Did Ben bring it on himself? (Spoilers)

But you already know the answer to that.

Wendy knew her brother was a loose cannon when he arrived, she also knew what she and her family were involved in. If she really ever wanted to look out for him she would have told him to get the hell out of her life and forced him to leave or turned him into the police that were apparently looking for him. She didn't really care that much about him to begin with, maybe even resented him for things he had done in the past... He might have brought it on himself, but he probably didn't understand the full magnitude of who his sister was involved with. You have to give Wendy some of the blame for his getting terminated because she could have put him out of danger but didn't when she knew he was mental.

Is he really dead? We didn’t see him killed. The body was delivered and cremated in a body bag. Who was it? Did he talk his way out of it? Is he in Mexico?

Ben did at least 6 incredibly stupid things to place the Byrde family (and himself) in danger
(1) Storming the gate at Frank's place
(2) Tossing a hissy fit in public during the charity fundraiser where he yells about the Bryde's criminal activity
(3) Confronting Helen
(4) Calling Helen from his cell phone while on the run with Wendy (giving away their position)
(5) Telling the cops at that Walmart that he and his sister were running from the Cartel
(6) Buying another phone at the convenience store and trying to hide it from Wendy.

I'm surprised he survived after #1.

Ben’s mistake, his culpability in his demise (and well as the chaos and danger he caused for others) is flushing his meds. He made this choice while on his meds, so his condition was under control. He made this choice after a lifetime of struggling with this mental illness and knowing he needs his meds in order to function responsibly.
We are all empathetic or at least sympathetic to his reasons for ditching the meds, but he should never have done that.
Now, once off the meds, he is less to blame for his actions, as they are caused by his affliction. His mind doesn’t work normally. But his original choice - while still in a state of lucidity - to place himself back into an unstable state, is something for which he can be blamed.
And Ruth is to blame for letting him out of the hospital.
These two decisions were an unbelievably destructive combination of poor judgment.


[none]

Yes and no.

The stuff he did was dumb and had consequences. He was warned repeatedly by people he should have trusted and cared for, yet he did it anyway.

But...

1. Wendy turned him in. Maybe that was the shrewd move, but it still lays a chunk of culpability at her feet.
2. Ruth busted him out. Ruth shouldn't have done that. He was just a boy...
3. At a really "technically..." level, Helen and Nelson were the ones who hit him.

But the biggest reason it wasn't his fault? Dude wasn't of sound mind. Marty and Wendy were largely right: an institution was the right place for him. He clearly needed help. As awful as he found it to be there, an institution would have straightened him out, got him on meds, got him some therapy, and made him whole again.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but he was on meds at the start of season three, right? At least when he starts staying with Marty and Wendy? I'm pretty sure this is correct because of his impotence with Ruth. It's not like this gums up his personality. He's still "Ben" on drugs, he just doesn't have mood swings or (quite as) impaired judgement.

The scene where he's eating breakfast with Wyatt is, for me, tragic and so indicative of Ben's mental state. This kid (who doesn't make brilliant decisions himself) is telling him what to do and he's getting up and sitting down at the slightest suggestion from Wyatt. It's brutal.

So, ultimately, no one person is responsible. Ben is one of many people who set up the dominoes that get him to his final destination. But at the end of the day, his mental health had, I think, a plurality of percentage points.

I'd almost second Wendy because...turning in your own brother? Come on.

Did they seriously just kill Ben??? Sorry just finishing up season 3. I'm really starting to hate this Nelson character.