Ben and Kate - 1 ª Season

When they were orphaned, goofy rascal Ben Fox broke away from his uptight sister Kate, who became a single but devoted mother to Maddie. Ben, years ago often drops by, using Kate's compulsively neat home as base for his crazy plans and simply delighting them. Now Ben hears his local first love, Darcy, is getting married and decides to take his last chance to win her.

Kate lies about her residence in order to get Maddie into a better school district, but when her plan falls apart, she must admit the truth to Maddie's principal (Alan Ruck).

Ben and Kate find a closed envelop left by their late father, containing questions for a traditional Fox family scavenger hunt, so they revive the practice. While Kate and BJ throw themselves on it as if their lives depended upon winning, Ben is happy to let his sister. Until Tommy points out the prize is not as meaningless as Ben assumed.

Hearing his first love Darcy is moving into 'their' dream house with her husband, Ben wants to steal the tree he always imagined carving a canoe from to give her a Viking burial. BJ comes along and insists to push Ben's closure fantasies, however awkward for all of them. Ben ignores Kate's expressed, annual wish not to celebrate her birthday, deciding she should finally make up her 21st, when she let motherhood take over. Inviting her college buddy Molly initially changes her mind, but the two sneak off from the surprise party and don't see eye to eye anymore about nightlife.

Ben is not amused that Kate makes a drama of every little injury Maddie incurs during his countless capers. He makes fun of her claim to have contingency plans for every emergency and sets out to prove with Tommy's help that she can't plan for every eventuality. Meanwhile, the arrival of Ben's partner in crime Louise tends again to bring out the worst in him. BJ's bar is being checked up by wacky boss Buddy, who invites himself at home.