Benjamin "Benji" Margolis
| Benjamin "Benji" Margolis | |
"We're living in a monster movie, and I have the Blu-rays to prove it."
|
|
| Biographical Information | |
| Full Name | Benjamin David Margolis |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Benji |
| Age | Late 20s |
| Birth Place | Nowhere, WV |
| Occupation | Video Store Owner/Operator Paranormal Investigator (unofficial) |
| Relationships | |
| Father | David Margolis (missing) |
| Love Interest | Abigail Fleming (implied) |
| Series Information | |
| First Appearance | "Welcome to Nowhere" |
| Episodes | 10 (all Season 1) |
| Status | Alive |
| Fan Cast | Charlie Plummer Justice Smith Dylan O'Brien |
Benjamin "Benji" Margolis is a main character in Tales from Nowhere. A lifelong resident of Nowhere who inherited his father's video rental store, Benji serves as Abigail's primary ally and guide to the town's mysteries. His ADHD-driven pattern recognition and encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture make him invaluable to investigations, while his personal quest to find his missing father drives much of the series' mythology.
Background
Benji was raised in Nowhere by his father, David Margolis, who ran the town's only video rental store. Despite the town's technology restrictions, the store was grandfathered in due to its vintage status and the fact that VHS tapes and DVDs operate on approved frequencies.
Growing up surrounded by movies and TV shows gave Benji an extensive knowledge of pop culture, particularly science fiction and horror. His father shared his fascination with the paranormal and kept detailed records of Nowhere's strange occurrences.
David Margolis disappeared under mysterious circumstances years before the series begins. Benji inherited the store and his father's obsession with the town's secrets. In the basement, he discovered his father's pirate radio equipment and old broadcast recordings containing what Benji believes are coded messages from other dimensions.
"My dad spent his whole life trying to prove Nowhere was special. Then he vanished into it. I'm going to find out what happened to him, even if it takes me to another universe." Benji, Episode 3
Personality
Benji is described as spirited, curious, and haunted. His ADHD manifests as impulsive behavior and an inability to let mysteries go unsolved, but also as a unique ability to spot patterns and connections that others miss.
He's outgoing and confident in his knowledge areas but can be reckless when excited about a discovery. Multiple times throughout Season 1, he charges into dangerous situations without considering consequences, requiring Abigail to rescue him.
Despite his enthusiasm, Benji carries deep grief over his father's disappearance. His cheerful demeanor masks fear that uncovering the truth might be worse than not knowing.
Core Fear: Abandonment
"The thing about fear is, it knows you better than you know yourself. It doesn't have to lie. It just has to remind you of everything you try to forget."
Benji, Episode 2
According to the show bible, Benji's deepest fear is being abandoned, like his father abandoned him. His father's disappearance left a wound that never healed, and beneath Benji's cheerful, pop-culture-quoting exterior is a terror that everyone he cares about will eventually leave.
The Wendigo exploits this in Episode 2, telling Benji that his father left voluntarily that he simply didn't want to stay. This fear shapes his relationship with Abigail; he's drawn to her but terrified of becoming too attached. In planned future seasons, his romance with Abigail would be complicated by this core wound.
Skills and Abilities
Unlike other main characters, Benji has no supernatural abilities (in Season 1). His value comes from:
- Local Knowledge - Born and raised in Nowhere, he knows every location, resident, and historical oddity
- Pattern Recognition - His neurodiverse mind excels at connecting seemingly unrelated events
- Pop Culture Expertise - His extensive movie knowledge provides unexpected insights and analogies
- Technical Skills - Maintains his father's pirate radio equipment and understands vintage electronics
- Research Abilities - Has access to his father's decades of paranormal documentation
Season 1 Arc
Benji meets Abigail at the Nakamura Restaurant shortly after her arrival and immediately recognizes her as someone who belongs in Nowhere. He becomes her unofficial partner in investigation, providing context and local knowledge.
Throughout the season, Benji's quest to understand his father's disappearance interweaves with Abigail's discoveries. Key revelations include:
- Episode 1: Shows Abigail his father's basement research hub
- Episode 3: Provides crucial historical knowledge about the Hidebehind
- Episode 7: His father's recordings reveal connections between the Big Ear telescope and interdimensional phenomena
- Episode 8: Glimpses his father in visions within Thaddeus's chamber
- Episode 10: Supports Abigail in the final battle, though his father's fate remains unresolved
Relationships
Pop Culture References
One of Benji's defining characteristics is his constant pop culture references, particularly to 80s and 90s media. Fan-compiled list of confirmed references:
| Episode | Reference | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | Ghostbusters | "We're gonna need bigger proton packs" |
| 1x01 | The X-Files | "Trust no one. Except maybe me." |
| 1x02 | Poltergeist | "They're heeeere. And they're hungry." |
| 1x03 | Evil Dead | "The woods are alive and they're definitely not friendly" |
| 1x04 | Back to the Future | "Great Scott!" (when seeing temporal echoes) |
| 1x05 | Gremlins | Compares the technology malfunction to Gremlins rules |
| 1x07 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | "I'm sorry, Argus. I'm afraid I can't let you do that." |
| 1x08 | The Shining | "All work and no paranormal research makes Benji a dull boy" |
| 1x10 | Alien | "In Nowhere, no one can hear you scream. Except everyone, because it's a small town." |
Trivia
- The name "Margolis" may be a reference to Mark Margolis, known for playing Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad. Creator Jesse Alexander worked with Vince Gilligan early in his career.
- Benji's video store is called "Margolis Video" and features VHS covers visible in several scenes that include deliberate Easter eggs and fake movies with paranormal themes.
- His ADHD representation was praised by neurodivergent viewers for showing it as both a challenge and a genuine superpower in the right context.
- The fan casting of Dylan O'Brien led to extensive fan art depicting Benji in Teen Wolf crossover scenarios.
- According to the show bible, Benji's mother left when he was young, but this is never addressed in Season 1.
- His basement research hub set was reportedly the most detailed in the production, with thousands of props including newspaper clippings, photos, and maps.
Fan Theories
Creator Jesse Alexander confirmed in a post-cancellation interview that David was indeed alive in an alternate dimension, pulled there during one of Asher Drake's early experiments. This was meant to be revealed in Season 3.
Some fans theorize that Benji's pattern recognition is actually a latent psychic ability that would manifest more overtly in later seasons. The show bible doesn't mention this, but it's a popular fan speculation.
Fans believe the "coded messages" Benji hears in his father's broadcasts are actual instructions left by David for how to rescue him, and that Benji would have decoded them in a later season.