Well how about that? An unexpected 30 second Ben scene! And one which doesn’t help to manage my hopes of a shared household (and Ballum finally moving off the airbed) whatsoever.
Screencaps for this episode can be found here.
So, in this episode, Lola and Isaac see a realtor about a flat they want, but can’t prove their income for the last 6 months due to Isaac’s break from work. Isaac thinks it’s too much of a risk asking Patrick to be their guarantor instead in case Isaac has a setback and can’t pay, but Patrick puts himself forward, stating the faith he has in Isaac and his new family.
So Lola’s in a pretty good mood, and when we next see her in the cafe, she’s joined by Ben, who is asking her if she’s sure about this – this, of course, being the whole moving in with Isaac thing. He’s not very subtle, and Lola makes sure he knows that, asking him to stop giving her grief. Ben then jokes about the grief Isaac has given Lola – to deflect more than anything, and it doesn’t work because when Lola turns it back to him, Ben doesn’t respond except with a frosty look over the top of his coffee mug.
When he’s had his sip, he insists that he just wants to know that Isaac is going to look after Lola and his daughter. Isaac told him last week in the Vic that he was going to, but Ben’s still trying to rationalise his fears about Lexi living in a place with someone he doesn’t know that well acting as her father figure and what that means for his own role in her life.
Lola reminds him that she and Isaac are trying to sort themselves out, obviously having informed Ben of the recent developments, and then sarcastically asks how the airbed is. Yes, an actual mention of the thing Ballum have been calling a bed for the last four months! It really makes me think that the show are using this situation as a motivation for Ben to finally get off the airbed and into somewhere where he can have Lexi over and feel more involved in her life again. Because there is a suggestion that up until now he and Callum haven’t been looking elsewhere, which seems hard to believe despite all their distractions, but also maybe that’s why they haven’t mentioned it much (or why EE threw so many story strands at them), so it could become an issue now, when Lola and Isaac also happen to be looking for a place. Even when Ben was using the loan shark, the fact Callum had no idea makes me think it’s less about not having the money to move out (because then surely that would have come up) and more about just… not feeling any sense of urgency about the fact they’re sleeping on the floor? Ah, EastEnders and their strange living arrangements.
Anyway, Ben and Lola’s little back and forth grumbling is interrupted by Lexi, who had been at the counter buying cakes… with Ben’s money without his knowledge, setting his wallet (the wallet!) down on the table next to him with a ‘ta!’
Her utter shamelessness in the face of Ben’s indignation results in a thawing of the tension between Lola and Ben, who share amusement at her cheek. A moment that’s short lived for Ben as Isaac then arrives at the cafe, and Ben takes that as his cue to leave, saying goodbye to Lexi as he does.
Lola tries to save Isaac from worrying by denying that Ben was hassling her, only to be ratted out by Lexi who says she could hear them from the counter. Lola tells Isaac it doesn’t matter what Ben says, and she talks about their future, made possible by Patrick offering to be their guarantor. Which does lead to a sweet little moment where Isaac agrees that he’s come through for them, and Lexi pipes up to remind him that Patrick’s his dad – he’s supposed to. Which could suggest that’s a standard Lexi holds for Ben and expects him to keep to it; knowing he can. And now that I think about it… maybe it’s even some foreshadowing that Ben will ‘come through’ for Lexi in terms of providing her with a place to stay, as it’s been established as Ben’s motivation for getting a place of his own with Callum.
It’s hard not to pin hopes on a shared household – with Patrick as their guarantor now, something would have to go wrong for Lola and Isaac – but Ben didn’t need to be in this episode, so I feel like his appearance had a purpose of some kind. They’ve established a tension between Ben and Isaac, and their relationship is something that could be explored if they were to end up living in the same house. And they’ve established that Ben wants to move out for a specific reason, ie to fulfil his role in her life that he feels is being threatened. Guess there’s nothing to do but wait and see…
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