Our penultimate Ballum episode, and it falls victim to the show’s current ideology which is that it doesn’t actually matter whether characters act in character, as long as they’re telling a story EE inexplicably want to tell. It’s disappointing to say the least, but let’s get into it.
At the very start of the episode, we’ve got Callum looking out over the Square – particularly at a little family laughing as they walk past the flat. Jay comes into the front room and lets Callum know that Lexi’s nearly ready. At the mention of Lexi, Callum reveals that she crawled into bed with him at around three in the morning. If I can give this week of episodes one tiny bit of credit, it’s that Callum is very much presented as a dad to Lexi. Although that’s come after months of us being told otherwise so I’m not sure how much credit is actually due here.
Jay lets him know that Richie’s pulled strings to allow the three of them in to see Ben, so the shower’s ready when Callum is. Then we hear that Callum’s not actually coming; and even though Jay says he gets that it’s a shock (and not without another dig about how it shouldn’t be a shock because it’s Ben), Callum clarifies that the issue is more that Ben lied right to his face about it. For once Jay has a point when he reminds Callum that they were surrounded by police at the time so of course he wasn’t going to risk them overhearing an admission of guilt; but that fact is swiftly ignored by Callum as he insists he’s got nothing to say to Ben. Nothing to say to your husband who you know is terrified of prison and who has been working hard for the last six months to overcome his lifelong trauma only for a crime he committed whilst in crisis mode to come back to bite him unexpectedly? I just find that extremely hard to believe from Callum, and you just know it’s purely so they can set up a sense of jeopardy for Ballum even with Ben going to prison. And whilst soap will obviously have to bend some characters out of shape a little the odd time to make a story work – EE are doing this all the time now. Plus they didn’t have to do this. Making every member of Ben’s family speak of him with such dismissal is so unnecessary, and it’s insulting. Which is probably the point.
In the interview room, where Ben appears to have been all night, the guard lets Lexi and Jay in; and despite everything, Ben is so pleased to see her. We get our last moment of softness between Ben and Lexi, a beautiful relationship that we’ve seen grow from strength to strength over the last five years.
But we’re not allowed to have good things anymore, so Lexi pulls away and tells Ben plainly that they’re only allowed one hug; and no hands either, when Ben reaches out a hand to her. This whole scene, much like a lot of the scenes this week, feels like unnecessary punishment. To Ben, to Max, to us. And you could say they didn’t have enough time to write a proper exit, but they had enough time here for Lexi to accuse Ben of passing the buck to her and even to Lola, and telling him he’s not good for her. And not a single word from Jay and his own relationship with Ben, except to make sure Ben knows that they’re all disappointed in him. This would all make a little more sense if this were a crime Ben committed last week, rather than a year ago. And Jay being disappointed makes even less sense now than when he was angry at Ben for leaving at the time, because he’s gone off the rails and back in that time. He drove under the influence and could have killed someone, yet the second he was in trouble they rallied round him and encouraged him not to submit to the blood test at the hospital. Lexi showed more understanding towards Jay around that time than she does to Ben here.
I think the biggest positive that can be taken from this exit is that they don’t actually manage to ruin Ben himself. They do a good job of having everyone else treat him with contempt, but for me anyway Ben’s own growth remains intact. Small mercies I guess. It broke my heart to see his pain at Lexi’s words and getting accused of blaming others when all he was doing was explaining why he did what he did. He said that it was all on him, because he doesn’t want to have Lexi blaming herself or feeling bad. The show love telling us through other characters that Ben doesn’t take responsibility, but that’s literally all we see from him. It’s a big part of his trauma, thinking that everything is his fault and that he has to shoulder things alone. To see that twisted against him is just another reason why this exit is so hard to swallow.
It’s also gutting that this was Ben and Lexi’s last scene and it ended with Lexi walking out not even in anger, but because she’s supposedly come to the conclusion that Ben’s not even worth that anger. Again there’s an implication that this is Typical Ben and completely ignoring the fact that he’s worked on himself since then, canonically acknowledging that he needed help and getting it. They all know this crime occurred when Ben wasn’t in a good place and that it was before he was getting help. They know it wasn’t just for kicks, he was trying to give Lexi more time with her mum however irrational it seemed. And yet… this is what we get. What Ben gets. It’s bad enough that he risks not being able to see them again for years, but he’s on the receiving end of all these hurtful remarks before he goes.
When Jay and Lexi meet up with Callum in McKlunky’s after the visit, Callum looks at Lexi’s downtrodden demeanour and guesses that it’s something Ben’s said to her. It hurts to see Callum acting like everyone else, apparently not learning a thing from 2022 – even commenting that Ben never takes responsibility for anything ever. It truly boggles my mind that they’ve ignored everything about Ben’s journey for this exit, every single character suddenly forgetting the progress Ben has made. First of all, Jay just outright lied because we literally heard Ben tell him and Lexi that this was all on him. And second, Callum saying that knowing that Ben’s spent months taking accountability and trying to get better, and also knowing Ben hid his rape for months because Callum made that very same accusation – frankly, it’s an insult to Callum’s character.
Lexi’s also gone from framing being a Mitchell as a good thing (‘Jay, I’m a Mitchell’) to a bad thing (‘[Ben’s] a Mitchell’) in the space of an episode. One chat with Ben and she’s basically disowned him. Lovely.
Phil’s followed them in to ask Jay how Ben was – and actually, Phil seems to be the only one who cares about how Ben is. Jay admits he’s a bit of a mess, and he makes a plea with Callum to go and see him because he needs him. Callum, for some reason, isn’t so sure, and tells them both that Ben only realises he’s there when it hits the fan. It’s a very ‘What About Me’ energy – but that energy is from 2020. It’s regression for Callum for the sake of this tension that makes no sense for 2024 Ballum. It also comes dangerously close to resenting Ben for always needing his help, as if Callum we love doesn’t actively embrace looking after Ben because he loves him and knows he needs help more often than Callum does.
There’s more talk of Ben not changing, which is just such a strange attitude for all of them to be taking for a historical crime. Ben has not put a foot wrong since he got proper help and for him to get no recognition for that at all hurts. Nothing he’s done has warranted Callum saying he’s done with him. And I mean, what he’s done doesn’t warrant extradition to America either. The whole thing is ridiculous, let’s be honest.
Then we get a Phil and Callum scene, which I did quite like. Phil is the only one to reference what Ben’s been through and talks about the strength of Ballum’s love. And it seems really genuine. I just wish Callum had been more of the Callum we know. He didn’t really need to be told all those things by Phil of all people – he knows Ben tries to deal with everything by himself. Only it runs deeper than just thinking it’s what Phil would do – it’s because he doesn’t want to be a burden. It’s why he keeps things inside until it spills out in unsavoury ways. Ben told him this last August. And I get Callum is angry, and he’s allowed to be angry – but I think his anger is being misdirected. Be angry that this has cropped up just as they’re learning to exist happily together without Lola, be angry that it could set back Ben’s progress and be angry at the injustice of Ben being punished for a crime he committed whilst frantically searching for control because he was running about untreated.
Phil speaks about how he didn’t think Callum was up to being with Ben, but he was wrong. Well, thought he was wrong. At the moment with how Callum’s acting, I’m not so sure. He talks about how marriage isn’t meant to be this hard – and to that I say, you’re in a soap Callum, it is meant to be hard. Especially in the Clenshaw era, because you just need to look at the fact that there are no married couples together left on the Square now.
Phil insists that while it’s not easy being married to a Mitchell (and it’s not like this is news to Callum anyway), Callum can do it because of the love he has for Ben, and even though he’s angry, Ben is terrified and he needs him.
Of course, lovely as all that is, it turns out that Phil needs Callum and Jay out of the flat while he goes round there to pack for Ben and Lexi and plan their getaway and that’s why he sat there convincing Callum to go and see Ben. And honestly? I’m not even mad. Saying those things to Callum was out of Phil’s comfort zone, but he did it for Ben. Ben’s obviously asked Phil to help him go on the run with Lexi on the assumption that he’ll get bail. There’s nothing to say Ben wouldn’t have arranged for Callum to join them later; or maybe he just didn’t know if he could ask Callum to go on the run with him and didn’t want to put him in that position; going back to his whole thing about not wanting to be a burden. But Lexi is his number 1 and he didn’t want her to lose her other parent. And he’s in panic mode about going down for this crime too. I don’t know, I find it understandable that he’d want to run for the sole purpose of being there for Lexi if he was under the impression he’d be sentenced and not be able to see anyone.
Callum’s a little confused that Phil would insist that Jay go with him to see Ben when he was there earlier, so Phil saves face by suggesting that Callum just drop Ben off immediately after the bail hearing so he can spend time with Lexi. Phil’s a terrible liar but Callum agrees to do that and heads off, leaving a very subtle moment for Phil to pull out the fake passports he’s put together for Ben and Lexi.
Next thing we know Callum and Jay are rushing through the market, late for Ben’s bail hearing. Billy, Honey and Kathy are asking after him and Lexi – and when Jay tells them that Phil has her, they’re all immediately suspicious, especially when Callum says Phil had insisted. Kathy knows Phil doesn’t just do nice things so he must be up to something. I’d argue Phil is the only one in these episodes doing something nice for someone he loves, but that’s just me.
At court, Callum and Jay arrive too late and it’s down to Ritchie to let them know that Ben didn’t get bail because he’s considered a flight risk; and he’d said to tell Lexi he loves her. I mean, clearly they weren’t wrong to label him a flight risk, but that’s still ignoring the fact that this is such a silly crime they’ve pinned on him. It’ll cost them almost as much as what Ben stole in the first place to extradite him. Callum’s informed he won’t get to see him at all because he’s already been taken down to the cells, so there’s no chance for even a goodbye.
Well, we know how it ends now. One more episode to discuss, and you can probably tell it’s not going to be all that positive. I hope you’ll join me anyway, whenever I can manage to get the words out.
At least there are other positives to take from this week, such as our BTRC fundraiser in honour of Max reaching the £1000 goal! I’ve raised the goal to £1250 as it’ll only take £60 more to get there. I believe it can be done! And Max’s kudoboard has reached 50 messages. We’re aiming to close it on Friday so if you’ve yet to leave a message you still can!
Jenn's Ballum Blog 