EE: Are we supposed to feel sorry for Ben?
As a viewer, I'm conflicted as to how the writers want us to feel towards Ben, as judging by the reaction on here, he's not very liked. On paper, he appears to be a character that you would feel sorry for: having meningitis, being abused by Stella, being bullied at school, struggling with his homosexuality, and being related to both Phil Mitchell and Ian Beale, and now Max is wrongfully taking out revenge on Phil by manipulating Ben.
However, on screen, Ben isn't very likeable, like with the whole Ben-Johnny storyline that kind of went nowhere, and it was pretty unnecessary with OldNuBen (or whatever we call him) having already came out as gay - even Phil was surprised that Ben was "straight" again.
I admire the fact that Ben is supposed to be a complex character, but its jarring to not know whether we should feel sorry for him, or hate his guts (he did kill Heather after all). So, I wanted to see what people on here think: Should we feel sorry for Ben? Are we even supposed to?
However, on screen, Ben isn't very likeable, like with the whole Ben-Johnny storyline that kind of went nowhere, and it was pretty unnecessary with OldNuBen (or whatever we call him) having already came out as gay - even Phil was surprised that Ben was "straight" again.
I admire the fact that Ben is supposed to be a complex character, but its jarring to not know whether we should feel sorry for him, or hate his guts (he did kill Heather after all). So, I wanted to see what people on here think: Should we feel sorry for Ben? Are we even supposed to?
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Comments
The most obvious time they wanted us to have sympathy for him was during Stella's abuse. That went without saying.
I honestly can't remember what motivated him to put Jordan (Lucas' son) in hospital. Was he being bullied or was it to get Abi's attention?
Killing Heather was when he was at his nadir and hated the most. Heather was a lovely person (I detest Kirkwood for not leaving the door open for her return!) and what Ben did was beyond the pale. The moment when Shirley found out that he killed her best friend was the scene we all wanted to see for months.
Personally I can't stand the character.
Do we feel sorry for Phil since he is technically the victim in this storyline? I know I don't. Did we feel sorry for Max when he was in jail last year? Did we feel sorry for Carl when Ronnie killed him?
I personally think Ben is a great character and yes, I do feel sorry for him. Not because he is getting conned by Max but because he is only trying to run the business so he can impress his father which is where the root of all his problems lie. It's the same reason why he is scared of coming out.
I kinda want him to have killed Lucy so he'd be banged up for good and we wouldn't have to see him again. I never got what Johnny saw in him, even if he was only trying to help, I couldn't see why he'd bother. So yeah, I'm not keen!
Ben should take Johnny's postcard to heart and not try to be something he's not - he's not straight, he's not a gangster, and he doesn't (yet) have any head for business. Ben, my dear - concentrate on being a good mechanic, hang with friends, and find a nice boyfriend. Or leave the damn Square and find all that stuff. Just don't try to be something you're not.
Ben has been in prison and is quite 'streetwise' and cunning. He's not an innocent who would be taken in easily.
I like Ben as a character due to his unpredictability, he is a nasty piece of work though and high on my list of people who could have killed Lucy.
Ben might have been to prison and be streetwise but he can still be out of his depth when it comes to running a business. He so desperately wants to impress Phil which overrides anything else.
That's not to say that I don't feel sorry for him; you can tell that he's a lonely, rejected kid deep down and I don't think there's any feeling in this world stronger than desperately wanting approval from a parent but never really getting it. I do find him quite an interesting, ambiguous character. But at the same time he often comes across as hilariously out of his depth which just makes me roll my eyes at him more than anything else.
Good post! If Max gets one over on Ben and Phil finds out it will make the situation worse than ever. He will be so angry at and disappointed with Ben. How will that affect Ben? He will go off the rails more than ever.
Ben is still gay but is in denial, he liked Johnny and they did kiss but he wanted Phil to accept him and later there was an ep where Ben called Johnny a **** and Lee chinned him and Abi later tried to kiss Ben but he rejected her and then started going out with her to try and convince himself that he isn't gay but he still is!
Yes, he's dating Abi because he's pretending that his homosexuality was "just a phase", despite the fact he was clearly attracted to Johnny before Johnny left.
He was attracted to Johnny but if he suspected someone saw him making a move on Johnny he would aggressively push him away and make out Johnny came on to him. He is now dating Abi to make believe he's straight.
And straight out of prison he burgled a shop, then buried evidence from a murder case. Seems he brings it all on himself.
He seems to combine some of the worst traits of his father and his half-brother. I am trying to think of some redeeming qualities but at present they seem well hidden.
I think it is the character rather than the actor who is wooden and that is because of the thickness of his protective shell.
At the moment, he's an utter arse.