Favorite Characters: Benson (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

Benson is such a delightful character. A key member of Kipo’s squad, this guy offers up fun, friendship, and street smarts, and I appreciate his presence on the show (a few Benson-related spoilers.)

Wolf is the first human that Kipo meets on the surface, all hard edges, distrust, and killer instincts. Benson is the second, and while he doesn’t quite have Kipo’s sunshiny outlook, he’s not as hard-scrabble as Wolf, either. For starters, he hasn’t been making his way as an absolute loner – he’s been rolling with his best friend Dave for years. From the jump, he shows that there’s another way to survive on the surface beyond Wolf’s “kill or be killed” philosophy, and he and Dave are Kipo’s first example that humans and mutes can get along.

The “foot in two worlds” thing is a major facet of who Benson is. Wolf is instantly wary and on guard against all mutes, but Benson is inseparable with Dave, taking care of him when his friend is in the more vulnerable phrases of his metamorphosis (baby/toddler Dave) and bedrudgingly putting up with the more annoying ones (teenager/old man Dave.) Benson has a handful of other friendly mute acquaintances as well. He’s the one who brings Kipo to Ratland, an amusement park/safe haven for humans and mutes alike. At a low moment, when Kipo is feeling discouraged and confused, Benson shows her this bright spot where the surface is safe and fun and no one’s trying to fight anyone.

Benson doesn’t have a hard time ingratiating himself with others, but as I said, he doesn’t exactly mirror Kipo’s at-times-Pollyanna-ish “let’s be friends!!!” tendencies. He’ll gladly make nice if that seems like the best way to go, but he’s not without his sharpness. He and Dave have survived on the surface together by being smart, and that often means pulling one over on those with violent intentions. Whether it’s faking a crisis to scare off some Mod Frogs or causing a furball-related diversion in a group of Timber Cats, he’s a quick thinker who can be sly to stay ahead.

Going along with that is his strong self-preservation streak. It’s what makes him initially reluctant to join Kipo’s search to find her people, not altogether willing to stick his neck out for someone when he doesn’t have to. Benson begins the series more in “look out for #1” mode (although “#1” includes both him and Dave,) but despite a tendency to focus more on himself, he has a good heart that can’t really ignore people who need help. Sure, he shies away from signing up to help Kipo, and he tries to strategize over the opportune moment to bail, but when Kipo’s in trouble, he’s consistently there. Over the course of the series, he becomes much more in it for the long haul, dropping his more usual escape plan and proving himself a true friend.

I know that LGBTQ representation in stories marketed to young audiences has been expanding in recent years (did you hear about Blue’s Clues’ recently-released alphabet song, in which “P” is for “Pride”?!), but I really like the completely-open, 100%-casual way that Benson’s orientation is revealed on the show. In the aforementioned Ratland excursion, Kipo is grateful to Benson’s kindness towards her and attempts to express her affection in a less-than-platonic way. When she makes a move, Benson gently turns her down, explaining that he’s gay, and after momentary surprise/embarrassment at having misread the moment, Kipo finds her footing and validates her friend’s identity. “Thank you, though, for just, I don’t know, being you?” she says, going on to add, “I think I’m just trying to say, I’m glad we’re friends.” Utterly sweet moment, and major points for Benson’s coming-out being so direct and no-drama – the fact that he actually says the words “I’m gay” is huge.

Relationship Spotlight: Mandu, Kipo, Wolf, Benson & Dave (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

Now, within this group, there are individual relationships that are more prominent than others, such as Kipo-Wolf and Dave-Benson. And I may very well come back around at some point to highlight them more specifically. But today, I want to look at the whole squad, Kipo and her friends. This odd little band is the prototype for Kipo’s Human-Mute Ultimate Friendship Alliance, and they’re pretty great.

When Kipo first gets deposited on the surface, she has a lot to learn. She’d have died on her first day if it weren’t for Wolf’s exasperated warnings, and Benson and Dave quickly teach her a few tricks of their trade. Her burrow upbringing has been a lot softer than the lives her new friends have lived, and they’re harder and shrewder than she is. But while she picks up important survival skills from her friends, she in turn teaches them the value in giving people (both humans and mutes) the chance to surprise you. She believes the best of everyone, and even though that optimism certainly gets her in trouble sometimes, it brings a big change to the dog-eat-dog world her friends are more accustomed to.

As the squad assembles, there are some major growing pains along the way. Wolf is immediately surly toward Kipo’s happy-shiny-sparkly advances of friendship, and when Benson and Dave join the group, they’re initially keeping an eye out for a potential off-ramp, planning to look out for themselves first and foremost. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the fact that, when Kipo first meets Wolf, Wolf is trying to figure out whether or not she can eat Mandu, which sends Kipo into rescue mode.

A lot of this is about trust – Kipo is all in on everyone from the jump, but the others need help getting there. Wolf has been alone a long time and doesn’t trust anyone, especially mutes; it’s a big deal when she slowly starts to let Kipo in, admitting some of the past trauma she’s been through. Dave and Benson need time to realize that Kipo’s quest is something that’s really worth risking their own necks for, and they in turn need to prove to Kipo and Wolf that the girls can rely on them after some early, shiftier actions.

But the more they gel, the more unstoppable they become. Kipo’s brains and personability, Wolf’s mad fighting skills, Benson and Dave’s savvy street-smarts, Mandu’s observations: everyone’s skills are needed, and depending on the situation, they lean on certain members of the group more than others. Even as Kipo takes on more and more of a leader role, she always needs her friends, appreciating their talents and recognizing how they ground her.

I really love watching them work through things together. Whether it’s Wolf dealing with her personal fears to support Kipo in the midst of some major upheaval, Benson honestly apologizing to Dave after getting annoyed with aspects of Dave’s metamorphosis that he can’t control, or all the others realizing that, even though Mandu can’t talk, she’s a friend and not a pet, they admit their mistakes and work to make amends. They come out stronger on the other side of these issues, and no matter what’s going on between them, they always, ultimately, have one another’s backs.