Let me just start by saying…I’m SO tired of them trying to make Ben and Riley a thing. They are done. Over. How long are they going to string this story along?? I swear, they’re going to have Ben and Riley pining and talking about their relationship at Danny and Riley’s wedding! Anyways…moving on.
This wasn’t the funniest episode I’ve seen, however it did have some good moments. The episode begins with Riley and Ben hanging out at the bar, talking about their “new” friendship and how things might be different now that they have dated and broken up. They decide to play the game “Shot and Score”, a game Ben plays with Tucker frequently. They both have to take a shot and then make out with a stranger they have picked for each other. Once they have their targets, they take their shots and we’re left to wait and see how things worked out for them. We don’t have to wait long to find out that Ben and his date, Jessica, went home together (and apparently he ditched Riley at the bar! Not cool.) Ben, Jessica, and Riley have an awkward run-in the next morning in the hallway, where Riley acts as though she was unsuccessful with her man the night before. However, once Ben goes back into his apartment, we see Riley’s guy sneak out. I’m just going to put aside my feelings about the fact that Riley now has YET ANOTHER love interest who is not Danny, but as you read just know that I am NOT okay.
We catch up with Riley at work and she is spiraling with feelings of guilt. Who better to help her work through her issues and doubts than Bonnie? Good thing she’s already in Riley’s office making herself comfortable and using her printer. We learn that that was Riley’s first one night stand and she’s upset, not because it happened, but because he’s trying to make it more than it was. She wanted it to be a fun, one time thing but now he’s texting her and she’s not really about that. Next thing you know, Riley spots him in the hallway right outside her office and freaks out because no matter what scenario explains his presence, none of them are good! Meanwhile, Ben is at the bar meeting a potential buyer, Ian Hughes. Unfortunately, he also sees Jessica, the woman he slept with the night before. And of course, Jessica and Ian are married! Things get awkward very quickly, fitting with the night’s theme of awkward moments, especially when Tucker joins the group and blows everything by stating he recognizes her from their midnight run-in in the bathroom. Obviously, this complicates things with the plans for buying the bar and puts the bar’s future, and Ben’s, in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, we find out that the man Riley slept with is actually her new boss, Ross…probably the worst scenario for him hanging around the office to be honest. He has also given her a new case, which is basically a significant promotion and a big responsibility. Riley assumes the worst, that he’s assigned this to her because he feels bad that they slept together and she doesn’t want to be one of “those girls” who sleep with people to get ahead in their career. Bonnie gives her some fantastic advice and a great pep talk (her second female empowerment moment in two weeks! I love it!). Riley takes this advice and confronts him in the conference room. She certainly gets her point across, so well that people on other continents get the idea! That’s right - she interrupts him in the middle of an international conference call - #awkward. Ross follows her into her office and explains to her that he gave her the case because she is smart and well respected. After all this they end up agreeing to a second date (I don’t want to talk about it!).
After the fiasco at the bar, Ben needs to fix things. He decides his best option is to simply apologize to Ian and hope that he reconsiders. Ben actually surprised me and did a really mature and noble thing. I was impressed! Not only does he apologize, but he also says that he will even quit as long as Ian reconsiders and saves his coworkers' jobs. Ben is, understandably, pretty upset after this exchange and goes home to get drunk. Danny does his best to comfort him by assuring Ben that he’ll always be there for him and Emma (our first “Aww” moment of the night!). In the end, Ben copes with his feelings by enlisting Tucker to help him steal the “B” from the sign on the bar. They wake up in the morning to the single best thing anyone could wake up to ever - Danny in a suit. Seriously, I can’t decide what I like better, Danny shirtless or Danny in a suit… I think I need to see more of each before I can decide! ;) Danny tells Ben that, true to his promise, he will always be there for them and to prove it he bought the bar! Ben and Danny are now the official owners of Bar on B and I’m actually excited to see them in this new role.
Overall, this was not the funniest episode I’ve seen, I mean, one of the longer running jokes was focused on burping - I know they can do better than that! It was definitely not their worst but it was far from their best. It felt very filler-y, which unfortunately is to be expected as you near the middle of a season. This episode started out with a less heartwarming tone than usual, but by the end there was enough brotherly love to warm even the coldest hearts! Speaking of love, as I said before, I’m heated that they are introducing another love interest for Riley. Can she please not act like whatever’s going on between her and Danny isn’t happening? I’m tired of the writers just picking and choosing when this love triangle, and the relationships within it, are important. They need more consistency because right now this is just getting more and more frustrating. But I’ll end on a positive note with some of my favorite quotes as always!
“She seems like your type…female.” - Riley
“What if the new owners are expecting enthusiasm, high standards, motivation? I could be out of a job!” - Ben
“There he is! What is he doing here?! He’s probably one of those crazy stalker guys! This could not be worse!” - Riley
“I don’t know, he might be a client. That might be a little worse.” - Bonnie
“You told her you were God?” - Danny
“In the flesh!” - Riley
“Are you suing someone because our clients are always satisfied…legally speaking.” - Riley
“This is even more awkward than when we ran into each other in the bathroom.” - Tucker
“So, do we have a dill?” - Bonnie
“I’m the reason every night is ladies night. Girl’s love me!” - Ben
“Yeah, which is kind of why we’re here now.” - Tucker
“I embarrassed myself across three continents!” - Riley
Do you like Riley’s new love interest? Are you happy that Ben and Danny own the bar? And of course, the most important question - #TeamShirtless or #TeamSuit?? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading and see you next week!
About the Author - Kate Sidwell
Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (
eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!
