[Official] SPARTACE COUPLE KimJongkook-SongJiHyo

[MaK08]

@linzer03 My reasons for thinking they are not dating is Mostly based on KJK. I have said a long time ago and most others have as well that JH has a huge crush on KJK as a fan girl and a woman. However, i sometimes believe that we get to see these things because of manners JK. he doesnt like turning people down (not saying he is turning JH down) so i dont think he minds the closeness of JH. Plus they have known each other for a while now so alot of things seem very naturel and i think we take it as love (even I have) but it could just be naturel interactions that are just human nature. For example, JH always holding JKs arm when walking. its natural that JH would probably do this with LKS or JK considering how close they all are vs her with other members but i dont think this means she does it out of attraction. I have friends who do this with me and they tell me because im more of a gentleman and they feel comfortable doing it. i just sometimes equate my situations i have had with how SA interact. Like i said i think they like each other. but as far as thinking they are together, That depends on the day and how they interact with each other lol. BTW I havnt watched much of WAIL but i love JHs cute side that she doesnt show in RM. i think they have missed alot of opportunities to see JH act cute on RM and she is clearly a cutey and lovable person. 

 

[mary-ann]

1 hour ago, MaK08 said:

@linzer03 My reasons for thinking they are not dating is Mostly based on KJK. I have said a long time ago and most others have as well that JH has a huge crush on KJK as a fan girl and a woman. However, i sometimes believe that we get to see these things because of manners JK. he doesnt like turning people down (not saying he is turning JH down) so i dont think he minds the closeness of JH. Plus they have known each other for a while now so alot of things seem very naturel and i think we take it as love (even I have) but it could just be naturel interactions that are just human nature. For example, JH always holding JKs arm when walking. its natural that JH would probably do this with LKS or JK considering how close they all are vs her with other members but i dont think this means she does it out of attraction. I have friends who do this with me and they tell me because im more of a gentleman and they feel comfortable doing it. i just sometimes equate my situations i have had with how SA interact. Like i said i think they like each other. but as far as thinking they are together, That depends on the day and how they interact with each other lol. BTW I havnt watched much of WAIL but i love JHs cute side that she doesnt show in RM. i think they have missed alot of opportunities to see JH act cute on RM and she is clearly a cutey and lovable person. 

 

¨For me what made me notice them is the other way around, I think JK has a huge crush on JH since long ago, the way he treats her, holds and even talk to her is different compared to other woman, I also think part of the reason JH holds both KS and JK arms, is because they are the closest and real good friends in real life as well as both are single men so it feels more right with them, then to hold a married man! I am currently watching WAIL it's really fun and i get to see a new side of song ji hyo, and her new modeling project (fashion show model) made me see another new side of her!

[Chii Le]

43 minutes ago, MaK08 said:

@linzer03 My reasons for thinking they are not dating is Mostly based on KJK. I have said a long time ago and most others have as well that JH has a huge crush on KJK as a fan girl and a woman. However, i sometimes believe that we get to see these things because of manners JK. he doesnt like turning people down (not saying he is turning JH down) so i dont think he minds the clolus they have known each other for a while now so alot of things seem very naturel and i think we take it as love (even I have) but it could just be naturel interactions that are just human nature.

 

 

 

This has been my observation as well. Apart from the early days in Family Outing and RM where romantic music and blushing CG effects were inserted for JK and JH, in the first two years, I mostly saw JH being a fangirl with hearts in her eyes and JK smiling shyly next to her, neither objecting or nurturing the closeness. That was also mirrored by the early fanmeeting trips where JH almost always held on to JK's backpack and walked behind him when moving in airports and followed him around on stage. But then after MC ended the first time, JH did not get a lot of screentime, and JK actively helped her become the strongest force in the game and even gave her the final victory after their partnership, making JH one of the most popular cast members for her competence as a player outside of her Monday girlfriend role. From there until MC started again, JK showed his initiatives in approaching JH and was very comfortable with Jihyo's presence. Her whispering at fanmeeting was reciprocated, JK paid extra attention to JH in concerts not just because she's the greenest in music, and the interactions off-camera shows that he's almost always physically closest to her on set. I think his affection grew from there, especially after JH was secretly single again.

That said, I have no idea if JK initially had a crush on JH. It seems like everyone had a crush on her at first (I really believe that Song Joongki was crushing on JH noona - lol), so it's difficult to object this.

[linzer03]

@MaK08 @mary-ann A lot of fans say that KJK had a crush on SJH for a long time and others say SJH had a crush on KJK for a long time. Part of it might be how you interpret romance and who you're a bigger fan of. For example, a SJH fan might think that all the guys are in love with her and therefore would be more likely to think that KJK likes SJH but she doesn't return his feelings, whereas a KJK fan might still think his ideal type is YEH therefore while SJH has feelings for him KJK still isn;t over YEH. Or if you're someone who places a lot of value on words rather than actions, you're more likely to believe KJK when he says SJH is the member he's least close to compared to someone who places values on actions. (These are just example as to why different people read the spartace dynamic in different ways.)

For me, I think they express themselves in different ways. SJH is much more open with her feelings, therefore she's morel likely to say things in an interview or show her preference to being on same team than KJK. KJK, I think, is able to separate work from his personal life much better; therefore he'll put on the act of having love lines and he'll pretend not to want to be on SJH's team. If you want to see KJK's crush on SJH, you have to watch his actions more than his words and separate when he's acting for variety and when he's being genuine. You also have to remember that KJK is not very comfortable around women. Not to say that he can't flirt with a girl, but the comfort level he has with SJH can't be comparable to any other woman he's not related to.

SJH seems to be pretty consistent in her feelings from the early episodes until now (as in, she always went to KJK during games and she held his hand in the Sherlock episode and she always chooses to be on his team). Even when we know she had a boyfriend, she was still comfortable with KJK, holding his hand and asking him to walk around the aquarium with her in ep 105 and she seemed pretty jealous in ep 108 when KJK carried the actress to raise her heartbeat. KJK on the other hand didn't really start to show an interest in her until around ep 82-95 (which is where he gave her the win and YJS speculated about the liger couple). Before that, he'd team up with her especially for nametag ripping, but I always took that as him helping out the female member and avoiding having to rip off her nametag as well as them being friends. That being said, even after ep 95, he'd go along with love lines that cast members set up for him, MYG most notably. Because KJK will go along with these love lines even if he's in a relationship, I think it can be harder to tell that he's interested in SJH, whereas because SJH acted towards him similarly when she was openly in an relationship, it seems like she doesn't have an interest in him now.

[pink007]

2 hours ago, linzer03 said:

For the abs and eyes answer, the situation was a fanmeet where two girls had to guess which SJH would prefer - eyes or abs. The person. I forget who, thought that SJH said both so that no matter what, the girls would be correct. Which I believe is a very possible explanation since SJH is a nice person and cares about her fans.

However, all the other descriptions fit KJK very well. Especially describing the guy as a lion since KJK is associated with predatory cats. Mainly a tiger, but in the Wizard of OZ episode, SJH and KJK are both lions and in ep 200, KJK is paired with the lion, and I think there have been a few more episodes where he's associated with a lion.

I actually hadn't considered that scenario about the eyes/abs card, so that's a new explanation for me. It could be true as the scores between the girls were tied, but then if JH truly wanted to keep the scores tied, she could have ignored the MC's second reminder (during the eyes/abs question) to hold up only one card and held up both during the next/final round (fortunately, the scores remained tied, but both choices had a fairly equal chance of being chosen by the girls). 

However, I'm still uncertain about the likelihood of it because of several reasons, one being how JH had the opportunity to hold both cards up for two previous questions (not three as the first required a more unequivocal answer) as it was possible for either choice to be picked by the girls, but she only did so for that question.

Plus, personally, eyes seem more like an age appropriate answer for those girls than abs do, especially since it's slightly unusual to see a preteen with defined abs. Even as an adult, eyes seem like the more likely chosen answer as abs can always go away, and the presence of them is more like a plus than a requirement; while eyes are a more permanent feature, and theoretically, eyes would be more of an attribute associated with "love" while abs would be considered as "lust." Abs may interest JH more of her athletic lifestyle, or for whatever reason since she in the past apparently preferred a bit of belly on a guy, but I was still surprised she didn't hold up the "eyes" card by itself considering the reasons behind its higher probability of being the selected choice. (Granted there's always the high chance her decision to do so still has nothing to do with KJK/SA.)

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

JH's and JK's greetings at Haha's Caliphash launch. (JH's is around 4.14 n JK's right after that)

 

Though all the cast members of RM except KS attended this event, in this video, there's only JH and JK. Is it JK's voice when Jessie is giving her greeting? Wonder whether it is coz of the editing that JH's and JK's segments came after one another (may be coz they are from RM) or if they arrived around the same time (JK is interviewed right after he starts moving from the red carpet). I wonder if this reporter left after some time coz there is no way someone like YJS or the other RM cast would not be featured in the video if she was there when they were around. Or there is a part 2 to this video which they haven't released yet. JH was photographed with SJ though don't recollect seeing JK with SJ.

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

Ever seen Kookie giving it a shot to be JH's partner? He has always tried to stay away from the race. Was it coz it was his birthday? Too bad the guest moved!

The cutie couple pic was taken from a shot where JK and JH were both doing cute poses to get the chance to answer the q&a. JSJ joined them soon after and he was also on the right of JH. Well, in the SBS pic they posted, they focused only on spartace! Hmm..

Towards the end of this episode, when they all go to the amusement park, I could see most of the cast except spartace (have to take a re-look).

[eightsixfour]

Idk if it was just me.. Need to rewatch and listen carefully. I think it was the moment jk started to move. Sj called out "kim jong kook", and then few secs later i heard "gwenchana." I think sj was trying to stop Jk from continuing, since everyone else kinda stopped and gave way to the guest. Lol if you guys dont hear anything, take it i was hallucinating lol. Plus JK was super smiley when it was Jh's turn huhu. 

[linzer03]

I'm just happy that he wanted to be partnered with her. I'm pretty sure there was a time period where they didn't want to be on a team together. In ep 208 with Suzy as a guest, the RM members have to decide between "Rabbit" and "Giraffe". KJK assumes "Rabbit" is SJH and starts heading to "Giraffe". It's only when SJH calls and he realizes that she's not the "Rabbit" that he goes there. Even though he doesn't want to be teamed up with her in the beginning, they stand next to each other throughout the episode and they run together. Again,in ep 228 with the infamous spartace ice pepero game, they don't want to be on the same team in the beginning. It's emphasized that KJK wants to be on the guests team and the cast makes jokes about him being unable to marry, but then YJS says, "They don't like being on the same team" (at least he says that according to my subtitles). He could be talking about KJK-JSJ, but considering all the dialogue beforehand, I think it's KJK-SJH. In which case, it's not just KJK (whose more vocal about his opinions) but also SJH who doesn't want to team up.

It makes sense if they're dating at that time though. I mean, it'd be awkward to be with your gf/bf all day, but have to pretend that you're not dating. There are certain behaviors and actions you start doing automatically with your significant other and probably when they're teamed up, they have to be on guard not to do those actions. Specifically, I remember in the Chongqing fanmeet, SJH and KJK reach out their hands as if they're going to hold them  but then they both pull back and start laughing. I always read that as them automatically holding hands because that's what they're accustomed to, but then they realized what they were doing on stage in front of a crowd of RM fans. 

So KJk wanted to be partnered up with SJH is a change. This episode was also filmed on his birthday, so he might have been willing to break "the rules of RM" to pair up with her as a birthday present for himself.

[mary-ann]

does anyone have a link to this episode?

[Guest ktiminie]

40 minutes ago, mary-ann said:

does anyone have a link to this episode?

 

You can watch the raw here:

Spoiler

https://openload.co/f/Yt3seViM2T8/%EC%A2%8B%EB%8B%A4-%EB%9F%B0%EB%8B%9D%EB%A7%A8.E429.160501.HDTV.x264.1080p.AC3-KARMA_.mkv

 

 

Edited May 1, 2016 by ktiminie
Link added

[elevenpapitus]

In my memory,it's the first time that kjk is eager to be a partner with sjh,and most of the times jh is the active side of being a partner with jk.I'm  pretty exciting to see this change from jk's behavior,maybe the reason why he did it is that  recording day was jk's birthday,and he wanted to give himself a ‘present’.So i really expect next ep,which jk,jk,kg,zs are a team ,and other members are another.

[linzer03]

I was watching the subbed of that scene, and SJH says "I like someone whose name starts with 'J'" during the couple selection. Which is why they show JSJ, KJK, and the male guest whose names all have J in them. KJK sort of smiles after she says this, and LKS and JSJ look at the staff. It'd be funny if she meant for KJK to come and forgot that the guest started with J as well. 

After watching the scene again, KJK is smiling and moving forward at first but his smile disappears for a second and he stops moving when he sees the guest heading towards SJH. JSJ looked as though he had no intention of moving towards SJH and is actually watching KJK as he starts moving towards SJH. The guys all look really stiff as the guest scoots towards her too and YJS doesn't seem very excited when SJH and the guest become a pair. KG says something looking in KJK's direction. Also, I also think SJH looks at KJK then at the guest then back to KJK as they're moving towards her. It's a really subtle shift in her eyes so its hard to tell. Obviously, KJK is going to give up for the guest and SJH isn't going to reject the guest (who's presented as this female heartthrob).

SJH may have meant the guest, but it's interesting that KJK assumed that the person she likes whose name starts with 'J' is him. For people who say that they're like brother and sister... Why would a brother assume that when his sister likes someone whose name starts with 'J', she's referring to him?

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

Agree with all your thoughts @linzer03. I wonder if Jae Suk got to see what she had written on her card coz the way he introduces it is 'you know JH. She is very precise'. Unless he knew what she had written, how could he be so sure that it was something really precise? She is mong ji after all. He was also sitting parallel to her when she was reading out from the card. What she says is actually more specific than Ji Won's demand, limiting the number of the participants in the game.  JH is trying hard not to smile when she says 'i like someone whose name starts with J' (i would love to know what the exact translation is coz it is different if she says 'i like names starting with J' and if she says 'i like someone whose name starts with J'). Love how JK's face lights up on hearing that. Though it doesn't work out, isn't that the sweetest thing to hear on your birthday - a confession couched like a clue for a game?

Of course, on the surface, it looks like JH picked 'J' since her name starts with the letter and the popular male guest's name also starts with the same. However, it is a game about which partner you would like to have, so whatever be the letter her name starts with, JH should pick the letter which her partner's name should have. If it was really Jin Goo she wanted, why doesn't the cast make fun of her like they usually do? They can say 'ah JH, we know you want Jin Goo'. There are so many times the members have teased her about liking a male guest and choosing him, so why not this time? Instead Gary, SJ are looking in JK's direction. In fact SJ looks at JK even before JH asks her question once Jae Suk says JH is very precise. JK looks so pleased when she gives her choice. The way he smiles around is 'of course, she likes someone whose name starts with J. Isn't it obvious?'. His smile reminded me of episode 118 when JK smiles in the same way when JH says she likes someone who is fun .And the caption they give for JK 'Was it a mistake? Or did she really mean it" (the possibility of him being the partner JH wants is treated seriously unlike that with SJ). I also got the feeling that the other members were disappointed for JK, kind of like 'why is JG moving when we all know it is you?'. KS looks at JG and then he looks at JH as if to see what her expression is (which like you I also believe changes when it is JG who comes forward). Jae Suk also doesn't seem that excited with the choice, perhaps sensing JH's disappointment? The way none of them responds that much when JG gets chosen makes me feel like they thought it was an anticlimax when they were all expecting something else. Some of them are also looking in the direction of the PD when JH gives her choice. There is also a photographer in white among the crew who looks back in the direction of the running man cast and smiles when JG makes his move (perhaps sensing what really went on there). I kind of get the feeling the PD would not have minded if JK and JH had paired off since the way everybody reacts seems like they had a real chance at it.

I wonder what was JH's intention. I assume she thought there was a real chance of them being paired off since the smile in her eyes does change when JG comes forward instead of JK. Perhaps, if JK had come forward faster, he might have got to answer first and would JH then have said something like 'ok, I will partner up with JK Oppa for a change'? I guess nobody expected JG to be so enthusiastic about being partnered with JH (if he was not the 'Red Sun', perhaps he would not have been so into it)? And since SJ didn't move at all and it would look weird for JK to compete with the male guest, he was also forced to stay back. I know viewers would have expected JG to be chosen by JH for couple games, so perhaps it was a 50-50 chance? I have to give it to JH. This woman is amazing! She can say really insightful things and make them seem casual like with the tanning comment.

The day of the shoot, JH had just come back from her WAIL shoot the previous night (read on baidu) and it was JK's birthday. Being a couple would have meant they could spend the day together. Wonder whether JK also chose to be a girl to be with the girls (I know Hana is not as popular as Jong Suk, but still it would make sense for JK to be the man in the pair in case they have missions that require the male partner to use his strength). Because of that, he could sit along with JH  for the missions.

When the acting session begins, both JK and JH are far away from each other. After the scene where JG and JW act out their scene, JH is at JK's side.

I was wondering whether the glasses were all caliphash after seeing JK, JH and Haha wear it in the opening. I really hope SA fans don't make it awkward for Caliphash with any suggestive SA comments (saying they love SA couple is ok, but not beyond that). What interests me is how Haha always uses JK and JH together to market something - whether it be his wife's album or his new business enterprise? It makes sense for them to be highlighted the most among the cast since they are the most popular in China what with their frequent overseas trips and airport fashion, but still ... they are the first celebs sporting caliphash whose pics he puts on his insta, one after the other. For the opening of this episode, they are the only ones among the cast other than Haha to sport them and they again wore it on the same day at the airport.

 

[elevenpapitus]

The sunglasses which JK,JH and HAHA worn are exactly all caliphas.(just because the clue in their glasses that there has a silver mark in the frames )And after the sunglasses conference,until now,we only saw JK,JH and HAHA wore it.And i remembered seeing a report from ins or naver that a kind of sunglasses sponsored only them(spartace) among members.

[linzer03]

The reactions of KJK, JSJ, and JG shown in response to SJH's statement aren't their actual reactions. If you watch carefully, the image shown of JSJ is him looking at KJK before SJH speaks. And after they show the three men, they show the scene again without the close-ups and KJK doesn't smile that broadly or look at JSJ - I think his shot comes from after he's given up for JG (when the five RM member are sitting back to watch). 

@athoughtcloud1 I agree with pretty much everything you said. I do think she had to be a little careful with her statement that it didn't apply only KJK or something obvious like that, and there may have been a backup explanation for why she decided to pair up with KJK if they ever reached that situation. 

I feel like the RM members, maybe not planned beforehand, but intended to pair spartace. KG and JSJ are looking at KJK before SJH even says anything (like they're anticipating something to do with him). After she makes her statement, LKS and I think KG and JSJ as well look at the staff (as if checking to make sure what they're doing is really okay). Even KJK glances at the staff before he starts moving towards SJH. The members all moved slightly forward, but they made sure they were slower than KJK. LKS is first watching KJK move, but when he sees the guest moving, LKS turns to stare at SJH. JSJ also glances at the staff again as he's watching JG move towards SJH (but he's not checking to make sure it's okay since they wouldn't complain about the guest pairing with SJH but rather checking their reactions to this event). And when you see the staff in the shot with JG, not just the cameraman but also the PDs on the floor seem to be looking back at the RM members for an instant and laughing a little (like they're laughing at the RM member's reactions). Then next time we see him, LKS is laughing slightly and kind of ruefully while looking at the staff. It's possible that they did check with the staff if they could pair spartace and the PD was okay with it, but they ended up failing because JG was too eager.

I also wanted to add that I really enjoyed this episode. The acting scenes were funny (especially JG untying SJH's shoelaces before running away and KJK's no smoking ad) and so were JSJ's attempts to act cute. So far the new PD is in my good books. However, RM seems to be losing some standing with the international audience who demand outdoor, intense games and can't let go of nametag ripping. I've honestly found nametag ripping to be pretty boring nowadays, since the storyline is pretty much the same for all nametag battles. (Though the 100 vs. 100 was a fun new concept.) KJK will be ganged up on. SJH will be in the last three. LKS will betray someone and then be ousted himself. JSJ will be ousted pitifully, possibly after bragging because he has some special advantage. The winner will be between YJS, HH, and KG (depending on who LKS betrays and who the guest is if there are any). Any variations to that have really already been played out. For instance, in the Bingo Ep, the guest kept ripping off his alliance's nametags so they never got together to rip KJK's and he was able to win or ep 198 where because the RM team knew all the superpowers beforehand, there were certain powers (like Pheonix and Mind Controller) that were targeted because of their abilities where SJH was left alone for a lot of it because her ability has no tricks to it. The cast's characters on the show usually don't allow them to act any differently and they all know the strategies that work best for them (for instance, KJK hides for the early part of the game to stop them from ganging up on him while SJH teams up with a stronger player like KG or KJK and then rips their nametag when most opponents are gone).

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

56 minutes ago, linzer03 said:

The reactions of KJK, JSJ, and JG shown in response to SJH's statement aren't their actual reactions. If you watch carefully, the image shown of JSJ is him looking at KJK before SJH speaks. And after they show the three men, they show the scene again without the close-ups and KJK doesn't smile that broadly or look at JSJ - I think his shot comes from after he's given up for JG (when the five RM member are sitting back to watch).

 

On a re-watch, I agree. The editing is what gives that feel. I guess the members were trying to act like it was normal that JH would choose someone whose name starts with J (even JK's reaction is like 'oh, it is J. Ok'). It was Jin Goo ruining everybody's plan that gave us a peek into the cast's actual reactions.

JK whose face is shown shooting the most brilliant smile had the most interesting caption "Was it a mistake? Or did she really mean it?". It kind of makes it look like a confession. Why else should "she really mean it?". It is just a game to choose a partner after all. I don't know where our PD is going with this. I wonder where last episode in which JK's mom talked about his marriage at length fits in the overall picture. It is one thing to laugh about JK being an eternal bachelor and all, but meeting his mom and having a conversation about how desperately she wants her son to settle down is another thing. This episode, I did feel that the PD and the cast members were giving a serious chance to JK and JH. We don't know if it was a one time thing since it was JK's birthday (like doing him a favour once in a while) or whether they have reached a point where they think it is ok if JK and JH pair up for games. The caption then makes it all the more ambiguous. JK gets the romantic caption while the other 2 married men get the casual and humorous ones. This is the 2nd time after the pepero game that we get a romantic build up to SA interaction.

[linzer03]

@athoughtcloud1 Ep 228 is awesome for how suspicious the whole thing is. From JSJ telling them "You two have a reason to do it" to KG getting overexcited and calling it "heartwarming". Plus you have KJK and SJH being really nervous for two people who have done the game multiple times before with other people. I think it had the romantic build up because it's really hard to portray that scene any other way, and since they failed, it could be seen as a complete denial of spartace. This scene is similar, in that they had to show KJK and JSJ since they both fit the criteria, and the scene could be shown in the episode because the ending is sort of a denial of spartace (SJH never says that JG is the person she was thinking of). The difference is that they didn't have to take KJK seriously this time (they could have portrayed his moving forward as an inflated ego or someone trying foolishly to compete with JG). Perhaps the staff was trying to build tension and make it more suspenseful, but anyone whose seen more than three episodes of RM would know that SJH would pick the guest over KJK.

It's hard to make any judgments based on one or two episodes. We need to see if this kind of behavior continues and what happens after the end of WAIL, but it's possible that they're laying the groundwork for if spartace is revealed to be dating. Some fans have been theorizing on and off for years that the PDs are preparing to help spartace reveal their relationship, and I don't want to be one of those fans because its not the staff's job to help spartace reveal anything (if they are dating). But if the staff wants to continue RM after spartace is revealed to be dating, then I think they have to lay the foundations for it so that it makes sense within the RM story. Since MC is probably over for good (again still have to wait for WAIL to finish), I no longer think that the reveal of spartace would mean the end of RM.

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

1 hour ago, linzer03 said:

@athoughtcloud1 

It's hard to make any judgments based on one or two episodes. We need to see if this kind of behavior continues and what happens after the end of WAIL, but it's possible that they're laying the groundwork for if spartace is revealed to be dating. Some fans have been theorizing on and off for years that the PDs are preparing to help spartace reveal their relationship, and I don't want to be one of those fans because its not the staff's job to help spartace reveal anything (if they are dating). But if the staff wants to continue RM after spartace is revealed to be dating, then I think they have to lay the foundations for it so that it makes sense within the RM story. Since MC is probably over for good (again still have to wait for WAIL to finish), I no longer think that the reveal of spartace would mean the end of RM.

  As crazy as they sound, these things have been popping up in my head too. Before, I would have not entertained both possibilities, but now ... I don't know. I am not yet sure what future they see for RM. Do they see anything beyond an year? It is not like the members are all entertainers. KS is an actor. Wouldn't he want to devote himself seriously to acting at some point? If spartace are revealed to be dating (if our theories are right), then I don't see a long run for RM (settling down will have to take the priority then), but they may be able to go on for some more time. If SA are going to remain tight-lipped about their relationship status till the end, then I see at least the last few episodes trying to giving us some hints in that direction. Both JK and JH have remained loyal to the show and have prioritised it over their relationship, so the PD and the members at least need to set things up for them once they know the show is going to end. If they see a future for RM beyond a year and if the 7 members want the show to continue, then I think the possibility of SA dating (if they are) being let out is higher during the show's run since something like that can't be postponed for that long.

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

3 hours ago, linzer03 said:

@athoughtcloud1

 

I also wanted to add that I really enjoyed this episode. The acting scenes were funny (especially JG untying SJH's shoelaces before running away and KJK's no smoking ad) and so were JSJ's attempts to act cute. So far the new PD is in my good books. However, RM seems to be losing some standing with the international audience who demand outdoor, intense games and can't let go of nametag ripping. I've honestly found nametag ripping to be pretty boring nowadays, since the storyline is pretty much the same for all nametag battles.

 

Hasn't that been the case for a long long time? I remember reading the same discussions about RM on online streaming forums for more than a year now. Oh yes, the name-tag ripping! For me, the golden years of name-tag ripping-centred games were in the early episodes when the members themselves were not as familiar with each other and it was a serious competition between two teams or betwen the members themselves. After that, they have been less about who wins and more about the variety moments created along the way. The recent episode devoted to serious name-tag ripping was the SNS race episode, but since the odds were heavy against some members and it kind of ended anti-climactically with JH's nametag getting stuck on her hair, I don't know how much of an impact it left. The name-tag ripping game in the Dubai alleys was a serious let down.

Are we in the minority who don't see name-tag ripping as the soul of RM? I don't know. For me, it has always been the members and the fun generated out of the games they play and the clash of their personalities. I agree that the games have been kind of lack-lustre for some time. But more than that, hasn't the issue been about the members themselves feeling lost and bored? With the new PD, except for the unlucky hand episode, I have enjoyed all the episodes. Perhaps, it is because I sense that the cast itself is now more enthusiastic about the show and that the PD is actually taking care of their interests. From the new PD's interview:

First, he spoke up about the absence of name tag races. Lee Hwan Jin PD responded, "Recent episodes such as the 'A/S special' were created because I think focusing on the members is necessary. Name tag races are a signature of 'Running Man', but it is not everything regarding our identity. The members, who have stayed on the show for the past 6 years, make up the identity itself, and I think we need time to focus on them. I also think this is part of the recovery process."

He continued, "It is not that I favor indoors. I would appreciate it if viewers can think of it as a brief break. We have checked the members' sincere thoughts, so now we only have to go forward. Viewers will soon be able to watch even better episodes of 'Running Man'." 

RM was at its worst, ratings wise, when the old PD left. The SBS awards, 2015 is for me quite revealing. Though RM won the popularity awards, you could see from the faces of the members that they had not expected it. The same with JH winning the female entertainer award. I got the feeling that compared to previous years, she was not that happy on receiving it (kind of like she felt she did not deserve it this time since RM wasn't doing that well compared to many other variety shows). Taek PD in his acceptance speech doesn't specifically talk about a crisis, but YJS' speech makes it clear that he knows the show has not been doing well. When a show doesn't do well ratingswise and still wins awards, it becomes a bit awkward for the members as well since they start wondering whether that will lead to them slowly losing out on the goodwill of their colleagues and the general public.

Taek PD always insisted that he didn't care about the ratings, that the setting up of the games was more important to him than whether the show pleased the market. However, that doesn't hold for the new PD who doesn't mind inviting the cast of a hit show on another broadcasting station to RM if it is they whom the audience want to see. For the new PD, ratings are important since one of the first things SBS insta did after his taking over was to highlight how they had got the best ratings in a long long while for a recent episode. I know Taek PD had problems with SBS over the change in RM timings, so I wonder whether the drying up of popular guests on RM was because of that. Now there seems to be a concerted effort to bring in new guests and to win over their goodwill. The Apology service was also perhaps about that since guests like  Kyoohyun were totally wasted in the TruGary show anniversary which did not really require any of the guests. In the recent episodes, the guests seem to be having a lot of fun while on the show  I also find the contrast in some of the concepts of the new PD and the old PD interesting. For instance, episode 267 under the old PD had the theme of unanimity race where the members, despite their contrasting personalities, were required to think and act the same. The new PD brought in an episode with dangerous unanimity as a concept which insisted that such kind of unanimity could resemble autocracy. May be it is not intentional, however, I find the contrast interesting. Under the old PD, there were episodes devoted to celebrating their togetherness as a team, but how much of it was actually real? Were the members forced to keep their opinions to themselves regarding their anxieties about their roles or lovelines for the sake of the show which had to put up a united front? The concept of Dangerous Unanimity was that any decision which is taken by the majority without taking into consideration the interests of the minority is dangerous. Isn't that the true essence of team work where everybody's interests are taken into consideration? Focusing on some members alone or forcing members to keep alive a dead loveline for the 'good of the show' can be some instances of such dangerous unanimity. So, I see something refreshing in the new PD talking about how the soul of the show is its members and how he is trying to take their sincere thoughts into account while crafting the show.

@elevenpapitus Like you, I also had thought the glasses could be caliphash when I saw just the three of them (JK, JH and Haha) sporting them in the opening scene of this episode. Was waiting for caliphash insta to confirm it since otherwise we would be accused of making things up.

Mong Ji trying to imitate JK's dance steps and running away getting scared by his ferocious dance is the cutest thing ever.