"Not in Portland" is the 7th episode of the third season of '' Lost'' and the 56th episode overall. It first aired on February 7, 2007, on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

. The episode was written by

Carlton Cuse Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is an American screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series '' Lost'', for which he made the ''Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the wo ...

and

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,Stephen Williams. The character of

Juliet Burke Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell on the ABC television series '' Lost''. Created by J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, the character was introduced in the third season as a member of the hostile group r ...

(

Elizabeth Mitchell Elizabeth Mitchell (born Elizabeth Joanna Robertson; March 27, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Juliet Burke on the ABC mystery drama series '' Lost'' (2006–2010), for which she received a Primetime Emmy A ...

) is featured in the episode’s flashbacks.

Plot

Flashbacks

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Florida, fertility doctor Juliet Burke cares for her ill sister, Rachel Carlson (

Robin Weigert Robin Weigert is an American television and film actress. She is best known for portraying Calamity Jane on the television series ''Deadwood'' (2004–2006), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

), in a hospital where

Ethan Rom Ethan Rom is a fictional character portrayed by William Mapother on the ABC television show '' Lost''. Introduced in the first season as the main antagonist, Ethan is the surgeon for the antagonistic and mysterious group known as the " Others". ...

(

William Mapother William Reibert Mapother Jr. (; born April 17, 1965) is an American actor, known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' and starring in the film ''In the Bedroom''. He is also known for the film ''Anothe ...

) works. Juliet is currently injecting Rachel with a drug that would revert her sterility caused by

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. While Juliet is sneaking into the research laboratory where she works to steal more of the drug, she is discovered by her boss and ex-husband Edmund Burke (

Željko Ivanek Željko Ivanek (; ; born August 15, 1957) is a Slovenian-American actor of Croat descent. Ivanek's film credits include '' Courage Under Fire'' (1996), '' Donnie Brasco'' (1997), '' Hannibal'', '' Black Hawk Down'' (both 2001), '' Unfaithful'' ( ...

), who the next day confronts Juliet regarding the research she has been conducting on her sister, asking to be involved in the project. Juliet, however, does not give him an answer. Juliet is then interviewed by

Richard Alpert Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and writer. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been d ...

(

Nestor Carbonell Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...

) from a

biomedical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

company called Mittelos Bioscience, asking her to join their office in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. However, Juliet begins to cry, stating that Edmund would never let her go and short of "getting hit by a bus", she was bound to him. Apologizing, Juliet leaves, adding that she is no leader. When Juliet comes home, Rachel is there, telling that the treatment worked and she is pregnant. Juliet then speaks to her ex-husband and tells him about her sister's pregnancy. Edmund is happy and wants all her data but Juliet is adamant against publishing. Edmund is upset when he steps out in the road and is immediately hit by a bus. At the morgue to identify Edmund's body and sign the paperwork, Juliet cries and Ethan appears, handing her some tissues. Alpert introduces him as his colleague. Juliet thinks aloud about her comment to Alpert regarding Edmund getting hit by a bus, but Alpert says he does not recall, and that Juliet cannot blame herself for that "tragic accident." He knows about Rachel's pregnancy because of their "very thorough recruitment process" and asks once more for Juliet to join their research, just for six months. Juliet asks whether she can bring her sister, but Alpert admits it may be difficult for her to get her treatment at such a remote facility, as it is in fact "not quite in Portland."

On the Island

Jack Shephard Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series '' Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to sur ...

(

Matthew Fox Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on '' Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him G ...

) holds

Ben Linus Benjamin Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series '' Lost''. Ben was the leader of a group of Island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flig ...

(

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on '' Lost'' (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series ''Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include ...

) hostage in the operating room as

Kate Austen Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', played by Canadians, Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. Character biography Prior to the crash Born in 19 ...

(

Evangeline Lilly Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born August 3, 1979) is a Canadian former actress and author. She gained popularity for her first leading role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), which garnered her six nominations for the ...

) and

James "Sawyer" Ford James Ford, better known by the alias "Sawyer" () and later as "Jim LaFleur", is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', portrayed by Josh Holloway. Created by Jeffrey Li ...

(

Josh Holloway Joshua Lee Holloway (born July 20, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James "Sawyer" Ford on the ABC television show '' Lost'' (2004–2010) as Will Bowman on the USA Network science fiction drama ''Colony'' (2016� ...

) escape. Juliet reveals to him that they cannot escape, as the Hydra facility is on a separate island. Angry, Jack reveals to

Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

( M. C. Gainey) that Juliet had previously asked him to kill Ben during surgery, making Tom ask Juliet to leave the room. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer go into the jungle to escape the

Others Others or The Others may refer to: Fictional characters * Others (''A Song of Ice and Fire''), supernatural creatures in the fictional world of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' * Others (''Lost''), mysterious inh ...

. Alex Rousseau (

Tania Raymonde Tania Raymonde Helen Katz (born March 22, 1988) is a Franco-American actress. Her roles have included Cynthia Sanders on the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' between 2000 and 2002, followed by Alex Rousseau in the ABC series '' Lost'' fr ...

) helps them temporarily hide from their pursuers, and then reveals that she has a boat Kate and Sawyer may use to escape to the main island. In return, she asks them to help her rescue her boyfriend, Karl (

Blake Bashoff Blake Warren Bashoff (born May 30, 1981) is an American television and motion picture actor, known for his role as Moritz Stiefel in ''Spring Awakening (musical), Spring Awakening''. He has also appeared in a number of guest roles on television ...

). The three get him from a facility where Karl appears to be undergoing

Ludovico technique ''A Clockwork Orange'' is a dystopian satirical black comedy novel by English writer Anthony Burgess, published on March 17, 1962. It is set in a near-future society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. The teenage protagonist, Ale ...

brainwashing Brainwashing is the controversial idea that the human mind can be altered or controlled against a person's will by manipulative psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject's ability to think critically or independently ...

. Ben awakens from the anesthesia, having overheard Jack's discussion with Tom, and demands to speak to Juliet in private. After talking to Ben, she instructs Jack to finish the surgery and she will help his friends escape. While Jack finishes Ben's operation with the help of Tom, Juliet kills Danny Pickett ( Michael Bowen) as he finds the fugitives on the beach and is about to shoot Sawyer. Juliet then tells Alex that she must remain as Karl, Kate and Sawyer start rowing away from Hydra Island. Later Juliet talks to Jack in the Hydra, saying that Jack will return to his cell until they figure out what to do with him. When Jack asks what Ben told her to make Juliet want to save his life, she replies that after more than three years on the island, Juliet would be allowed to leave the island and go home if she let Ben live and helped Jack's friends escape.

Production

This was the first episode to air after a thirteen-week hiatus.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (; ; born 22 August 1967) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Simon Adebisi in '' Oz'', Mr. Eko in '' Lost'', Lock-Nah in '' The Mummy Returns'', Nykwana Wombosi in '' The Bourne Identity'', Heavy Duty ...

( Mr. Eko) is no longer credited with the starring cast. Nestor Carbonell was originally contracted to guest star in "Not in Portland", with the possibility of the role becoming recurring. After the producers enjoyed his performance, Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (September 21, 2008) "Official ''Lost'' Audio Podcast", ''

''. Retrieved on January 30, 2009. his contract was extended to five further appearances in season three.

Rob McElhenney Robert McElhenney III ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his role as Mac on the FX/ FXX comedy series '' It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' (2005–present), a show he created and co ...

made a guest appearance as "Aldo" because he was friends with Damon Lindelof who was also a fan of the sitcom ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', also known colloquially simply as ''Always Sunny'', is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and co-developed by Glenn Howerton for FX (TV channel), FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and stars Charl ...

'' which McElhenney created and stars in.

Reception

14.49 million American viewers tuned into this episode.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's Chris Carabott wrote that "if 'Not in Portland' didn't get you back on the ''Lost'' hype train then for goodness' sake the equally outstanding ' Flashes Before Your Eyes' hopefully grabbed your attention."

References

External links

"Not in Portland"
at ABC * {{DEFAULTSORT:Not In Portland Lost season 3 episodes 2007 American television episodes Television episodes directed by Stephen Williams (director) Television episodes written by Carlton Cuse