GAME, THE: THE RULES OF THE GAME {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this comedy series about a med school student and her boyfriend, a professional football player, both dealing with the complexities of their social circles.
Melanie Barnett attends a meeting of the “Sabre Sunbeams,” a club made up of wives of the San Diego Sabres football team; her boyfriend Derwin Davis is a new rookie wide receiver for the Sabres and they hope that Melanie can help him adjust to their new life via interactions with the club. Melanie finds the proceedings quite tedious but befriends Tasha, one of the more sardonic wives. Meanwhile, team captain Jason Pitts educates incoming rookies, including Derwin, about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases and the importance of practicing safe sex. They warn them about the dangers posed by their girlfriends as well, as some may only be interested in them to get closer to their more experienced and higher-paid teammates. Melanie is upset that the girlfriends in the club are treated with more disdain than members who are wives, and that they are seemingly ranked in accordance with the positions of their husbands or boyfriends on the team. Tasha speaks up to outline the “hierarchy;” she is the mother of the team’s star quarterback and thus believes she occupies the top of this hierarchy. Melanie decides to leave, tired of being insulted and talked down to.
Derwin is treated with disdain by the members of his team, forced to essentially be a servant to first-string team members. One team member, Malik, argues with his advertising representative about how Jason has been given a more lucrative advertisement deal than him. Malik mockingly suggests that Derwin be afforded a “cupholder deal” and that he attend an automobile reveal party in his place. He returns home later and encounters an upset Melanie; she tells him about her experiences with the Sunbeams and laments that she gave up a promising medical school to move out with him and support him. He expresses understanding for her plight and invites her to attend the party with him. However, she does not wish to attend, hoping to avoid the Sunbeams; she changes her mind when he claims that he has a good chance of landing an endorsement deal. They attend the party and Tasha and Sunbeam leader Kelly Pitts observe Melanie engaging in behavior they view as unbecoming towards their organization. They reluctantly help her, believing that she deserves it despite her walking out on them. However, Melanie refuses their help, believing they are being condescending towards her.
Derwin finds no success in attaining an endorsement deal. Melanie lands in trouble when she runs afoul of one of the Sunbeams; Melanie was speaking to her husband and she is jealous enough to inflict harm on Melanie. Melanie begs Tasha and Kelly for help, but they ignore her. Melanie is forced to admit that she needs their help and apologizes for insulting them. They are eventually persuaded to lend their assistance and they prevent the other woman from perpetrating violence and from affecting the performance of the players on the field, a direct violation of the “Sunbeam code.” Melanie is put off by all this and intends to call the police, but Kelly and Tasha prevent her from doing so, warning that Derwin could be adversely affected if she is not careful and that their various internal politics, while “ridiculous,” are necessary to utilize the Sunbeams as a “support group.” Jason and Malik ridicule Derwin for his gullibility and advise him to accrue some field experience first, and to enjoy himself in the moment. He and Melanie meet back up with each other, each of them realizing that there is much they have to learn about their new lives. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CW, The
- DATE: 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:20:49
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122343
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: The CW - TV series, 2006-2009; BET, 2011-2015
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Mara Brock Akil … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Steve Stark … Executive Producer
- Kelsey Grammer … Executive Producer
- Chuck Ranberg … Co-Executive Producer
- Anne Flett-Giordano … Co-Executive Producer
- Kenny Smith … Co-Executive Producer
- Tim Edwards … Co-Executive Producer
- Dan Dugan … Producer
- Mary Kay Kelly … Associate Producer
- Kenya Barris … Consulting Producer
- Erica D. Montolfo … Consulting Producer
- Ted Wass … Director
- Kurt Farquar … Theme Music by
- Def Jef … Theme Music by
- James D. Joiner III … Theme Music by
- Tia Mowry … Cast, Melanie Barnett
- Brittany Daniel … Cast, Kelly Pitts
- Hosea Chanchez … Cast, Malik Wright
- Coby Bell … Cast, Jason Pitts
- Pooch Hall … Cast, Derwin Davis
- Wendy Raquel Robinson … Cast, Tasha Mack
- Todd Grinnell … Cast, Kyle
- Troy Evans … Cast, Coach Phillips
- Joy Bisco … Cast, Corazon
- Tae Heckard … Cast, Sheila
- Mieko Hillman … Cast, Belinda
- Christine Woods … Cast, Sunbeam Girlfriend
- Sybil Azur … Cast, Sunbeam Wife