Ditto. I find the best onscreen couples tend to be the ones that challenge each other in various ways and make each other better. So far, while yes, Mon-El has brought out...drunk!Kara...he has also brought out this confident mentor side of her that's really nice to see. She seems generally more confident and comfortable in her own skin now more than ever, imo, which is due largely to her assuming that mentorship role with him, and she's also been forced to confront some of her own internalized bias and racism that she didn't even realize was there before. He's made her "check herself" basically, and she's a better hero now because of it. And obviously she's doing a hell of a job bringing out the best in him, too.
Also, Chris is actually the first male actor on the show I've felt like Melissa had any romantic chemistry with on screen (and yes, I'm including her real life husband in that, lol). But I do hope they don't rush the romance. Mon-El's got a looooong way to go in terms of character-building before I'd consider him an equal "worthy" of Kara. But he's on his way.
You know, while I agree with your point that people in a relationship (be it romantic or even friendship or others) should challenge each other to grow, I thoroughly dislike the way Monel storyline has started and is potentially going.
Why?
Because it suggests that Kara would be a good influence on him and he would change his ways, mature from an irresponsible fratboy to someone concerned about beings in the wider world; basically a hero (in Superhero terms). And I think that is a very problematic storyline. I would be okay if it was played just this once; if it was not ubiquitous. But, where I come from, it is... Ubiquitous.
That love changes, or worse, that if a woman is good enough, it'd change a man to be his best self is sort of how a lot of stories in my country goes; and the result is a societal viewpoint that a man's transgressions are somehow a woman's responsibility. I have seen this world view played out in the real world in my neck of the woods; and I know that this is how a lot of real people think of man-woman dynamic.
That leads to woman being blamed for her husband's bad relationship with his parents, his siblings, his friends and everyone else; basically, it's "that" woman that lead to him moving away from us. Oh, but if he is a decent son, that is owing to him being a good son (not owing to the wife/girl friend).
Monel could some day be equal to Kara in terms of moral goodness and maturity, but the way the story tellers are going about it, it seems their intention is to go for this arc, where he becomes better owing to Kara and then, becomes Kara's equal; and then, becomes a romantic partner. It's not the same as him being an equal and then getting into partnership with Kara, and them, while doing that, challenging each other.
After all, every relationship is challenging.
Also, the mentor-mentee relationship, by its very nature, would challenge Kara anyways. It's for the first time that she has been responsible for another being; it is going to be an enlightening experience; and so far, I didn't think Monel himself was the challenge. I thought Kara's prejudices and her subsequent growth would have happened no matter who the person being mentored was provided he was different from her, and came from a different culture. Even a teenager would have served that purpose.
If, I were to ship any man with Kara (which, I don't.
), I'd pick Winn. He is self-assured, he knows his place in the world, and he does challenge Kara. He is not a Kara-clone. And, as far as I can see, Jeremy Jordan does have chemistry with Melissa.
James... No way. With Episode 6, he has set his character as one with a major inferiority complex who doesn't know his place in the world. Worse, he is selfish and self-centred and without a spine (wishy-washy). And he has been so in his treatment of Lucy in Season 1 too. If he ends up being a romantic interest (I at first thought that there is a chance), that would be terrible in my opinion. (And I am really sad about this because I like Mehcad.)
And that is my (bound to be unpopular) two cents to the discussion.
Oh.. it's possible that the show runners will just dangle all of them in front of us and will not go anywhere concrete for any length of time.
