Mindy & Ben Made A Difficult Decision On 'The Mindy Project'

As soon as fans saw Mindy forlornly staring out of that subway car window in the Season 5 finale, right after getting married to Ben, they knew there was a chance this wouldn't have a fairytale happy ending. And thanks to the second episode of Season 6, titled "A Romantical Decouplement," we now know that to be true. So why did Mindy and Ben break up on The Mindy Project? They realized they both wanted two very different things out of their marriage.

Obviously, when you get married it's important to want to spend time together. (You know, enjoy the pleasure of each other's company.) So when Mindy took two days to figure out that what she thought was Ben was actually a pile of pillows, it wasn't exactly a good sign. Ben knew this, which is why Episode 2 found them in couple's counseling. And while the therapist clearly had a crush on Ben (which isn't very professional, IMO), she did make some valid points — one, in particular, being that their inability to handle small things like this made her worry they wouldn't be able to handle a really big problem when it came along. This comment really got Ben thinking about their marriage.

So he decided to present their marriage with a major obstacle. He faked having a job interview in Philadelphia to see how Mindy would react. She immediately told him that he should go for it and that they would make it work by commuting to see one another every week. But that wasn't what Ben wanted to hear. In Mindy's mind, she was being extremely supportive and understanding of his career — something that Danny ever gave to her. But to Ben, it proved the point that he had feared to be true: that she really was fine living her life without him. She didn't want to be married. Not really, anyway. She just liked the idea of marriage.

It's unfortunate that things couldn't work out for these two. Ben really is a great guy and seemed like he genuinely loved Mindy, but I'm glad neither of them tried to stick it out when they knew it wasn't what would make them happy down the line. Ben deserves to be with a woman who wants to be married to him, and Mindy deserves to be able to live her life however she chooses. She shouldn't have to feel tied down or stay in a marriage for the sake of staying in a marriage. So in that regard, I'm glad things played out as they did.

I'm also really pleased that the duo ended on such a civil note. There were no insults thrown around, no name-calling, no raised voices. They spoke to each other calmly and reasonably, which allowed them to come to a mutual conclusion. That certainly isn't always the way breakups play out in real life, but I'm glad the show didn't feel the need to tarnish the image of either character like they've done with some people (*cough, Danny, cough*) just to bring this separation about.

So it came as no surprise to see Mindy stroll into her ex-boyfriend Cliff's office, proclaiming that she needs a divorce attorney. So fans will get to see these two bicker (and probably flirt) a little this season, which is nice. But suffice to say, it looks like Mindy's marriage is officially over. Sorry, Ben — better luck next time!

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