Ben Faulkner

"Life is brutally simple. Life is getting what you want and protecting who you love. And everything else is weakness."

Ben Faulkner is a mysterious new neighbor living on Wisteria Lane and Renee Perry's love interest in Season 8.

Early life
Ben was born in Australia. He was brought up in Sydney in a poor family. He didn't like it when people gave him things he didn't want just because he was poor. ("Making the Connection")

Season 8
"She's got nothing to do with this. You keep her out of it. You understand me?"

Ben moves to Wisteria Lane and attracts the attention of his new neighbors, particularly Renee Perry. As she's the only housewife that's available, she calls dibs on him once she knows he is single and rich. Renee later knocks on his door and hits on him, however, much to her surprise, he turns her offer down. ("Secrets That I Never Want to Know")

He is talking to Mike Delfino as the latter works on Faulkner's plumbing (for free) and Ben tells him that he could do with a plumber on his real-estae project. Renee pumps Mike for information about Ben and he reveals that he helps out old people. Renee and acts nice to Karen McCluskey in front of Ben in hopes he will ask her out, which he does. For there date he takes her to a homeless shelter and, once she figures out that he is mocking her, she is furious. But they bond over the fact that they were both poor as small children. Ben learns Mike went to prison for murder but he still hires him. ("Making the Connection")

Bree comes to volunteer at Ben's soup kitchen, he thinks that she must feel guilty about something but she insists that she is not. Bree refuses to cook the current cuisine and she begins to make fancy bisques attracting the attention of young, richer people with laptops, Bree later tells them all to go via a speech that Ben witnesses and is impressed by, he asks her to give a speech for him to the city council, giving him right to build his houses for the poor in the woods. Bree succeeds and Ben takes her to the site, she finds out that it is the same place that she and the girls buried Alejandro Perez and does not want Ben to find out and wants to stop the project. ("The Art of Making Art")

Renee is angry with him for cancelling so many of their dates but he promises to make it up to her and she relents. Bree throws eggs at his house to draw him out and tells him the hooligans responsible were saying bad things about his real-estate project and that if it upsets people, maybe he should shut it down. He insists that it is merely kids warming up for Halloween. Later, on his date with Renee, she starts to exhibit odd symptoms including a high temperature and hives. She eventually develops a bad facial swelling and he carries her to the hospital as she scares the children of Wisteria Lane. He later finds out she took a Chinese love fluid but the two grow closer for the experience. Alejandro's body is missing from Ben's land, as discovered by Bree, Gabrielle Solis and Lynette Scavo ("Witch's Lament")

Ben reveals to Bree that someone on his site found a body buried in the woods and he says he doesn't know what to do as if he calls the authorities they could shut down the project and he has already had so many stalls. When Bree runs to the empty grave, she admits she buried him. He says he might not be able to help her when she asks, When he sees Chuck Vance threatening Bree, he fends him off and tells her that he will help her. He asks Mike to bury the body under the concrete foundations at the site. ("Always in Control")

He sees Bree has fallen off the wagon and had a drink as she drunkenly came to his house the previous night, he acts as a shoulder to cry on and Renee sees him leaving her house and gets suspicious, when she confronts him, he assures her that nothing happened, she is skeptical. Renee forgives him and the two share a happy moment, one that is interrupted by Chuck who asks to ask Ben about his girlfriend: Bree, to which Renee storms off. Chuck wanted to get Ben alone. reveals he did it for fun. He says he wants to search Ben's property but Ben tells him he will need a search warrant. The two become very angry with each other and Ben storms off. Renee sees Bree drunkenly drive off to a motel and follows her thinking she is there with Ben but she (Renee) realizes that she got it wrong and that Ben and Bree are not having an affair. ("Putting It Together"/"What's to Discuss, Old Friend?")

Renee visits Ben at his home saying that she missed him, but he is busy on the phone and shushes her. She tells him that she never misses anyone but he continually ignores her and tells her he hasn't the time for her at the moment, causing her to go to a bar with Bree to get back at him. Mike knocks on Ben's door. He is unhappy as his paycheck bounced and he needs money, Ben assures him it was a mistake and pays him from his wallet, Mike suspects that he is having money troubles but Ben denies it. Mike walks into Ben's office as he is having a meeting with a loan shark who is handing him a suitcase of cash. Mike stops him and Ben tells him it is none of his business. Mike assures him it is and gets the loan shark leave. Mike reveals to Ben that Renee got twelve million dollars in her divorce from Doug. ("Who Can Say What's True?")

Hence, Ben starts to treat Renee nicer and says it is because he plans on spending more time with her. He later proposes to Renee and she says yes, but when she starts talking about how much she trusts him, he takes back the engagement and tells her that he wanted to marry her for her money. She storms out angrily. Later, Ben takes money from the loan shark and specifically tells him to stay away from Renee whom he mentions is "loaded". ("What's the Good of Being Good")

Ben has trouble paying back the loan shark and sets fire to his construction site in order to claim the insurance money. He is caught by Mike and is forced to tell him the truth before having a stress-related attack and being taken to hospital, Mike tells Renee about the situation. She visits him in the hospital and says she will take care of Donny (the loan shark) for him. He rejects her money and tells her that when he sorts the whole mess out and will propose to her again, and this time he'll mean it. Renee pays off Donny behind Ben's back. ("Get Out of My Life")

Renee visits Ben in the hospital and tells him that he no longer has to worry about the loan shark as she paid him off for him. He tells her that he'll repay him and that it might take a while. Renee tells him that she isn't going anywhere. Donny continues to cause problems, and later, when he breaks into Renee's house, Mike beats him up and he makes a threat. ("She Needs Me") Ben attends Mike's funeral (he was murdered by Donny) with Renee and is an usher. ("Women and Death")

Renee waits for another proposal from Ben but he continues to dissappoint, when he eventually pops the question, he gets arrested as the police found Alejandro's body in his construction site. Renee gets the ring on her finger before he was taken fro questioning. Ben is let go and he and Renee begin to tell people that they are engaged. Bree is more concerned with the body and later, when she is thanking Ben for covering up the murder for her, the cops are listening in on their phonecall. ("Any Moment")

Renee finds out that Ben is on the witness list for Bree’s trial. When Renee realizes Ben is keeping a secret about the dead body, she walks out on Ben. She refuses to be married to someone who keeps secrets from her. Later that evening, Ben tells Renee he can't tell her because he doesn’t want to put her at risk. She agrees to wait until after the wedding to find out what the secret is. ("Lost My Power")

Ben is at Bree's trial and refuses to answer any of the D.A's questions and, even when they show him the phone call they caught about Bree expressing remorse to him for putting a body in the ground, he remains silent. Ben is arrested and taken to jail where he is visited by Renee. Renee tells him that on the night of the dinner party she saw Bree late at night dirtied up and carrying a shovel. D.A. Stone hears this and tells Renee that if she doesn't admit it in court, then she will have Ben deported. Ben remains silent in court but Renee tells the jury the story. Ben is confused as to why she would do this but Bree is said to be innocent when Karen confesses to the crime. ("Give Me the Blame")

The wedding day has arrived and Renee is being Bridezilla towards everyone as she approaches the aisle. She is held up to her wedding due to Julie's water breaking in the limo and her having to buy a new dress and run there as Susan stole the limo to get Julie to the hospital, Renee tells him that she will be maddened to hear one word of grief but he tells her that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and they have the ceremony. Renee and Ben are officially married. ("Finishing the Hat")

Trivia

 * Ben is one of only six main characters (along with Ana, Angie, Chuck, Dave and Renee) who only appeared in the post-time jump era of the series.
 * Originally, Ben was meant to have a teenage daughter.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.