Spoilers Below

In “The Contract”, the mafioso makes Quebec Minister of Environment Henry Wallet an offer he can’t refuse, and Scott receives an offer he can’t decide whether or not to refuse.

It’s chocked full of mediocre decisions. You think mob threats or career-ladder-climbing is a tough decision? Read on…

When Vinnie Grosotto and his muscle, Gino, approach Wallet at a cocktail party, they persuade the Minister to allow his “legitimate business” to build a meat factory in the wetlands. When Ben advises his boss to refuse, it quickly escalates into juvenile harassment brought on by amateur mobsters – even Gino’s accent is more reminiscent of Sean Penn’s “I am Sam” than a genuine Italian heavy’s.

The mobsters resort to stealing Ben’s barbecue igniter (since he doesn’t have children) and lighting a bag of dog shit on Wallet’s front porch (to which he douses with a fire extinguisher, instead of stomping out), leaving the duo to realize that these mobsters are more unfamiliar with the business than their appearances (should have sent out for Fat Tony or Jimmy Falcone).

Meanwhile, Scott is making an advert for some pretty useless technology for upcoming Technolocheese (emphasis on the “cheese”) products – a retractable  computer you can carry anywhere, even your ass, and a “throwaway” Internet disc called “Fris-bit” – but Scott may have to move to LA (not so bad a place, ask the boys at BB).

There’s a great play on conference calls – including echoes in a bathroom and assholes on Bluetooth – dampened by later scenes where they’re not wearing them in public (you know you hate those assholes!). So Scott can’t decide to uproot to a brighter future, or stay behind and continue the mundane, and Ben and Wallet must come up with a plan to thwart the nonsensical commerce of the so-called-“mob”.

On a scale of Crash Canyon to Fugget About It, Ben’s City ranks pretty high, not just this episode alone, but as a series in its entirety. Three episodes in, and you can see there’s plenty of well thought out jokes, tangled amongst the quick dialogue, and sometimes an entire scene that will have you slapping your knee, or splitting your sides, less often than not. Being a Canadian citizen, sometimes I wish I were bilingual. It’d be a real treat to watch Pérusse Cité in its native tongue, because sometimes the jokes can be lost in translation.

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7 out of 10