When The Game first premiered in 2005, I was intrigued by the relationship of the two main characters, Melanie and Derwin. She was an intelligent young woman who tweaked her dreams to help her man realize his. She was supportive and kind and helped keep him grounded.
But it couldn’t last, could it? Derwin cheats. They break up. His ex-girlfriend gets pregnant. Melanie tests his son for paternity and pisses Derwin off. It seems like as more times goes on, the more miserable they are together.
And I understand that drama sells. I really do. Seeing a happily married couple dance around screen with no problems whatsoever might not be so entertaining (are you listening, Reed Between The Lines writers?). But in a show with multiple relationships, it would be nice if at least one of the couples were stable and happy in love. Derwin and Melanie are the ones who come closest, but I didn’t have high hopes for them prior to Tuesday’s premiere.
Turns out I was right. The episode opened with Melanie and Derwin arguing about her keeping her abortion (Derwin’s?) a secret from him. Of course viewers who caught the season four finale weren’t surprised as Melanie made the admission in the final minutes of that episode.
But I find myself wondering what the writers are thinking. Are Derwin and Melanie headed for an eventual happily-ever-after even though they had to crawl through broken glass to get there? Or are they just one of those dysfunctional couples who think they’re better together when in reality they need to be far, far away from each other?
Derwin even said it himself in the premiere: “People ask me all the time, why are you with that girl? She’s nothing but drama.”
They’re always in a fight about something, Derwin stays stomping off, and nothing ever really feels like it gets resolved for these two. How refreshing would it have been to see Derwin and Melanie renew their vows in the premiere, rededicating themselves to each other and their marriage? How awesome would it have been to have them move past the BS that has crippled their relationship and have the show go back to what it used to be about – being in a relationship with a professional athlete.
Here’s some storylines that could make sense for the pair:
- Couples counseling. I know secrets and lies make for juicy TV but getting them out in the open could be entertaining as well. And it would be good to see them go through alllll their issues and work things out.
- Derwin gets traded. Twice. Part of being in “the game” is the fact that your life can be uprooted at any time. Let’s say Derwin gets traded to a different team. How do they cope? What if he got traded again?
- Janay moves for a big gig, leaves DJ with Derwin. How will Melanie do if Janay isn’t in the picture as much? Will they be able to pretend to be a nice happy family if they don’t have to worry about the baby mama (boy, I hate that term)?