Did The Family‘s Willa just want Ben for political reasons?

The depth of Willa’s lie was revealed tonight on The Family, and it’s the kind of lie you don’t just recover from.

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Though tonight’s episode really focused on how much Ben needs to get some professional help, I actually think it’s Willa who needs a doctor the most, out of all the Warrens — and the pretend Warrens, as is the case with Ben/Adam.

Willa found Ben after he had escaped from Doug, and rather than getting him help and going to the police, she concocted this wild story that he’s actually Adam. And then, when she changed her mind about the morality of that situation, she made an even worse decision morally by paying the kid off and leaving him. Uh, we’re talking about a child who was held by a psycho. The same psycho who killed her brother. If Willa’s first instinct was to go for the politics of the situation rather than catch the guy who killed the real Adam, she’s got some serious, irreparable issues.

Now, as bad as all of these facts make Willa look, I honestly don’t think she had bad intentions. I still have that vivid image of her hiding under her desk for hours and can’t help but feel bad for the girl. Troubled is a good word for her. But morally, she isn’t evil.

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She really thought she was doing the right thing and figured everyone would win. Ben would get a happy (though not so healthy) home, her mother would look good in the spotlight, their family could repair from the loss, and with Ben/Adam’s help, they might be able to catch the real bad guy (aka Doug). Unfortunately, these happy ideas weren’t reality.

Especially because poor Hank was wasting away in a jail cell while Willa contemplated the best course of action. And yes, Hank definitely has his own set of problems that he was so desperate to fix he was willing to become impotent, but I still feel for the guy for some reason.

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It will be interesting to see if and how Willa will redeem herself from this point on the show. Especially because if Claire is getting wasted, things aren’t looking so hot for the family or her campaign.

Do you think Willa’s actions with Ben were understandable? Or does the girl need to be in a mental institution?