#cheatamel

CW Writer’s room, summer 2017, preparing for Season 3 of Mon-el and Friends Supergirl....

CW Head Writer: it’s going to be great, it’s going to be all angst-y and drawn out, just like real star crossed lovers!  He’ll come back just like everyone has been hoping for but be married and we’ll tease for the rest of the season whether or not he will get back with Kara...

New Writer: that would be adultery

Head: ??? no it’s not

New: um, yeah if one is married then it is considered “cheating”. you know, infidelity. Adultery.

Head: but it will be romantic

New: um, not so much.

Head: I know a lot of people who would disagree with you on that! I mean, it’s the right way to tell a story!  you should see all the unopened fan mail we get about it and there is a whole twitter trend about it and everything!!

New: um, you should maybe have a look at that sometime...

next meeting early winter 2018 after Mon-el makes his reappearance from the not-dead-just-moved-on

Head; So it turns out you were right, that trend was in fact largely negative. We thought delaying his return would build up the suspense but apparently he was a missing person that nobody missed.

Not So New Writer: I’m glad you realise that, so now we should maybe try to refocus on..

Head: okay, okay, so we’ll just tease it out longer this season but then at the last minute we’ll have him leave his wife to be with Kara.  So it won’t be cheating.

New: that makes her a homewrecker.

Head; no she’s not, he’d be free and single.

New: still not a good look for her.

Head: it’ll be a great cliffhanger for next season!

New: thought he wasn’t back next season?

Head: (laughs until they cry) “Sure, Jan!”

next meeting early spring during unplanned hiatus after the Mon-el architect was fired for misogyny

Head: okay, so we are still losing viewers and this thing just keeps trending negatively.  I don’t understand though, he’s reformed now and has a beard? and a tight fitting suit?

New: well, not respecting marriage vows and pursuing someone who is already spoken for is not really something she would do, it goes against her integrity and natural instincts

Head: (laughs enthusiastically) or wait , you mean “Kara”? okay, I see where you are coming from.  So we’ll have them not do anything physical. She’ll set healthy boundaries. He’ll stay loyal to his marriage, and then BAM right at the end we’ll fix everything...oh look ratings are going up. People liked that episode where she stood up for herself, and shot him down, and why are people responding so positively to that Imra, she is playing ‘the other woman’? Oh, she posted that the she is more than just the other woman? well that’s just great....how can we make her unlikable? And why did people like that comedy episode where Kara calls him out for being a bad boyfriend? They congratulated us? maybe Imra can cheat on Mon-el and then he will be seen as the true victim who deserves to be comforted by Kara and where are you going?

Believe it or not there are still writers working on the show....let’s check in!

Head Writer: okay, so Jessica Queller gave us some pretty extensive notes about how she expects to Make Supergirl Great Again!

Writer 1: um, how about we never say that again..

Writer 2: agreed, so she really expects us to dial up the romantic drama by having him come back extra buff and married at the same time! 

Writer 3: yikes!  Poor Kara...

Writer 2: Poor KARA!?!  Poor US! Okay how do we fix this but still hold on to our jobs?

Writer 4: (leaves quietly)

Head Writer: okay, we get the new wife to end things amicably, then they won’t be seen as cheaters...

Writer 1: (scrolling through phone) Oh, it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late....

Writer 3: (looks over at screen) Yikes! I don’t think that will go over so well, in light of, you know....plus aren’t we supposed to be working on redeeming him or something? 

Head Writer: okay, we can still pull this out of the fire by showing them all longing and whatnot but NOTHING PHYSICAL! 

Writer 2: good! Good! Like he can just move in with her until he finds his own place. You know, like old friends and close coworkers sometimes do after a breakup...

(minute of awkward silence ensues.....)

Head Writer: OR...we could show them slowly getting closer by having them work as a team.

Writer 1: but it will be obvious what he is up to if he just keeps hanging around her....

Writer 2: we can make it easier by showing her as being vulnerable, isolated and needing someone to talk to ....

Writer 3: NO! No, let’s not do that. Let’s have him tag along on missions for awhile.

Head Writer: Good. Good that should work. But Kara has to invite him, otherwise, you know...Writer 1: “creepy” Writer 2: “needy” Writer 3: “sociopath who takes advantage of other people’s vulnerability without genuinely caring about the other person’s well being...” 

Head Writer: OKAY OKAY! So it’s agreed they spend time together, but do not touch, but look like they are going to, until they are repeatedly interrupted..

Writer 1: you mean “baiting”? 

Head Writer: No, we only do that with the other thing going on.  This is the “right way to tell a story”.  Kara gets a new and improved boyfriend like she always wanted.

Writer 2: Yeah! and he has to be more useful this year or it won’t be plausible, I mean he has to serve some purpose to the show’s overall narrative, he can’t just be there all the time because people think it will keep Kara happy.

(more awkward silence...)

Head Writer: okay, so more useful.  Writer 1: Stronger. Writer 2: Smarter. Writer 3: Bearded.

Head Writer: ergh.  He will have to bring something the table that doesn’t undermine the other characters. Like he can teach her to fight but only a little bit, and give meaningful advice when J’onn is too busy, and teach everyone sciency things...

Writer 1: sounds hard. 

Head Writer: yep. would be easier to just leave him in the future, to be honest.  But Ms Queller wants her “endgame” just like in “Romeo and Juliet”.

for the back half of S3

Anon: is the rumour true that Karamel gets married in the Season Finale?