If I order Value Meal #3, will my bunny have a number on it?

Despite my undying love for Juliet and Elizabeth Mitchell, I think Thursday's Lost episode "The Other Woman" was a bit of a letdown from last week's Desmond-centric mindfuck, "The Constant." Nothing against the fair Juliet and her story, but almost anything would have paled in comparison to "The Constant," which was one of the top 5 Lost eppys ever.

Still, there was a lot to love with this one. To start with, there's the title. Was "The Other Woman" referring to:

• Juliet as an adulterous harlot?
• Juliet as one of the "Others?"
• Juliet as someone who reminded Ben of someone else - another (or an Other) woman?
• The other woman Doc Messiah-complex has feelings for, in addition to Kate?
• The other woman Jack and Juliet encounter in the jungle?

Going through a few of those. I wasn't too fond of the fact that Juliet was getting in the middle of the Goodwin and Harper marriage. I'm not sure what it is. I can put up with evil, mustache twirling villainy, selfish agendas, Sayid's torturing, Locke's grenades for breakfast, Sawyer's supply hoarding, Ben's chemical purge and any other number of morally questionable acts on (and off) the island, but the adultery just rubs me the wrong way. On the mitigating side, Goodwin's wife was a shrew (more on that in a minute) and he did spring for a "real" bottle of wine, rather than the traditional Dharma wine in a box, so he's got that going for him. But what does he get for his efforts? A big stick through the chest. Lesson? Don't cheat, y'all.

Juliet as an "Other." This produced the night's biggest laugh, when Jack asked Juliet what the island folk needed with a shrink: “It’s very stressful being an Other, Jack.”

“Of course he has. You look just like her.” So who did Juliet remind Ben of? Was it Annie, his childhood sweetheart? Do we know anything about what happened to Annie since the early events of Ben's youth? Someone else?

How exactly did Harper get into the jungle in the "present" to speak with Juliet? Was she a manifestation of "smokey" like Eko's brother? Was she really there? And if so, where has she been? Are there other Others lurking out there with her? Does the fact that we heard a return of the strange "whispering" in the jungle just prior to and just after her appearance indicate anything? Did Jack really, physically see Harper? And for you Rescue Me fans, Harper was played by Andrea Roth, Tommy Gavin's harpy of a wife Dammit Janet! on that show. The character's full name is Harper Stanhope. The obvious "harpy" suggestion aside, there are a few other interesting things about that name. It's an anagram for "an Other perhaps." And "stanhopea" is a strain of the orchid family. Remember that video I posted a while back about the "Orchid" station? Coincidence? Also, how exactly is Harper in contact with Ben?

Other quotes, thoughts and questions from "The Other Woman:"

• “We want you to feel at home.” So damned creepy. As usual.
• “Ben is exactly where he wants to be.” As usual.
• “They’re treating him fine.” I guess on craphole island, grenades as jawbreakers qualify as “fine.”
• John Locke’s Rabbit Dollar Menu. “I’m running out of chickens.”
• Speaking of which,“This didn’t have a number on it, did it?”
• So Charles Widmore beating the shit out of someone is more important than the Red Sox? Ben must be a Yankees fan. And that's Widmore's freighter? Does he know that his daughter Penny is also looking for the island? And who was Ben's guy getting beaten by Widmore? And who was shooting that video? And how did it make it's way back to the island to get taped over the Sox?
• Ben's man on the boat just has to be Micheal. I'm staying away from true spoilers, but virtually everyone knows that Micheal is returning at some point this season. So if and when that's revealed, I fear it won't be much of a surprise or a twist.
• Juliet thought it was a dinner party. Ben said “it’s just you and me.” Which reminds me of one of my favorite jokes. Have you ever tried to google a joke? Not as easy as you think. I was going to provide a link to it, but since I couldn't find it, you'll just have to make do with the punch line: "hell, don't matter what you wear. Ain't gonna be nobody but you and me.
• “Man. That was a close one.” Faraday's line readings can make an obvious and cliche statement surprisingly amusing.
• There's your lover decomposing, with a huge stick through his torso. "You're MINE!!" (pause) “Take as much time as you need.” Ben rocks.
• Who made the map that Faraday is using?
• How did Charlotte know about The Purge?
• That was an almost effective fake out at the beginning with Juliet, where we were supposed to think Juliet (with her poofy hair) was off the island in the future, and one of the Oceanic 6.
• Scenes of Juliet running around in the jungle while it's raining, or taking a dip in the ocean? I won't argue with more of those.
• And how fucking funny was it to have Ben walking through the compound with his laundry? "See you guys at dinner." Awesome.

Also, wonder how Desmond filmed those scenes last week in the past and the present, without his hair and beard looking like Jack's fake one in the season finale last year? Check this out.

And finally, check out this "March Madness" bracket for island lovers.