‘Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?’ Recap: Beasts and Burdens
Warning: This recap for the Nov. 1 episode of Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? contains spoilers.
As Ben and Lauren’s wedding date approaches, the couple is starting to tackle the final details. Lauren enlists the help of her sister to assist with the wedding registry, which she wants to fill with items such as an ice-cream maker, a waffle maker, and a coffee table. Lauren also suggests that they get a new bar cart and give away the one they currently have, which Ben repurposed and hand-painted himself. (Raise your hand if this scene reminds you of the “wagon-wheel coffee table” moment in When Harry Met Sally.) Ben tries to reason with Lauren about removing some of the unnecessary items from their registry, and you can practically see his blood pressure rise as he realizes the couple might need more space to accommodate all the crap Lauren wants to acquire. With this in mind, Ben calls real estate expert Lace for help. (Again, just go with it.)
Cut to Ben and Lauren driving past Lace, who just happens to be walking down the street — what a coincidence! Reality TV is so unpredictable. Lace gets in their car and asks Ben and Lauren what they’re looking for in a house. While Lauren says she loves interior design, she prefers a turnkey home that the couple can simply move into. Ben, on the other hand, wants a house that they can fix up and make their own. He also points out that it’s a bit troubling that Lace doesn’t know what a “turnkey home” is despite her profession as a real estate agent.
Lace first shows the couple a house that needs to be completely redone. There are dead bugs all over the floor, graffiti on the walls, and the sound of mice in the walls. Lauren looks completely disgusted, and upon seeing the large but unfinished master bedroom, she says, “I’d rather sleep in a cardboard box to be honest.” She proceeds to go outside because she thinks she’s going to be sick. Lace then brings the couple to a newly remodeled and beautifully furnished home. Lauren is immediately sold: “We would just have to move our stuff in!” (Side note: I’m confused about Lauren’s love for interior design but lack of interest in decorating her own home.) While Ben agrees the home is beautiful, he says they don’t have the finances to purchase a perfect house. He steps outside for some space and gets upset with Lauren for not considering their finances. She makes a “thanks for letting me know, Dad” comment, which turns into an awkwardly long “daddy” joke.
The couple reconvenes at a seemingly deserted hibachi restaurant and discusses potential career paths for Lauren, who wants to be able to contribute financially to their family. Lauren explains that she can no longer be a flight attendant because she gets recognized too easily, which causes people to want to talk and take photos with her, so she is unable to do her job efficiently. Lauren decides that she wants to work with animals, and Ben encourages her to pursue her passion. Meanwhile, Ben decides he wants to open a restaurant and proceeds to get a cooking lesson from the hibachi chef. After his training, Ben cooks for a group of women in colorful clothing and large hats who give him dating advice based on their experiences. Are these women getting their meal for free? Personally, I would not want to taste Ben’s hibachi dish after watching his cooking montage. Ultimately, Ben decides that he’s happy with his job in software sales, but Lauren is still on her journey to find the perfect career.
The following day, Lauren and Ben drive to the zoo so Lauren can try her hand at becoming a zookeeper, because that’s a totally practical idea. Lauren, not one to plan ahead, arrives in flip-flops and is immediately criticized by both Ben and the zoo staff. Lauren is given a uniform and sneakers to change into. While she gets to start her day with the fun task of cutting up lettuce and feeding the giraffes, she then has to clean up rhino poop, which you can apparently smell from 15 feet away. Lauren complains, “I’m exhausted, my arm hurts, my back hurts, I’m pooped.” Very punny. Needless to say, being a zookeeper is not as glamorous as Lauren thought it would be, and she writes it off as an unviable career option.
Back at their house, the couple discusses Lauren’s passion for fashion, beauty, makeup, and hair. She decides that she now wants to be a blogger, and Ben dutifully encourages her. How original, another reality star turned “lifestyle” blogger! Lauren begins the task of making a website but is off to a rough start. She says, “There’s no manual that tells you how to be a blogger!” Ben first tries photographing Lauren for her blog, but after seeing the results, she immediately enlists the help of a professional. Finally, she pulls it all together, and the two jet to Los Angeles for the blog’s launch party. Lauren is filled with nerves and says she would “rather endure 12 rose ceremonies than this launch party.” To distract Lauren from her nerves, Ben tries to do her makeup. He says he’s watched tutorials and actually knows a surprising amount about makeup. He even lines Lauren’s eyebrows, something I’ve never tried to do for myself let alone for someone else. Lauren is unimpressed with his efforts but luckily has her glam team coming to redo her makeup before the party.
Becca and Ashley I. both make an appearance at the launch party, but Ben appears to be missing. Lauren seems annoyed rather than worried by his absence, but finally Ben arrives with flowers and a surprise — Lauren’s brother and mother! She says she’s so happy that he brought “the people that mean the most to me.”
The episode winds down with a beautiful engagement photo shoot. Lauren wears a deep-cut white maxi dress and leaf crown, and Ben sports a crisp white shirt. Their photos look great, but Ben is feeling overwhelmed once again. Lauren asks Ben if he’s scared, and he says that he is, in addition to feeling confused as to what they’re going to do with the photos. The couple then tastes wedding cakes, and Lauren learns for the first time that Ben is allergic to coconut. Ben gets upset because he says it shows that the pair doesn’t know enough about one another, and he suggests they slow things down, to which Lauren replies, “Because I didn’t know you were allergic to coconut?!”
We then cut to Ben at a batting cage, where he is discussing his upcoming wedding with a friend. It’s quite an illuminating conversation: We learn that not only does Ben not know what a registry is, but also he’s also getting cold feet! We catch a glimpse of next week’s episode, in which Lauren is in tears and says to Ben while in a white dress, “So you’re saying the wedding is off.” It looks like we’ll find out if this really is “happily ever after” in two weeks. (Spoiler alert: It probably is.)
Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? returns on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. on Freeform.
