Ben and Kate review: 1×03 ‘The Fox Hunt’

It’s so nice to sit back now that we now have a (almost) a full season pickup of Ben and Kate to watch. I can finally start getting people to check it out, and hopefully many others will find the little powerhouse that is FOX comedy Tuesdays. I think this was perhaps the weakest episode of the bunch so far, but it’s still such delight to watch.

The third episode, “The Fox Hunt,” episode sees the group/family/whatever split up into Team Ben and Team Kate as they fight well, to win, and to decide who has to do housework (not homework!) for the next month.

From the very beginning, with the first trailer for this show, I always knew this was a character, not situation-based, comedy. And I think it is perhaps most notable in this one because it’s the first to tell an accelerated story. The scavenger hunt that the episode hinges on, are quite literally, hinges. The breezy tone that carries the show is still to the shows benefit, but it also means that if all the pieces within aren’t hugely entertaining as a whole — it can become a little bit dull.

I’m also starting to become a little bit weary of Kate’s friend BJ. She’s snarky, she’s British and I think her character clashes too much with the optimism that the rest of the cast exudes. I don’t know why she and Kate are friends. The (very good and interesting) flashbacks never inform us of friends, only of the central siblings. That’s fine — but I need to see that friendship becoming more active. It’s clear why Ben and Tommy get along, they are two very laid-back and passionate guys.

It’s a small issue, but I think as the show starts to define them more — which this episode did — its something that may or may not develop into a bigger issue. I’m going to keep a cautious eye and enjoy the season of Ben And Kate that we have. First season comedies only ever get better!

Oh, and Ben is an amazing crier.