We Got Married

I was looking at Wikipedia the other night (I don't totally remember, but I think I recognized a person on a drama and wanted to see where I knew them from) and I ended up going down a Wikipedia black hole and found the most incredible thing ever. There's a variety show in Korea called We Got Married wherein celebrities are paired up and "married." Cameras follow them around and we get to see what it would be like if they were married, and hear what they think about their marriage in talking head interviews. Plus there's a panel that gives commentary throughout the episode, and in some seasons the actual couples are there to provide commentary as well.

I read the synopsis on Wikipedia and said to myself, "That sounds like the new love of my life." Then I watched some clips and episodes, and I wasn't just in love - I was fascinated. The premise of the show is kind of wacky. The couples don't know each other, and are put together and made to act like they're married - they do couple-y stuff and call each other "Honey" and "Wifey" - but they're not actually in a relationship, nor is the show trying to get them to be in a relationship. So you've got a newly married couple that's learning about marriage, and commenting on their relationship, and doing sweet things for each other, and living together in their "newlywed home," but it's all fake. But we pretend that it's real.

The couples get missions to complete each week, and they're typical married couple things like moving into a new house, making dinner together, meeting each other's families, etc. There aren't any big twists, and a lot of it is clearly staged, but part of the show is pretending that it's all completely real - and it's really easy to develop that mindset. Especially when the couples act like a married couple when they're not on the show. Example: Yongwha and Seohyun get couple rings, and they want to show them off. They're both going to be on the same music show with their respective bands, and they agree to show off the rings when they're on camera. They each, very conspicuously, hold up their hands to show off the rings when the cameras are on them, essentially announcing their relationship to the world as if it were real. And they watch each other's performances from the green room to make sure their sweetie is showing off their couple ring. But they had just met for the first time the night before. Like, a few hours before their performances. See how it can get confusing? But also, like I said before, fascinating? I'm no anthropologist, but I think We Got Married is prime thesis material.

The other thing that makes We Got Married interesting is that the celebrities are legit celebrities. If this show were on in the States the "celebrities" would be like, Kevin Federline married to Star Jones (PS: I would totally watch that). These celebs are, like, have to go on a trip to Japan to film a music video for their #1 single kind of celebrities. They'll be on a date, and you'll hear a fangirl scream to them from the street, or see a huge crowd of people whipping out their phones to take pictures and videos. I even know who some of these celebrities are, and I only watch kdramas and am just starting to get into kpop (Except for "Genie," which has been my jam forevs. Did you know SNSD dressed up as Nazis on the album cover? The more you know! Wait, I'm getting away from the point. This is another post for another time).

One of my favorite couples is season one's Hwangbo and Kim Hyun Joong. It's funny, I didn't like Kim Hyun Joong's acting in Boys Over Flowers or Playful Kiss, but I LOVE him on We Got Married. He's witty! He's polite - overly so! He said he doesn't get comfortable around a girlfriend until a year and a half into the relationship! He's afraid to kiss his fake wife on the cheek! THE CHEEK! Here's a clip of Hwangbo and Hyun Joong moving into their new apartment. It's a good introduction to the premise of the show: They get a mission, try to complete it, and interact with each other like a "newlywed couple." And Hyun Joong gets scared by a bug.

(The video doesn't exist anymore! But check out YouTube for a ton of clips from the show)

One of the most popular couples to be featured on We Got Married is Yonghwa and Seohyun, or YongSeo, as some of their fans call them. There are nicknames for just about every couple on the show, but YongSeo has like, 10 nicknames and their own Wikipedia page. I initially just watched them because I knew who they both were beforehand, which gave them a leg up on other couples that were strangers to me. But after awhile I really started liking them. Plus, theirs is the relationship I believe in the most. At least from Yong's side. He totally loves her. HE HAS TO. I'm not the only one who believes in YongSeo's love. Look at this fansite. (No, really. Look at it. The fan art is a sight to behold.)

One thing about YongSeo that I find endlessly entertaining is that they're constantly singing their own songs, and encouraging each other to sing their own songs and their spouse's songs. I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed with watching  Seohyun try to get Yonghwa to sing and do SNSD dance moves, but I am. And like she says, it's not like he hasn't done it before. (Sidenote: Remember how I said I love "Genie?" I also love a "Genie" tribute. Dream High's made me lose my shit. CNBlue learning the steps from Seohyun? Heartwarming!) OH! I almost forgot the best part of their whole relationship. Yonghwa wants Seohyun to learn a song on the guitar and perform it for him. And the song he picks is.... "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes (!!!). I can't. There are no words.

Here's a clip of Yonghwa and Seohyun celebrating their 22nd day anniversary. It's a great example of how the celebrities on the show sometimes act really couple-y, and the commentators keep trying to get them to act couple-y, but in reality, they're not a couple, and they're not trying to get together. The second half is basically a commercial for Avatar, but still worth watching.

(Again, this video no longer exists. Sorry, dude.)

(Another couple that's super couple-y together and should have just gotten married for real is Alex and Shinae from the first season. Those two were completely adorable. They made me believe in their love, those liars.)

The only bad thing about We Got Married is that it's hard to find subbed episodes and clips. You can watch most of the first season as full episodes here, but most of what's out there is cut together segments of people's favorite couples. The site with the best quality videos is here, but know that they are separated into different couples, and not all couples are there. Still, I've been making my way through Yonghwa and Seohyun clips, and it's just as enthralling as when I watched full episodes. No matter how you watch it, I strongly encourage you to join me in obsessing over We Got Married.

We Got Married: Free, streaming on the internets. Google it, or go to the links above.