Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25892460-20151116185711/@comment-24330788-20151117172227

TheMisteriousDrB wrote:

I respectfully disagree. Benson certainly was tenacious in The Dome Experiment, but whether that was a winning moment for him is up for debate. Yeah, he ended up proving he was right about the papers but at the same time he was so wrapped up in his personal crusade that he forgot about his responsibility towards the others. He was their boss and being locked in there was a new situation for everyone, it could be potentially dangerous if they mismanaged their supplies. That was supposed to be Benson’s job, yet he chose to neglect it completely, it was just lucky Fives was able to take over for him. If anything, Fives was the hero of that episode.

Benson was not always like this. Think of the scene in Busted Cart after he had that outburst. He was already devastated at the prospect of losing his job. To add to that, Mordecai and Rigby took his car without consulting him, with good intensions mind you, but nevertheless leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere. What’s the first thing he does when he catches up to them? Not yell at them for taking his car or the fact that he’s about to lose his job, he berates them for driving down such a dangerous route. Without a doubt his first concern was the safety of his employees, even his job which he cared so much about came second. In The Dome Experiment Benson couldn’t care less about anyone’s safety, just proving that he was right because he was obsessed with being right. Sure it’s all played up for humour, but can you see why I’d think that was such a huge step back for him as a character?

In saying all that, you’re not wrong; there were some awesome scenes in that special for him. I think it just comes down to different perspectives. Personally, I think Benson is at his best when he’s helping out others on his team, even if most of those are just fleeting moments in episodes that otherwise weren’t focused on him. Episodes where he gets his moment of glory are great too but it shouldn't have to go against previously established aspects of his personality.

As for his love of dogs and cats, it's harmless. I just personally didn't like the Cat Video episode where he WAS the cat.