FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS “The Benefit of Putting in the Work” and “The Benefit of Friends” Review

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS “The Benefit of Putting in the Work” and “The Benefit of Friends” Season 1 Episodes 11 and 12 – With this week’s episodes of Friends with Benefits, “The Benefit of Putting in the Work” and “The Benefit of Friends,” it feels like the show is winding down. Ben’s growing up (sort of), Riley’s falling in love (maybe)…even Sara is (kind of) figuring out what she really wants. But that’s all about to change.

Let me take you back to Episode Three when I made a prediction that Riley and Ben were going to hook-up eventually. I didn’t know how or why or when, but I was fairly certain that it was destined to happen.

And I was totally right!! Boo-yah!

But first things first. We had some fairly simple plots this week. Ben wants to open a lunch truck with Aaron’s money, but doesn’t actually want to work. Sara starts dating a guy who can have sex for hours thanks to anti-depressants. (Psst…Sara…that’s not a bad thing!) Fitz wants to be Chicago’s greatest lover. And Riley falls for an Amish guy during rumspringa.

Okay, let me pause on that one for a second. First of all, rumspringa is traditionally for teenagers, so way to do it statutory-style, Riley! Second of all, not many Amish people look like they belong on the cover of a surfing magazine and they usually speak German or a variation of Dutch as their primary language, not California-Cool. And third…does it really matter since the Amish don’t watch TV and might be the only minority in the country who don’t have an anti-defamation league ready to sue over any little misrepresentation in the media?

Back to the train wreck that is Ben. Oh, Ben. You’re such a boy…trapped in such a hot, manly body. Yes, Ben is a doof; I’ve been saying that from day one. But he’s a loveable doof and sometimes, you actually want to root for him. I was so proud to see him sell his record collection to get the permit for his lunch truck after Aaron cut him off. But then Aaron went and bought it back for him and that negated the whole thing. There’s not always a super-rich best friend following behind you, helping make everything better. Ben needed a lesson in sacrifice, but all he got was confirmation that he doesn’t really have to grow up because Aaron is loaded.

Speaking of growing up, Sara’s new journalist lover eventually solved his performance issues and became an official boyfriend, just in time for Ben to realize that he misses their casual sex arrangement. I saw this one coming, too. Toys are always more desirable when someone else is playing with them. I almost felt something for Sara when she gave Ben a speech about wanting to fall in love and how it’s not fair of him to expect her to wait for him to want to fall in love with her. It would have made more of an impact, though. if Sara’s innate narcissism hadn’t landed her on my permanent bad side.

But in the end, Sara realizes that no one will ever pay as much attention to her as Ben does, and she effectively ends the great relationship with the journalist in order to make sure that starving children in earthquake recovery zones don’t ever take any precedence over her minor accomplishments!

Too bad she realizes this after Ben and Riley, both depressed and drunk, have done the deed. Oops!

According to my sources, there’s one episode of Friends with Benefits left. See you then for the inevitable fall-out!

What I Liked: Ben mixing mac and cheese with a hammer, Riley’s boobs taking down an entire barn, Aaron still wanting Riley (I like consistency)

What I’m Looking Forward To: Riley taking Sara down a peg when she tries to get sanctimonious (which she will), Aaron punching Ben (“Is no one off-limits to you?!?’)

Best Line: “Can you kick that fetus back over here?”

What did you think of the episodes? Does anyone else want their mac and cheese out of a helmet from now on? Did Ben really think the trick with the bowling ball wouldn’t end in a broken flat-screen? Let me know below!!