Review: Ben and Kate ‘The Trip’ – Brother Down

Not a lot of great news for Ben and Kate at this point – the ratings continue to be dismal, and the only hope at this point is that FOX executives like the show – something the tentatively suggested when they extended the season order to 19. I don’t know enough to pontificate about the future of the show (and if I did, wouldn’t want to sound like an ass trying to), so I’ll just dive into ‘The Trip’, a good episode, but one that shied away from meatier material.

For all intents and purposes, ‘The Trip’ is a much lighter version of Enlightened‘s fantastic first season episode ‘The Weekend’ (as well as many other shows, comedy and drama, throughout history): two people that are trying to figure out their feelings for each other,go on a camping trip (or some other unfamiliar area) that goes awry, revealing deeper flaws. The biggest difference (minus all the coke-snorting by Levi in Enlightened) is that Kate and Will are a new couple, so there isn’t an established history. But for Kate, there is established character that is important: when she was left to raise an infant on her own, the people surrounding her supported her and kept her going – and this ultimately causes Will to balk on their relationship, once he realizes the presence of Ben, BJ and Tommy are non-negotiable.

There’s really a lot of parallels to draw between ‘The Trip’ and ‘The Weekend’; I don’t want to get into all of them, but the biggest one that interests me is the parallel between Ben and Levi’s cocaine. I know it sounds insane, but stick with me: one of the things Ben and Kate neglects to highlight is Kate’s dependence on Ben to be there – even when she’s supposedly ‘alone’ on the camping trip with Will, she’s still talking about him, and the night inevitably ends up with her dealing with Ben’s eccentric behavior (this time, it’s a hilarious conversation he’s having with the trees and incites a bat riot). On some level, Ben’s presence is kind of holding Kate back, and while she loves to have him around as a brother (the flashback at the end to them playing on the bunk bed was fucking adorable), she’s not ready to admit how much she relies on him (the reason she wanted the bunk bed in the first place). Like Kate, Levi is a man who relied on something when he was left alone (after his divorce) – a coke addiction that’s held him back from figuring out who he really is following a traumatic, life-changing moment (for Kate, it’s having Maddie). Difference is, Levi’s a little more self-aware than Kate, and that’s ultimately what makes Enlightened‘s version a better episode.

Getting back to Ben and Kate, Kate’s feelings strike a very real chord in their relationship , giving a lot of emotional weight to their final scene together – although it’s not really something resolved (Will and Kate presumably break up off-screen, without Kate defending her friends and brother beyond “they were there for me”): Ben’s been Kate’s protector her whole life (the flashbacks and opening credits suggest the shitty child life they had with two warring parents), and while she might object externally to Ben being included in things like the camping trip, she’s not necessarily ready to walk out of his shadow just yet. I certainly hope it’s something the show digs into later in the season, because it makes for really interesting material – and meaningful moments, like the short flashback at the end of the episode.

The B-plot of the episode kind of danced around the one problem with the show right now: Tommy’s continued obsession with Kate, a trait that’s never been very endearing on the show. Unfortunately with the presence of Will, the only real context we’ve gotten into Tommy and Kate’s history came in the first three episodes, and largely ignored since. So when Kate and Will break up, it became predictable that Tommy was going to find someone to date for a few episodes – which appears to be the introduction of Lyla, the woman Tommy meets when he finally stops listening to BJ’s bull-minded approach to get him off his weird Kate tangents. At times, this plot feels like its going through the motions, although lots of Lucy Punch screen time helps distract from this.

I’m not really expecting Ben and Kate to become  a deep, introspective show, but it would’ve been nice to see things get a little meatier in the episode, instead of Kate just forgiving Ben because of the brother/sister bond. Add to it an entertaining, but kind of empty arc for Tommy and BJ, and ‘The Trip’ is amusing, but lacks the emotional punch it could really carry.

Grade: B

Other thoughts/observations:

– the opening tag was very Cougar Town-esque, and I liked it.

– good to see Maddie around in the episode: learning some fancy manners, how to put your back into it while using a straw, and lying in the most adorable sleeping bag ever.

– Lyla: “Is he [Tommy] yours?” BJ: “No, I would’ve had him put down years ago.”

– Ben talking about rich people lettuce and sandwiches was probably the highlight of the night. Tommy: “Don’t even get me started on ciabatta.”

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Feel free to leave your thoughts/comments below!