Becoming Us

In the season 1 finale of Becoming Us, "EveryPictureTellsAStory," family and friends attend Ben's photography exhibit, Daniel makes a big decision, Carly continues to recover after her heart attack and everyone gathers for Sutton's wedding.
Both Sutton and Ben have big events coming up and both are distracted by the health issues of loved ones. Carly is still in the hospital after her heart attack, and Sutton's soon-to-be father-in-law is still undergoing chemo. Both are doing better, but it is questionable if either will make it to Sutton and Kevin's wedding.

Ben Has Doubts

Ben's first photography exhibit is looming, but Carly definitely cannot attend, which has Ben questioning if he should move forward with it or not. Carly says that even though she can't be present, there's no reason Ben should cancel.

Daniel and Danielle Take Steps Forward

Daniel tells Danielle and Mandy that he's going to start going by the mo...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#Blindsided," Sutton and Kevin receive upsetting news that could delay their trip down the aisle, Carly and Suzy make peace, Ben has a new love interest and Carly deals with a health crisis.
Ben's got a new girlfriend, and the vibe is definitely different than when he was with Danielle. They are way more kissy. Her name is Gavin, and she shares his love of photography. And while she may not have a transgender parent, she knows all about Carly, as this is their primary topic of conversation the first time viewers get a look at Danielle 2.0.

Ben Moves On
Speaking of Danielle, she learns about her "friend" Ben's new love interest via social media because breakups aren't hard enough without having your ex's every exploit thrown in your face. At least she found out when she was with her bestie, Sarah, who, like a very good friend, immediately points out that Gavin is a definite downgrade.
Then, like all women, the...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#AllTheTrimmings," Suzy, Ben and Sutton head to NYC to spend Thanksgiving with family, Carly undergoes sexual reassignment surgery in Arizona and Lathan has a special visitor.
Before Sutton, Suzy and Ben head to the Big Apple to celebrate Thanksgiving, Suzy has a sit-down with Carly. Let's just say Carly's ex ball and chain is not pleased. It seems Carly sent Suzy a text saying she didn't have the money for Ben's school fees. This is upsetting to Suzy because Carly does have the necessary funds to get her sexual reassignment surgery.

Bad Blood
Carly says she doesn't owe any money for Ben's fees; that isn't part of their official "agreement." Suzy admits that Carly does pay child support but doesn't offer anything up for "extras" because Carly has exhausted her discretionary funds.
Suzy is crying bullshit on the money for Ben's schooling, but Carly points out that the only reason she can afford the surgery is...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#TheLetter," Suzy gets support from Daniel's ex-wife, Mandy, Carly prepares for her surgery, Daniel goes on a date and Carly shares something very personal with Ben and Sutton.
Benjamin is bummed. Yeah, he didn't want to have a serious girlfriend, but he also didn't want to lose his closest gal pal. Sis Sutton convinces him to get out and catch a movie. On the cab ride there, the two discuss an upcoming dinner they're supposed to attend at Carly's. Carly asks that Sutton bring Kevin, so the brother and sister suspect Carly's got something up her sleeve.

The Same But Different
Ben continues to be bummed that he can't call Carly 'dad,' and with Carly's surgery looming, Ben is still reeling from the idea of losing his father forever.
Ben may be struggling, but Sutton feels her relationship with Carly is going strong. She feels much closer than she ever did to Charlie. Now they're just a couple of girlfriends go...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#LoveHurts," Ben and Danielle have doubts about their future together, Suzy and Sutton head to NYC to prepare for the wedding, and Ayton and Brook hit a rough patch in their relationship.
Ben also turns to Carly for advice about Danielle. Young Benjamin wants to put Danielle strictly in the friend zone. Carly's definitely down with Ben not settling down at the age of 16, so she offers her son some sound advice: be honest. Ben's worried about how Danielle will react. He's a typical guy -- doesn't want to deal with confrontation, which explains why he's been distancing himself.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Brook and Ayton are having issues as well. Ayton claims they fight all the time, but he's usually able to find a way to get his girlfriend out of a funk. Lately, that's not been the case.
Brook is agitated about how little Ayton does around the apartment. Apparently, he doesn't shop, cook or clean. Get used to it, Brook.Read more ››

In this episode of Becoming Us, "#RulesOfEngagement," Carly and Sutton spend quality time together, Suzy struggles with all of the attention Carly receives at her daughter's wedding festivities, Ben works to get his T-shirt business off the ground and Sutton finds herself caught in the middle between Suzy and Carly.
After Lathan's big reveal last time, Becoming Us is starting to feel a bit like a really, really long PSA about transgenderism, so I'm looking forward to an episode where we get just a bit of a break and focus on aspects of Ben's life that don't revolve around gender identity.

Mother-Stepfather/Daughter Time
Sutton is hanging out with Carly and gets a front row seat to Carly injecting herself with hormones. These two have turned out to be much chummier than I thought they would be. In the pilot, if felt like there was some distance, but nothing could be further from the truth. Like Ben, there is a bit of confusion regarding how...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#Heart2Heart," Daniel tries online dating. Lathan grows closer to Carly and reveals a very personal secret, and Ben continues to struggle in school.
There's no dipping your toe in the pool to get used to the water in this episode. Danielle and her dad, Daniel, talk dating. Dan, who, unlike Carly, refers to himself as 'he' and doesn't appear to have immediate plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery, just broke things off with his latest love interest, a woman. Apparently, the chick in question wanted to move too fast for Daniel's comfort.

Dan Tries a Dating Website
Danielle asks her dad if he'd ever consider getting married again, and he responds that his dating history with women has been spotty at best. Because Daniel feels like a woman, ideally he'd like to date a man. But the only guys he's been involved with so far have been gay. It is enough to make your head spin a bit, but if we're confused, just imag...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#IntoTheWild," Carly takes Ben and his friends camping, Sutton's fiance arrives in town, and Brook and Lathan delve into their own family history.
Ben, not convinced that he'll be getting more parental attention from Carly, calls her bluff. He wants to go camping just like in the old days. It's a good way for Carly to prove that, without being burdened by the distractions of living a disingenuous life, she's able to be more emotionally available to her son.

Road Trip

Ben's got to get past his preoccupation about Carly's penis. He's convinced that once this is gone, so are all traces of the person he considers his father. It doesn't help matters that Carly wants Ben to call her 'mom', and Ben's sister, Sutton, points out that it's unreasonable for Carly to not acknowledge that her role in the family until recently was that of the father.
Ben's putting Carly to the test. He wants to see if the wilderness...
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In this episode of Becoming Us, "#FalloutBoy," Ben struggles to accept Carly's decision to have surgery, Danielle's parents offer Ben some advice, Brook finds herself trying to broker peace between Ayton and Lathan, and Carly feels shut out.
After learning that Carly plans to get sex reassignment surgery, Ben reaches out to Danielle. He's having trouble processing the finality of the situation. Danielle can relate; she feels like she lost her father as well. To further complicate the situation, Carly has expressed to Ben that he wants him to call her "mom," and Ben tells Danielle that, as far as he's concerned, he's got one mother. Period.

Under Pressure
Their heart-to-heart is interrupted when Ben gets a text from his tutor, Emilia. He just jets off, leaving Danielle after she made the trip to meet up with him. He thanks her for dropping everything to be his shoulder to cry on, but it's obvious Ben is starting to take Danielle's accessibility fo...
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Ben is anything but your run-of-the-mill Midwestern teen, although that's what ABC Family wants you to believe about the star of its new non-scripted series Becoming Us. He may not be in the same league as the Juno-esque crowd we often seen on shows with overwrought teenagers as the protagonists. Ben's also not as monosyllabic as most teen boys, and from the outset, he comes off as quite artistic, sensitive and intuitive.
Ben lives in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago. He brags about how close he is to his family, something else that sets him apart from many teens. Am I the only one who remembers the angst of The Breakfast Club?
Of course, no kid can be this well-adjusted, so there's got to be a twist, and in Ben's case, it's the other woman that came between his parents, Carly. But Carly isn't some home-wrecking girlfriend; she's Ben's dad, formerly known as Charlie. But more on that later.
Ben's an aspiring photographer, and one ...
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