So, Did "The Game" Score Last Night? #BET

So, "The Game" FINALLY premiered their 4th season opener, "Parachutes...Beach Chairs", on BET last night and it was... wow. Where do we begin? We'll start with the fact that the new season premiere on BET had 7.7 million viewers! Take THAT CW Network! Anyhoo-- The characters have obviously evolved in status, but not so much in substance (which may be their charm). We'll start with our main character, Melanie. Two years later, she has graduated from medical school but has put her career on hold to "be a superstar's wife". Mel's dedication to her studies was the biggest conflict of their relationship, besides his son, D.J.. The passion wasn't just about being a med student, it was a necessary step in her plan to become a doctor. But now, because her husband Derwin is NOW a rich and famous football player, she's satisfied with being on her husband's arm? Even after all it took for them to finally get married, becoming Derwin's wife was just part of Melanie, not all of her. Where did all of that passion and drive for her goals to become a doctor go? That's not the kind of light that can blown out so easily. Melanie has proven to still be impulsive and goofy but without her career obsession, she kind of falls flat. At least, so far.

And, Derwin. Well, he's a star player now but he's still not the brightest bulb in the socket. Would he not have gotten a legit paternity test from an outside source to be sure about whether or not he was D.J.'s father? Yeah, the Melanie, Derwin, baby momma drama is a bit unnerving. The end of the episode put a pit in our stomachs.

Malik. We can say that he hasn't changed but he was the one who need changing the most. Maybe it's coming. We'll give him a chance. Cousin Tee-Tee is the only sane one in the group. Though we were shocked that his seemingly devoted girlfriend did him dirty. He changed but Malik didn't? Hmmm. Do we need to bring up Megan Good? We'll just ask, "why?" We like the idea of her being on the show, but that hooker she's playing does her no justice. Or, maybe that's the other way around. And, Malik is still going without his mom Tasha's representation? She was bragging that she kept Derwin from signing the "cursed" deal for the cover of a new video game, which left Malik steaming after hearing he was the last to know about said curse. She said it at Malik's video game release party. Womp.

Tasha is freakin' weird now, man. She seems very isolated from society, doesn't she? Especially since the girls aren't "the girls" anymore. Where are her friends? There's not that much work in the world. Well, yeah, there is. But, her personality seems off so it looks like she doesn't get out much. Didn't like the scene where she scolded Melanie about the paternity test. She was just telling her how the boy didn't look like Derwin. Why the sudden flip? Weird. Her only outlet seems to be her boytoy, "106 and Park's" Terrence J. He was good in his role, but we're not buyin' it. Her cougar act. Ugh. Where's Rick Fox, anyway? Not even a mention. Hmpf! Oh00 and Tasha's still bold...but scared of Kelly? Nah.

Kelly Pitts is crazy. She's angry and bitter to the core. The haircut and the make-up were both brutally abrasive. The beef between she and Tasha Mack seemed out of place, too. Again-- since when is Tasha scared of Kelly? We didn't like it at all. Jason vs. Kelly Pitts seems silly. Jason is still beefin' with team executives after two years? And, jealous of Derwin? Okay. That's plausible, actually. Clearly their "daughter" is a whole new actress. She looked old, didn't she?

The cast is the same but something's missing. We think it's in the writing. It's no secret that the original idea was stolen from Stacy Robinson, author of the book, Interceptions. Interceptions is the story of a devoted football rookie's girlfriend who struggles to balance her new life with him and her law school studies. Word is, some of the scenes were lifted straight from the book. Remember the turkey baster? Turn to page 131 of Interceptions. Reportedly, Ms. Robinson, applied for a job as a Writer's Assistant for Kelsey Grammer's Gamnet Prods. where she met with Mara Brock Akil, who is "The Game's" executive producer. When Akil asked Robinson for a writing sample, she proudly gave Akil her manuscript for Interceptions. Hence, the birth of "The Game". Robinson claimed they: Akil, CW, Gamnet Prods., stole her manuscript and sued for $40 million. Word is, they settled for an undisclosed amount, and a gag on Robinson to keep her from discussing the case.

If you're a fan of "The Game" you may want to read Staci Robinson's Interceptions for the real story. Maybe Akil should hire Robinson this go around to help with the writing. In any case, let's hope these characters find themselves and get back into it.