There is a whole family of spec scripts that is identified by these elements in the first ten pages.
- A male lead 20-29.
- Who is white.
- Who pines for a better class of girlfriend than his own materialistic and demanding one.
- Whose job is unrewarding.
- Who is put upon by people who have expectations of him.
- Whose inciting incident is an opportunity to rise in status.
The second act is characterized by:
- An oversexed female character who pursues him, to his dismay.
- A more powerful male character who blocks the attempt to rise in status out of spite or sadism.
- A girl-next-door who captures his heart but seems unattainable.
- Some situations of social awkwardness.
- A goofball friend.
- Waffling on the part of the protagonist as he reacts to obstacles placed in his path.
- Safety nets that prevent his flaws from causing painful consequences.
- The risk of the girl-next-door falling to the more powerful male antagonist.
The third act is characterized by:
- A showdown in which the more powerful male character is exposed as a shallow and selfish manipulator.
- The rejection of the antagonist by his superiors and the girl-next-door.
- The awarding of the girl-next-door to the protagonist.
M.E.Sses are low-stakes stories with protagonists whose challenge is to tweak their personalities enough to take the antagonist’s place in the hierarchy.
To turn your M.E.S. into something different, focus on the elements that make it low-stakes and swap out trope characters. Deconstruct it. Update it. Acknowledge that this story drips with archaic privilege. Use that to your advantage to make it fresh and unexpected.
And hurt the guy. Real change is a painful process that inspires admiration and sympathy. That’s what you want in your protag.