[Official] SPARTACE COUPLE KimJongkook-SongJiHyo

[linzer03]

I think a new member would not go to the fanmeet; either that or they would wait until after the fanmeet to add a new member, which would also give the RM cast and crew time to decide if they could do the show with just six members. I think they don't have any plans for a new member right now. Though, I hope it's at least on the table as a way to change up RM (if they do, I'm voting for an additional female member - that way no one can make an argument that they're trying to replace KG). The cast members are anything but neutral on this matter, so  this might be one of those times where the RM members should have input but perhaps shouldn't have the final say. It's an iffy situation. Maybe RM will revive and last a few more years or maybe it'll end in the next year or so. It depends what they want to do.

Al

 

[burlee]

I think adding one or two members before the fanmeeting next year, its not a bad thing - mainly to keep everyone interested - this will change how the hosts compete against each other. Also it might inspires the production team to come up with new missions/directions (some meaningful/charity missions)? At the moment, it quite predicable that jong kook will be targeted in missions and kwang soo/haha will betray others. I would like to see one or two of the following to join RM or rotating between them:

Kim Se Jeong - (A-Town siblings with KJK) - very athleticism and did well on Talents for sale

Park Ji sung

Noh Hong-chul (Seems very competitive)

Jackson

Song joong ki

[dragonlovers]

Got limited time but I will have to say, this is a good timing for members and whole crews to fix the problems at hand, which is quite a few and quite serious that let to low ratings. Adding new members does help, but it helps in a way that extra efforts are needed to develop the image and position for him/her. It may somehow bring inspirations and I agree with it. However, developing an entirely new image needs time. (a few episodes actually means a month...currently I don't think they can risk rm rating for that and we all know the reason why)

Taking the past for record, usually few episodes were needed to develop image for rm members. (Here I am talking about 2010&2011, where the team needed to create roles for each member, as I want to compare two sides with same basis, where members are new joiners to the show) And analyzing thoroughly, you will realized that most of the image were developed through interaction with other members (aka the equation between two or three members). Lots of positions and images of members has been abandoned this year or two. They only have one or two left. Some equations are never mentioned anymore (which contributes to why some images "disappeared"). In fact, it is one of the problems that the current crews need to fix - the unclear roles and lacking equations of members. Thus, forgive me, I don't have high expectation that the production team can effortlessly create an entirely new image for new joiners at the moment. And with the limited roles of present rm members, the other solution they usually used, which is switching roles for one member to another, seems impossible too. (e.g. in 2011, HH roles are actually switched to LKS&KG, but it's alright cause HH struggled only one / two episodes and immediately he found a new one for himself - the playboy role, and he got so many roles at that time it didn't cause much to sacrifice one/ two to members lacking roles) The whole thing will actually add extra problem to the difficult moment at present. 

Time is also needed for fans to "heal" from the missing member - KG. I can already predict how the new member get lots of antis since fans extend their sadness / even anger to the new member. It will be harder for new member to adapt and get into the group quickly and being accepted by fans. I don't think finding a famous star / female member can help. Situation may be not that worst but the thing will still happen. Not to mention the major problems of rm right now are editing, plot execution, unclear roles and thus leads to extremely uneven screen time. The problems cannot actually be solved by this solution. Adding a new member in short term seems unwise.

P.S. something wrong with my inbox again -___- I can read but cannot reply...will try again later.

[lostinthisdream]

I think honestly think there isn't really a need to add a new member. The show has become a guest focused show that adding a new member isn't going to spice things up. We already have problems with screen time distribution between 7 members.  You're going to need someone with hosting experience and interaction with guests to help the guest shine. Kim Se  Jeong is adorable and Atown siblings are fun but I don't think she's well suited for the role and the age difference is probably going to make the cast cautious of what they can say to an idol (think back to Song Joong Ki and Lizzy, they were never really received the amount of teasing KS/JH got because they were afraid of their fans).  RM isn't like Infinity Challenge where they need to add a member because RM constantly has guests, they're really not dependent on the members anymore. As long as you have games and guests, you're going to have RM.  How many episodes a year do we see where it's only the cast? 

If the PDs think adding a new member will help with ratings, they're going to have to rethink that. Bc in the long run new member isn't going to help. The format and content of the episodes are what matters.  But if they add on another member, a female can be good but at the same time I think we can continue to say bye to JH's screen time and hello to a new loveline. JH has a lot of popularity and one factor that helps is because she's the only female of the group, and her characters were built around that.  If you have a female member, they're going to be compared to JH all the time, look at some of the female guests, they were compared to JH. So if a female member is needed, it's best if she can have good chemistry with JH so they can form a duo or something and not pitted against each other.  I think Han Hye Jin would be a good option, but she would outtalk JH for sure.  They're going to have to find a member that gels well with the cast and the only guests that I can think of that actually fits in with the cast are Park Ji Sung, who is impossible to cast, and Jung Yong Hwa, who had a scandal involving YJS so probably not going to happen.  Even if Song Joong Ki was considered, I don't see him fitting in with the cast like he did before. Plus with KG missing the biggest equation between members missing is really only MC. Is there really a need for a new loveline ?

6 number is a good number to work with. I don't know why there are some people out side of this thread that think there needs to be 7 members. This is the best chance for the PD's to revamp the show, and the departure of one member gives them the opportunity to play around.  

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

Depends on whether the production team and the cast see a longer future for RM beyond a year. The case is not like that of other variety shows which were having stable ratings when a cast member quit the show and therefore a replacement was the need of the hour. Here, the show is already struggling with ratings, so they may perhaps wait around for the inevitable end with the current cast. However, from the SBS PD's interview, I get the feeling that the production team is not ready to give up on RM without some drastic last measures - so one cannot rule out new members being added in to replace Gary. Gary may have left the show 1)either coz everybody knew the show was going to end sooner than later and so let him go early or 2)he knew the team had been able to find someone who could replace him (seems like Gary's leaving the show had been on the cards for some time, so gives me the feeling that he was waiting around for something). Myuk PD, when he resigned, also left that insta post about some changes about to happen in RM, so perhaps new members may be brought in?

Like @linzer03, I too wouldn't mind the addition of a female member. I believe RM had started out with the idea of having two female members since the early episodes all had two teams with a female member in each - like Hyori and Hwang Jung Eum, JH and Goo Ara, JH and Jessica and then JH and Lizzy. It will be easier to find a character for a female member than a male member since the latter will have to find a distinct character of his own among 5 male members (and which shouldn't also resemble Gary's character). If it is a female member, like @linzer03 pointed out, she will not be considered as a replacement, but an addition which may not anger the RM fans that much compared to a male member who will inevitably be compared to Gary. Or they can add in two members - one male and one female so that one person won't have to take the burden alone. Fitting in with the team will be easier for the newbie if that person has one more person for company. I think it will be somebody younger or someone who won't upset the existing hierarchy in the team. A maknae will be an easier fit that way. I think it will be a career suicide for SJK to come back to RM at this point, but I hope he would guest for 2-3 episodes since this is a time when they can do with some help!

I don't know what I will feel after watching the episode where Gary leaves - I may feel too attached to the cast to then think of an addition, but at the moment, I think a replacement is a risk worth taking. Anyway, the show is on its last legs; there is at least 50% chance of the show getting a new lease of life with an addition.

Bottomline: Unless some miracle happens, we are on the last leg of the show. We do talk a lot about the inevitable end of RM, but when that comes, I don't know how I will feel. As a Runner, I would want the show to last for some more time and go out on a high! I think we are among the luckiest shippers in one way since our couple appears on a weekly variety show - every week, we get new things to analyse, to discuss. It would be a dream come true if we get that day in the future when spartace becomes real, but once RM ends, we will have a harder time to get their updates. Like other shippers, we would then have to wait for interviews, press conferences, anecdotes of other members/acquaintances, SNS posts etc to get our dose of spartace. So when I think of that, I think I should just take a deep breath and cherish whatever I am getting. Hope we get to see a bit more focus on spartace and more team combinations with JK and JH on the same team (the last two episodes with SA on the same team were a mixed bag for me; hope that future episodes will be more fun!).

Suddenly you realise that with just 6 members now, there can only be as many team combinations! I think I will be slightly bi-polar for a while- I feel happy that spartace may not get that much edited out in the future, but then RM won't feel the same without Gary!

[lostinthisdream]

@athoughtcloud1 According to RM's weibo, I think it stated that it was 10 months ago that the production knew about his desire to leave the show.  I'm sure that the production team has already thought out what they plan to do after his departure.  It does seem weird that it's taken 10 months for KG to actually leave after he has notified the staff. I'm against adding a new member atm without testing out seeing how 6 members are going to be like and revisiting the equations between each member, but I'm sure the production team has already begun testing out individuals who would fit in with the cast, and format.  So him leaving now may indicate that the team has found someone new to add, just that they're waiting until all fans have cooled down from the news before releasing a news article.  I also wonder whether KG's desire to leave was an elephant in the room so to speak and that may have affected how the cast interacted for the past 7/8 months.  I'm sure during those months they didn't want to give it away that KG was going to leave. And whether that also had to play a part in ending MC loveline along with WAIL. 

In terms of teams combination, with 6 members you can have 2 vs 2 vs 2, or 3 vs 3. It would be interesting to see JH-KS vs SJ-JS vs JK-HaHa.  It'll be actors vs mcs vs musicians.  I think there's still many team combinations that can be visited and rivalries that I think has been missing for a couple of years now can be created. There's still so things to uncover between these 6 members that we haven't really seen. 

 

[linzer03]

Yeah it just depends on what the RM team wants to do. I also get the feeling the staff and remaining cast aren't ready to give up (which is also why I think spartace might be okay being a real couple on a variety show) because KG leaving would have been a good time to end all as one. Perhaps they want to hold out for seven years, in which case dont get anyone new, or perhaps they want to get two or so more years out of it, in which case a couple new members would help refresh things. 

Yes there are a lot of other issues that need to be addressed. But I think new concepts and new cast dynamics are the most important things. The rest is for the staff to realize and correct because only they know what material they have to work with in terms of editing. 

[burlee]

As you guys mentioned the prog's ratings are pretty low in Korea so I feel its a good time to add at least one member sooner than later to spice up the prog. If there is an idol added to the crew, I don't think RM members would have any prob interacting with the idol as they have done other talk shows and drama in the past, talking to idols - they are experienced enough to handle it.

I agree that its more than just new additions to the current crew - the missions, editing, etc... but new additions will hopefully create/bring new characters more easily - than trying to change the images of the current members, which we as fans, would be difficult to move away from their old images - sparta, haroro. In regard to editing, I feel they are trying to squeeze a day 's filming into one episode probably too much - they should spread across two episodes so everyone gets a fair share of screen time.

[lostinthisdream]

I know we've had a discussion before on who might the special Running Member guest may be. There's a giraffe icon on the new poster ad now, so LKS is attending? 

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

Depends on whether the RM production team thinks it worthwhile to invest time and effort in creating new characters for the replacements. RM has lots of problems and I am not even going there. RM hasn't worked on exploring the unexplored team combinations for a long long while even when they had plenty of opportunities, so I don't know how far that is going to change. Agree with you there @lostinthisdream the only good thing is that now there is one less member, they may be forced to experiment more with the team combinations. (I hope it doesn't go back to versions of the unlucky team vs the lucky team -arggh!!!)

Having new members may rock the boat or it might just force people to get out of their comfort zones. In JH's case, hopefully, one member less means she will also be forced to participate more in the conversations since now each one has more responsibility on his/her shoulders. That way, she may also get more screen time. I think JH will miss Gary a lot since after all they had a great working relationship, but being free of MC might also loosen her up more? We have to wait and see!

@lostinthisdream JH may lose screen time with the addition of a female member or it can make her more competitive. After all, she is the queen of the team! I have always felt that JH became more vocal and active on RM after Lizzy joined the team - while after a few episodes, she had started making a mark as a player earning the title of the ACE, she was more shy when it came to participating in the conversations. I have this pet theory that JH's final frontier to becoming totally comfortable on the show was JK who was the MVP of the show at that time. Since she was only once put on his team before episode 21, she was unable to interact with him comfortably compared to the rest of the male members with whom she had established a comfortable equation by then. And perhaps coz JK found JH  attractive, he was also quite shy when it came to initiating conversations with her. But that was not the case with JK and Lizzy though she came on the show quite late-since JK was Lizzy's sunbae as a singer and older by many years, it was easier for them to interact with each other - you can see JK kind of side hugging Lizzy once they leave the ship in episode 18. Lizzy was also put on JK's team a lot while poor JH was always on the ahjussis' team. Then came episode 20 where JH asks to be put on JK's team. So that is JH speaking up for herself and telling the PDs what she wants. But for me, the real bad JH who is good with the banter and teasing appears in episode 24 where she is put in the women's team. Though it is Lizzy who is supposed to ask the uncomfortable questions to JK and make his heart beat rise, it is JH who takes charge of the questions. She is in fine mettle that episode. Though there are experienced female entertainers guesting in that episode, who can say JH didn't make an impact there? What I am saying is perhaps it may work the other way too - now JH knows the guys will take care of the conversation; but in slightly unfamiliar situations, she might have to make more of an effort to come out of her shell. If the girl is somebody younger to her and JH becomes comfortable with her, perhaps we will get to see new sides of JH too! After all, being the lone woman on the team, it will be JH that girl will depend on the most. So JH will also have to mentor her!

I know there are many reasons why JH has become quieter on the show, but I do miss those times like the boat ride in episode 35 where the whole focus in the early segment is on JH on the boat making the male members do all sort of terrible things to get into the boat. You can't imagine JH asking YJS to put his feet in ice-cold water now, but at that time, she had a certain brashness to her that was really charming. I  can still see glimpses of that like in her 'Red Song' avatar where JH talks about wearing sun glasses to check out the male guest; so I really think JH can be entertaining with the banter when she wants to. I think sometimes her members also expect it of her - like in the last to last episode, where YJS was saying only the female idol looked away while JH and Na Rae kept looking on when Haha exposed him , perhaps he was expecting JH also to give a retort. Only Na Rae responded that time, but it reminded me of that episode where Myung Soo guested. In that, JS asks JH why she didn't take her eyes off his butt and JH is like 'so what?'

Anyway, I think Gary leaving does shake things up - in that way, perhaps RM will be forced to come out of its current stasis.

puhaha I love the way they are hinting at LKS guesting - is there also space for an impala? Or a grasshopper? Or a squid (don't think Gary will attend, but still!) Seriously though, think it will be JSJ who will be the other guest!

[chelseafjl8]

Sadly, I don't think we can see mongji become more active until drama filming is over. Ytd when I was watching her press conference, I could literally see the dark circles under her eyes even with make up on. So, we'll have to wait for a longer while unless someone pissed her off like that time when she had to do yoga poses and JK was the one to cool her off afterards( walking away while holding her hands and neglecting his own teamate). 

Now that we know Gary is unlikely to attend the fan meet, and by the time it will be 2017, do you guys expect we can see more spartace moment or even definite ones? 

[Guest athoughtcloud1]

On 10/26/2016 at 8:29 AM, meh2222 said:

Honestly, despite what MC has done to both SJH and G, I am sure SJH will really be sad of his leaving. The thing is they both know the hardship of being in a loveline together. They know the ups and downs and they accepted the "challenge" it has brought. But too much is too much. She knows it and Gary knows it too. They could have been best of friends in the show. They could have been more natural in the show (we can see that after the brainscan episode). Gary could have found another image for the show other than the Monday boyfriend image. But now, it's too late...

I think SJH will be though she is careful about expressing her feelings since she doesn't want to be misconstrued. Besides, she was promoting her drama at the PC and was not there to show her sadness at Gary's departure. There are people who feel SJH should persuade Gary to stay or that she should leave the show since her role as Monday GF is over. So obviously, she is being cautious. That is why she is careful about specifying that Gary is just a colleague.

But I am glad Gary stayed on for 6 more months after Taek PD left since we got to see what Monday Couple could have been without the baggage of the loveline. Truthfully, it was after MC ended that I realized they had a genuine friendship. Before, I used to resent Gary when he would try to create a Monday moment. But after MC ended and they started interacting more like friends which is their real-life equation after all, I started appreciating Gary-Ji Hyo friendship. The most visible change was in the way JH interacted with Gary. Earlier, she used to be more cautious about skinship with Gary afraid it would be misconstrued or that Gary would take it further to create an MC moment, but after the brainscan episode, JH started treating Gary more like KS on the show knowing Gary would not take it further. She was not afraid of biting his ear so that he would drop her in the Queen of the Race episode and not bothered about how people would perceive her massaging his neck in front of the camera after they completed the aeroplane mission in episode 301. Gary could also act as her friend instead of as her MC BF. The difference could be seen in the way they behaved on Go Fridge this year compared to how they behaved in another chinese variety show in 2015.The first time, it was very awkward as they had to create MC moments and JH was clearly looking uncomfortable. But this time, they did really well together. Gary was very supportive of JH on the show, introducing topics for JH like the slapping story or talking about how strong JH was, giving JH support when she was struggling with expressing an idea etc. JH also looked pretty touched when Gary was talking about his struggling days. So I was like, this is how they are in real life without the baggage of the Monday Couple.

Monday Couple was a burden in many ways, but it also helped them grow as people who had not been in tune with each other initially. I remember how JH used to tease Gary saying he was ugly in the early days, but after a point, she realized it was hurtful to Gary and stopped laughing even when the other members would make fun of his appearance. He used to be pretty laidback about being competitive in the beginning, but some of JH's competitiveness also rubbed off on him.Gary on his part began to appreciate JH more for her strength and courage than for her beauty. Gary was also one of the members who always believed that JH was as strong as any of them. They also worked really well together as a team in nametag ripping. JH's many successes for instance, such as her taking off Kim Soo Ro and Jae Suk's tags happened when she partnered Gary and he was backing her up. I am an SA shipper, therefore haven't really paid much attention to MC, but I think they would have become better friends in real life if not for MC.

@chelseafjl8 I know JH is tired coz of her drama, but my hope is that JH will get more active even before the drama gets over. I don't think she would want people to say she has become quiet on the show because she is pining for Gary. From her words at the PC, I got the feeling that she wouldn't want people to think Gary's leaving the show is going to affect her in anyway other than as a close colleague. So I think she may make more effort to show that she is doing pretty well by herself. It is also an important phase for her since with Gary leaving the show, she won't be treated as part of the Monday couple any longer. Her image as the ace will be more in focus. Though Monday couple had ended by then, when it came to the team missions in episode 301, JH was made to do the airplane mission as the Monday GF rather than as the ace. Now that phase is over. The team will have to do more with her ace image and that is an image JH has always been comfortable with.  So there are also chances that she may get more active in the future.  I hope my feeling is right. Objectively speaking, with Gary gone, I think there will be more scrutiny of JH's role on the show from some people who always saw her in association with Gary. I am already seeing such comments on ig. I think that scrutiny will extend to other members too such as JK, Haha and SJ since there are some who think they should quit the show since they are not at the top of their game any longer. With Gary leaving, such voices may get louder. Not a happy thing to say, but I have those fears. So what I am saying is the cast will have more responsibility on their shoulders to make up for Gary's absence and renew the faith of their audience that RM can go on.

[Guest]

I love Gary, not because of MC but just because of his offbeat persona and his witty one liners who always made me crack up in laughter. as a talented rapper he brought a unique touch to his character, I am so sad he is leaving. I will always remember Running Man as the 7012 family. 

As for Ji Hyo, tbh I enjoyed MC for what it was, they had their moments. but since ep 200 onwards it was the unofficial more natural interactions between her and Kookie that caught my attention, because whatever they did, it was never part of a "storyline" so the natural flow of their behavior appealed to me more. whether there is something between them offscreen or not, maybe we will never know. So I just enjoy how for 120+ episodes now their magnetism towards each other is stronger even if they arent even in the same team.

My point is I dont think SJH will be lost without Gary, because it's been a loooong time since her balance of interest shifted from a scripted love line like MC to just hanging out and having fun with her bff KJK .

[chelseafjl8]

JH's new drama broke the record for the highest pilot rating in JTBC's history. =)

You can watch it here:

https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4945/My_Wife%27s_Having_an_Affair_This_Week/

or viki I believe.

[Erararara Jung]

5 hours ago, chelseafjl8 said:

JH's new drama broke the record for the highest pilot rating in JTBC's history. =)

You can watch it here:

https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4945/My_Wife%27s_Having_an_Affair_This_Week/

or viki I believe.

Awesome! So proud of Them! I watched it just niw and it seemed interesting and intriguing. I'm already excited for the next episode next week.

 

on another note i hope delulu fans would stop putting blames to other members upon Gary's departure on runningman next week and just support him and running man as he have requested in his IG post..

[Erararara Jung]

I just want to share this from IG.. tbh i didnt expect any SA interaction from the latest episiode but then

 

 

 

I dont expect much next week since it'll be gary's last ep. I hope they wont have guests and make a memorable one for gary's departure.. maybe they can do something like TruGary show at some segment of his final episode.. 

 

[chelseafjl8]

I look forward to watching it with sub tonight XD 

[mary-ann]

1 hour ago, chelseafjl8 said:

I look forward to watching it with sub tonight XD 

 

Me too

by the way guys please show your love and support for Song Ji Hyo's new drama by rating it here: http://asianwiki.com/My_Wife's_Having_an_Affair_this_Week_(Korean_Drama)

[linzer03]

I wasn't expecting anything except for "maybe looking at each other" moments this episode, so I was surprised when I woke up this morning and saw these. In these last few episodes, KJK comes across as a very physically affectionate (or as I like to say "huggy") boyfriend. I wonder if perhaps KJK is the more huggy of the two in general, and now that they're moving away from MC, he's more freely expressing himself. 

Also, I have some expectation for spartace interaction in KG's last episode and that's because they tend to be close with each other during emotional moments. Remember when they crossed the river in boats or when YJS correctly guessed 7 as the number? KJK and SJH ended up close beside each other after both these moments. 

Anyways, I'm super excited to see this episode subbed. 

[Guest]

Does anybody here know what this is all about? I never really understood what was going on in this vid