'Ben and Kate' Season 1, Episode 2: 'Bad Cop, Bad Cop' Recap

At Kate’s place, Ben has begun the process of moving in. Ben wants to go over ground rules for sexy visitors. Kate suggests using “making waffles” as the code word, but it just gets weird.

Inside, BJ is waking up on the couch while Ben and Kate wax over what a “one night stand” is to Maddie.

Kate gets a call from the school—Maddie has been late all week. Ben blames it on Maddie, but Kate is horrified she must meet with the principal, as she is terrified of authority figures and tends to get sweaty, blotchy, and produce a dolphin voice. Kate is legitimately concerned Maddie will get kicked out if it comes to light she has been lying about where she lives so Maddie can go to a better school—she is sure she must redeem herself at Back to School Night.

Ben confesses to Tommy what has been going on while Tommy coaches kids’ tennis. Tommy tells him he lets Maddie walk all over him. Ben attempts to take on coaching the kids, but when Maddie says, “Uncle Ben, will you teach me karate, and get me a present?” Ben brings home a puppy to Kate’s place—which infuriates Kate, because it is in their lease that they can’t have pets.

At Back to School Night, Ben and Kate both go to mingle. Kate, however, desperate to prove she is a good parent, gets weird, and keeps reciting her fake address. Ben, meanwhile, is making friends like a pro, and invites everyone to margarita night—at that address.

Which happens to be the address of Tommy’s parents. Ben and Kate storm in with a margarita machine, informing them that they have to act like guest in the home. Margarita night goes off well... kind of... with Ben smoothing things over while Kate makes horrible attempts to lie about her history.

“Can white people even go to Howard University?”

The puppy, meanwhile, is racing about the house. Guests are questioning why one room seems to be full of picture of Tommy, which they insist is a shrine to Kate’s dead boyfriend, Tommy’s twin brother who died in a blood bath of a boating accident. It is why, somehow, Maddie is actually called Tyrone… and the lies just get thicker and more complicated.

Kate calls and leaves a message for Principal Feeney, telling him the truth. But later, she changes her mind. She want to beak in and delete the message, worried that Maddie will be sent to another, crappier, school. On their way to break in, the cops pull them over. Kate runs for it. Ben, luckily, knows the officer, and they chat. For a little fun, he has him put on his lights and chase Kate, who is sure she will die in jail.

The next morning Kate goes in to talk to principal to explain what happened.

Waiting in the hall are Ben and Maddie. Maddie wants to know if she will get kicked out. She also wants to bring her puppy home—but, in a rare effort to stand up to her, Ben tells her the puppy lives with Tommy now.

Kate and the principal work it out that Maddie can stay, and Ben confesses that the cop chase was more or less fake. Kate’s pleasure dissipates somewhat.