Juliet Burke

Lore & Background

As a child, Juliet Carlson learned her parents were divorcing because they 'were not meant to be together.' Living in Miami as Dr. Juliet Burke, she worked for her ex-husband Edmund Burke at Miami Central University while secretly performing unauthorized experiments to restore the fertility of her sister, Rachel, whose reproductive system was ravaged by chemotherapy. In 2001, Richard Alpert of Mittelos Bioscience offered her a job, promising she would see things 'beyond her comprehension.' After Edmund was killed by a bus (following Juliet's sarcastic wish), she accepted the offer, only to be drugged with tranquilized orange juice and brought to the Island. Ben Linus promised to cure Rachel's cancer if Juliet stayed to solve the fertility problem where pregnant women die after conception. For three years, her test subjects died uniformly. She had an affair with Goodwin Stanhope, which ended when Goodwin was killed by Ana Lucia Cortez; Ben revealed his jealousy by claiming 'You're mine.' Juliet discovered Ben lied about curing Rachel and could not cure him either despite his spinal tumor. Sent as a spy to the survivors' camp after being imprisoned for attempting to help Jack Shephard kill Ben, she marked tents of pregnant women for kidnapping but ultimately sided with the castaways.

In Their Own Story

Juliet arrived on the Island in September 2001, waking aboard the Galaga submarine and meeting Ben Linus at the Barracks. After three years of failed fertility experiments and learning her sister's cancer had returned, she plotted against Ben by convincing Jack Shephard to operate on him with instructions to kill him during surgery. When Jack revealed her treachery, Ben spared her life in exchange for helping Sawyer and Kate escape Hydra Island. Marked on her lower back as punishment, she infiltrated the survivors' beach camp handcuffed to Kate, claiming to be a victim of 'the Monster.' She grew close to Jack but eventually fell in love with James 'Sawyer' Ford.

Reader's Guide

Juliet begins as a rational scientist recruited by Richard Alpert, initially believing her six-month assignment would allow her to return home. Her arc is defined by her transition from a captive researcher solving the Island's fertility crisis to a spy for Ben Linus, and finally to a loyal member of the survivors' camp. Key moments include her unauthorized impregnation of a male mouse in Miami, discovering Goodwin Stanhope's corpse, manipulating Jack Shephard during surgery on Ben Linus, and shooting Danny Pickett to free Sawyer and Kate. Her skills include advanced surgical knowledge and the ability to navigate the complex social dynamics between 'the Others' and the crash survivors. Her emotional journey centers on her betrayal of Ben after learning he lied about curing her sister, leading to her alliance with Jack and eventual romantic relationship with Sawyer.

Did You Know?

• Juliet once performed unauthorized experiments in Miami that successfully impregnated a male mouse, though the pregnancy did not carry to term.
• She agreed to take a job on the Island only after her ex-husband Edmund was killed by a bus, coinciding with her sarcastic comment that she would leave 'if he were hit by a bus.'
• Ben Linus kept Juliet on the Island for three years by falsely promising he could cure her sister Rachel's cancer while secretly using her to solve the problem of pregnant women dying after conception.
• Juliet was punished for helping Jack and Sawyer escape with a mark on her lower back, which Jack treated with an aloe vera plant before they returned to the Barracks.