Ben and Chad

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guilty pleasure

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So, I'm once again several days behind - watching Friday's episode now. It would irritate me less and be in Ben's best interest if he would just shut his mouth more often and stop giving Chad fuel. If he'd just be quiet and listen, I bet Chad's motives would be more clear, and Ben would stop looking like an irrational jerk (to others, anyway).

Give Chad the opportunity to hang himself, you know? But Ben just doesn't know how to bide his time. I guess that's part of his character - the irrational behavior, quick to come to the defense of women, etc. And I guess if he weren't that way, there'd be less drama. I still wish Ben would get a clue, cause I sure would like to understand Chad's motives! :) This new Chad is for more mysterious than the old Chad was.
 
And that is what happens when you do not define characters soon after arrival. Jordan came to town, absolutely nothing said about her life, family, previous jobs, etc. Ben arrives, oooh, he is her brother, you do learn that they ran away from home years ago and were hiding from "him". That was it, absolutely nothing, and neither was really given anything to do, make friends, interact a lot with Salemites. They were really isolated, and it ended up, no one cared any more. You cannot have a character constantly be just filler, and expect viewers to care. And this went on for a year or more.

Chad came on, was connected to a core family, and it became apparent quickly that he had a "plan". And he went about putting it in place. And I agree, Ben makes it very easy for Chad to push his buttons, and thus look sympathetic.
He should take lessons from his nasty father, lol. His instincts about Clyde are correct, but just look how Clyde is managing to con Ben.
Chad knows how to push Ben's buttons, while conning others. And he even managed to put one over on Kate.
 
I'm ok with Ben. I do think they should have kept the previous actor but I'm ok with Rob Wilson (Ben) too. I do find Ben way more interesting than Jordan and I think they've done a better job at integrating him into the canvas than they did with Jordan. I enjoy his interactions with Clyde too.

It's funny we complain when there are too many bad seeds in Salem and then we have a seemingly good seed pop up and we complain he is boring. It's similar to how some viewers react to Rafe. I'm all for having a few good seeds in Salem. And I don't think Ben is a saint by any means. I do think we will see his skeletons over time.
 
Kind of off-topic, but remember when Paige first saw Ben and she was convinced he worked in a diner she and Eve used to go to (when they lived in Florida)? Ben convinced her it was mistaken identity but later mentioned to Jordan about someone recognizing him, and how he played it off. Seems like they've dropped that part of Ben and Jordan's storyline.
 
I'm kinda getting sick of Ben's attitude and temper. Your boss is trying to make you a manager of his new club and you're going to complain about the location, because your current job is walking distance? Come on now ..so you're complaining because it will take you a extra 20 minutes to get to work! Grow up!

I wish Sonny would just fire Ben already..I've really grown to not like him at all. Yes, Chad is pushing his buttons all the time. but the way he handles it shows how immature he really is.
 
But that same boss (Sonny) found Ben the closeby apt., and was trying to help Ben juggle the work & school that was coming up. Then suddenly, Sonny is going to open a club all the way on the south side, which will cause extra driving time, and a lot of extra hours, which Ben doesn't seem to have. Sonny understood that.
So it is very odd that Sonny would want to shove Ben down south, knowing he has the obligations he has right there.
Not like Sonny at all. Chad's idea, I am betting. And why isn't Sonny himself going to be there? Or Chad?
 
Heather4CU said:
I'm ok with Ben. I do think they should have kept the previous actor but I'm ok with Rob Wilson (Ben) too. I do find Ben way more interesting than Jordan and I think they've done a better job at integrating him into the canvas than they did with Jordan. I enjoy his interactions with Clyde too.

It's funny we complain when there are too many bad seeds in Salem and then we have a seemingly good seed pop up and we complain he is boring. It's similar to how some viewers react to Rafe. I'm all for having a few good seeds in Salem. And I don't think Ben is a saint by any means. I do think we will see his skeletons over time.
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I don't think the issue is with Ben being good (although he might not be as good as we think). It's that, as I have said before on other threads, the writers don't know how to write any good characters anymore. Besides Hope and Aiden, everyone else on the show who is good is boring (Ben, Jordan, even now Rafe, who hasn't had a storyline that's been entertaining for over a year) or they act like a complete hag (Jennifer, Paige, Julie, nosy Maggie). The writers just don't know how to create a good storyline.
 
I agree that the writers should revisit some of those "secrets" of Ben and Jordan, especially now that Clyde has come to town. Perhaps that's where they are headed... a bit too late, in my opinion, but I'll take it if they'll just get there sometime in the next decade.

I also agree that, for me, the issue isn't that Ben is good. It isn't even that Chad has suddenly found his DiMera attitude and blood. It is that the story is predictable: Chad pushed buttons, Ben reacts appropriately, witnesses start to think that Ben needs to control himself. The whole "the one who hits second is the one who gets caught." And he just keeps on doing it! I at least hope that his reactions to Chad will be tied into his personality, that we may eventually see with regards to his secret past with Jordan, instead of just a way to maintain a possible love triangle.

And I do think it's odd that Sonny is pushing Ben going to the new location, especially after his relationship with Ben to this point. I guess we'll see what's up soon enough, since Sonny is also acting strangely with regards to Will.
 
I truly hope you are right, KathyLu. It was a surprise when Sonny mentioned it, having not talked to Will about it prior, and then Sonny & Chad had talked and Chad was going to have more irons in the fire elsewhere, so he was taking a smaller percentage, as Sonny was managing everything in TBD and Chad would not have the time...and then bingo....suddenly another Club!
 
guilty pleasure said:
I also agree that, for me, the issue isn't that Ben is good. It isn't even that Chad has suddenly found his DiMera attitude and blood. It is that the story is predictable: Chad pushed buttons, Ben reacts appropriately
And I do think it's odd that Sonny is pushing Ben going to the new location, especially after his relationship with Ben to this point. I guess we'll see what's up soon enough, since Sonny is also acting strangely with regards to Will.
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Slugging another person at work, especially your boss, is never acting appropriately if you want to keep that job. Ben should have been fired on the spot the first time. The fact that Ben did it again and didn't get canned is ridiculous.

The "he pushes my buttons" argument is BS. If he is going to slug his boss, not once but twice, he's showing that he can't keep a cool head and anyone working in a BAR has to know they can't slug anyone. Good grief, Ben is showing that any customer could come in and be a jerk and he will pop off and assault them. Sonny and Chad are setting themselves up for a lawsuit if they don't fire Ben.

At this point the club needs a bouncer to bounce Ben's butt out. I'm glad Sonny told Ben that if he wants his job he's got to cool it. Any business owner knows it's bad for business to have an employee that assaults people on the job.

I don't see it as odd that Sonny wants Ben at the new location. Ben has been at TBD for some time and knows how the business runs, according to Sonny. I think that's BS because they haven't shown Ben as knowing anything about managing. But for the sake of Salem, where you can be a CEO without ever going to college, you can certainly manage a bar with just a few months experience.

Sonny, if he's smart, would want to keep Ben and Chad away from each other as much as possible if he doesn't want to fire Ben. As far as job transfers go, I have seen plenty of people being transferred without being asked first and not having a job if they don't.
 
You are absolutely right about that, SarahBeth! Slugging another person at work, especially your boss, is never appropriate! He does need to control himself, but it's pretty obvious to me that they are intentionally pitting Ben and Chad against each other for drama's sake. Which is part of what annoys me. I also agree that, if Sonny's smart, he'll try to keep as much distance between Ben and Chad as possible, but again - where would the drama come from?! I am not very creative, but I just think there has to be better ways of creating drama than this!
 
Ben should have been fired on the spot for punching Chad. Not only is it bad customer service but it will give Club TBD a bad reputation. Word of mouth travels fast, who would want to go to a place that has lots of fighting going on? I was also thinking, why would they give Ben a manager position when he has only been there a few months? T has been working there far longer and should bypass Ben just by seniority.
 
The writers figure that Sonny knows, as does Chad, that Chad is purposely antagonizing Ben, wanting him to take a swing, etc. Plus, Chad has no business saying what he has said to Ben in public, within the hearing of everyone. Chad is having fun, enjoying the poking and prodding. Making himself look like the "good guy" because he doesn't swing back
In fact, Chad has been saying things to various people, trying to get them take a swing. Rafe noted it, said he wasn't going to fall for it, that he realized what Chad was trying to do.
Frankly, Chad is a lousy boss. He treated Tad badly, Sonny, too (who is his partner). He already has shown he cannot be trusted.....as Kate just found out.
I like Chad, I like this portrayal of the character, but if Chad was a patron......his remarks would have been good cause to eject him from the bar.
 
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