefit. it'll be interesting to see on which side she, jack, and locke all shake out as this season comes to a head in the coming weeks. what happens when ben and juliet reunite in a week should answer a lot of these questions...

--billy

don't forget that AFTER she was shown her sister on mikhail's tv, she still plotted to have ben killed by jack,
Ahhh..was Juliet plotting to kill Ben? Was this part of the con? She wanted Jack to think that she wanted to kill Ben... but did she really? Have we not seen that she is not truthful with Jack or the Losties, and that nothing she says or does with them can be trusted or taken at face value? Left Behind drove that point home without being subtle about it.
still played the jack/kate/sawyer/pickett situation into a ben promise to let her go home, and still planned on getting on the sub with jack.
Did she negotiate a promise from Ben to go home? How do we know this? Because she told Jack? Part of the manipulation? Did we ever see/hear her receive a promise to go home from Ben? Additionally, we've seen that she has been privy to all of Ben's plans that have been revealed to us so far (as far back as the Pearl Station visit in the Expose flashback)... if Ben knew the sub was going to be blown up, it is a safe assumption that Juliet knew this as well.
she had ben's word that she could go home.
Did she? When? How? The only deal I saw her make with Ben was agreeing to stay if he healed her sister, which we saw in last night's flashback. Do you say this because this is what she told Jack, back in the Hydra operating room? The same guy she was manipulating, wanting him to think they were in the same boat, both prisoners of Ben? Do you believe her? We *never* saw Ben offer Juliet a way to go home...except when it was to watch her sister die of cancer in last night's flashback. We only know what Juliet said to Jack, and what Ben has said to Juliet in front of Jack... and again, nothing the Others say or do in front of Jack or the Losties can be trusted.

she still is acting for her own benefit. it'll be interesting to see on which side she, jack, and locke all shake out...
I think they showed us that in the final flashback scene. She followed Ben's instructions to a T... and never in their discussion was their any indication of Juliet going home. "She's one of us, Jack..."

A lot of people are missing one big thing

The order of the flashbacks was missing a big chunk

The chunk was the beginning of this season, what Paulo saw. When we saw Juliet for the first time,

1. We've seen that Ben and Juliet were in the Pearl plotting to get the trio.
2. She was there making Kate and Sawyer break rocks.
3. She was going to the Hydra trying to get Jack to Kill Ben
4. Jack ruined her plan
5. She cut a new deal with Ben that we did not here
6. She told Jack that Ben said she could go home
7. She went out and Shot Picket to get Jacks friends safe so Jack would fix Ben
8. She gets branded by the "others" and Ben negotiates for Just that to happen.
7. Jack makes a deal during this to heal ben (stay with him) so that he and Juliet can go home.
8. Locke blew up the only means that Juliet knows to get off this island and see her sister.
9. Looks like she cut a new deal with Ben to go undercover and infiltrate the losties.an
9. We don't know what her motives are

I think Jack is right on. She wants off the island more than anything. She doesn't care about if she kills Ben to do it, or if she hurts a Lostie. She just wants to go back. I think she just will cut a deal with anyone - but we know Ben's a liar (henry gale). She still believes him.