'Ben and Kate' Season 1, Episode 6: 'Scaredy Kate' Recap

Kate, BJ, and Maddie are carving pumpkins. BJ is encouraging Kate to get out and be “whorish” like all the other straight-laced ladies who use Halloween as an excuse to be slutty, but all Kate wants to do is settle in with a personal pan pizza.

Maddie asks BJ if she can have a piece of her candy, but BJ tells her definitely not. It’s special candy from Amsterdam.

The girls decide this will finally be the year when they manage to scare Ben. When he comes in, Kate asks him to bring her the basket from the top of the fridge. He grabs it. Fake, bloody rats are inside, but he isn’t phased.

 “I was a night watchman at a doll factor, Kate. Nothing scares me.”

Kate gets Maddie’s costume ready, making the final adjustments while BJ looks on the tiny Marie Curie in horror.

“Maddie I’m telling you this as your friend. You’ve never looked more squat.”

Flashback to Maddie’s string of cerebral costumes, such as The Death of Print Journalism. BJ thinks she should let Maddie dress as a cute princess. She’s also excited about their rich neighbor’s Halloween party, where every year she steals their expensive skin cream from the bathroom.

There is a knock at the door, alarming Kate. It is Hot Neighbor Guy. She opens the door reluctantly, and he introduces himself as Steve. He says he’s having a party and invites them to come. When he leaves, BJ says that he likes Kate, but Kate says he’s just sucking up so she won’t call the cops. Which she probably would normally.

Tommy and Ben are trying to decide on Halloween plans. Tommy wants to go to the club, but Ben wants to stay home and answer the door and flirt with hot moms, so that’s what they decide on.

BJ takes Kate to the Halloween store to try and find her something slutty. BJ encourages Maddie to get a cute princess costume, which Maddie gets excited about if BJ will be the queen. They run unexpectedly into Steve, and Kate’s verbal skills deteriorate until she just starts saying letters. He tells them he’ll see them later.

At home, Kate offers Ben a cauldron of cider, and a hand burst from it.

“I’m going to have to write a terse letter to the farmer’s market.”

Kate and BJ prep themselves and head over to the party. Meanwhile, Tommy feels weird after eating a handful of BJ’s candies. Ben tries to use relaxation to calm Tommy in his drugged state, but Tommy continues to freak out. He doesn’t want to go to the hospital—he has a complicated history with male nurses. Ben takes one of the candies and joins him.

BJ and Kate, who is dressed as a sexy baseball player, enter the party, BJ encouraging Kate to not be herself, to be someone else and have fun. Steve comes to greet them and Kate jumps him, kissing him lingeringly. Impressed, Steve goes to get her a drink.

Ben and Tommy aren’t doing very well. Ben is missing people he hasn’t seen in a long time with his entire body. Especially his legs. Trick or Treaters come. They panic about the "hotness" of the staid woman and her passel of children. They decide on a change of venue and go to Steve’s party, Ben with a towel on his head. They laugh when asked what they’re supposed to be. Kate can tell something is wrong with them immediately.

BJ leaves the party early, heading over to steal from the neighbors. She runs into two young ladies dressed as slutty princesses, yelling about a prince getting a happy ending. She looks stricken.

Steve brings Kate a shot. She admits it’s fun and not what she’s used to. She’s generally a mess. More word vomit happens, and a few tears. Steve wanders off to hit on a sluttily dressed lady, leaving Kate hurt.

Tommy is still freaking out and rushes off to the bedroom, Ben behind him. Tommy tells Ben he thinks he’s mad at him. He wanted to go to the club but Ben steamrolled him. He wanted to show him that while Ben was gone he became an excellent dancer. Ben admits he is right and encourages Tommy to dance for him, which gets them kicked out of the party when Steve opens the door on the strange scene.

BJ sneaks into Maddie’s room, waking her. She tells her that she ruined her night and to go put some coffee on.

Ben finds Kate sitting outside, and they have a talk about being sandwiches pretending to be other sandwiches. Ben needs to be a person who listens and respects that’s who she is. Kate just wants to be herself—a BLT with mayo. Ben gives Kate a full-sized candy bar he saved for her. Kate takes a bite, her mouth beginning to bleed. She laughs as Ben freaks out—she finally tricked him.

BJ reads a fake story to Maddie, basically explaining that she was wrong about wanting her to be like everyone else, and how the princess scientist is special to the queen in an unusually touching BJ moment.

As she is walking home, a guy sees Kate bleeding and asks if she’s ok. They complain about the loudness of the party. His is trying to sleep, as well as his kid, who has to go to his ex-wife’s in the morning. He rants about being a single dad, and word vomits very similarly to the way Kate was earlier. He introduces himself as Will and admits that he wants to call the cops. Kate encourages him. Will calls and files a complaint. They high five and share a moment.

In the garage, Tommy is dancing in the garage without music, his arm in a sling. Ben apologizes for encouraging him to cannonball into an empty pool. Kate walks in with laundry, and leaves quietly.