Mini Series: We Got Married - Taemin and Naeun Ep.3
Added 2021-06-08 10:00:05 +0000 UTCTaemin and Naeun go back to school for one super cute walk down memory lane!
Comments
Yes, being given the latitude to adlib is what I meant by scripted. I don't watch reality shows here in the US because there is definitely a mean streak where they set people up to fail or to be publicly humiliated. I watch TV and movies to escape from that type of reality. Besides, it's not cool to root for people to fail, etc. It's also frustrating to hear about or from the toxic members of fandoms.
Hope 4Peace
2021-06-16 05:38:29 +0000 UTCYou bring up great points in both your comments and I agree that it's probably not a black and white thing like most fans make it out to be. The show is for sure scripted in terms of where they go and what they do, and they most likely were given prompts like, "please sit here and have a conversation on X topic." I still maintain that Taemin is not a good enough actor for the show to have been scripted on a line by line basis but they may have been directed to carry their conversations in a specific direction and to mention certain things (like the incident you brought up with the sponsor). I've also learned to never trust editing in reality television so I take everything that was said and done with a huge grain of salt. My perspective is just that I enjoyed the show for what it was and while it certainly seemed as though they liked each other, we'll never know for sure unless Taemin himself ever opens up about it. I'm not sure if you heard Eric Nam recently discuss his run on WGM with Mamamoo's Solar but he's a pretty honest person so I found his perspective interesting. He mentioned how a lot of people badger him about why he never talks about WGM and basically it's because it's a very sensitive topic for him. He said that he did actually have a "great time" on the show (didn't elaborate, unfortunately) and is on very good terms with Solar but he's so awkward around her because of the amount of hate he received and continues to receive from the show (and correct me if I'm wrong but I didn't think his run on the show was particularly controversial?). Four years later and he still gets random hate messages about WGM and is nervous that what he says will be twisted and taken out of context. It's really no wonder that most couples go on to avoid each other and avoid discussing the show.
Koruphaia
2021-06-11 03:41:00 +0000 UTC(Note: more spoilers/controversy comments. Sorry Torsie!) Yeah the scripting of the show is more prompt based than actual lines being fed to them except very specific instances ( I remember them being caught with signs for one of their couples to promote a sponsor 😂) but they definitely have a over all plan on how they want the season to go and the couples can do what ever within those parameters. Which is fine I guess except some people who insist the whole thing is completely authentic. Just pick any episode that has more than just them in it (Apink or SHINee) and watch all the jump cuts. It’s not evil editing. They never intended to make him evil. It wouldn’t work and would get a large fandom really mad at them. They wanted to make him more immature looking in comparison to Naeun. Someone not quite there. I think Naeun said it at one point: he is 90%. The idea was he would mature by taking care of her to reach his full 100% potential. From Maknae to man type of thing. I think that is what really got it canceled really. This is just my tin foil hat moment but the show ended in the winter of 2013 and Taemin’s solo debut was in the summer of 2014. We don’t know when exactly he knew about the solo but I bet SM had an idea by then and considering the image they wanted for him as a soloist what was happening on WGM was hurting his future image and even his current one. Taemin had really matured by 2013. We saw him on WGM promoting everybody. He was turning a corner into full adult then you watch the show and suddenly he’s childish again. Not that he can’t be both (he still is in some ways) it’s about perception and marketing. So you have a fandom that’s already upset about the shadiness of the show (speaking of everybody promotions did you know about the thing with the candies? I’m trying not to be to explicit so not to throw major spoilers 🙃) then the prank drama, then the staff’s behavior to the supporters and the marketing issues for his upcoming solo debut. I think SM said this is not worth it and pulled out. And when Key did his they made some they had more control over what went out. That or Key just wouldn’t let them push him into doing whatever. Cause Key.
PearlAquaTaemint
2021-06-11 00:26:39 +0000 UTC(Note: Sorry Torsie for all the spoilers/spamming/controversy!! 😭) I totally agree with you that it’s not black and white. That’s awful that fans were treated poorly by production staff. As long as they weren’t in the way of shooting, they should have been left alone and if they were in the way, there’s no reason they couldn’t have just asked them to leave. I hope the staff members in question had to face some kind of consequences. I do still feel there may be some discrepancy in what people actually mean when they say the show is scripted. Because yes, of course the production team had a hand in what the couples do - they need to make content, after all. But I also think it’s fairly clear no one on the show is being fed lines to recite. Being nudged along and encouraged to discuss certain topics, and having dates and activities pre-planned while maintaining the facade that the couples are planning everything themselves is what makes the show “scripted,” to me (I think I remember one of the producers confirming this in an interview about the show, after it had already ended so they would have nothing to gain by lying). Like Koruphaia said, Taemin - especially back then - was not particularly good at acting from a script, drama style. If he actually managed to act as naturally as he did in WGM while performing lines from a script, then he’s been holding out on us in his few drama roles haha I’m not going to speculate about that crying clip - without knowing the actual shooting schedule or what interview prompts she received, there’s no way to know for sure if that was acting instructed by staff or genuine emotion. Personally, I could see either way - it could very well have been manufactured for added “drama,” or she could have just gotten a bit emotional thinking back on it 🤷🏻♀️ To echo Koruphaia again though, if the show wanted to give Taemin the evil edit, they did a pretty terrible job of it! Anyways, that’s just my 2 cents as a Shawol, Pink Panda, and WGM fan! Thanks for discussing, it’s hard to find people to talk about the show with 😅
nialeta
2021-06-10 23:47:45 +0000 UTCThe problem with WGM controversy is it’s nuanced and people don’t like things not being black and white. Yes Taemin probably did act a fool and hurt Naeun in that episode but they worked it out during the episode and she forgave him. So why is she crying like that in the interview segment that wasn’t even filmed the same day? Why is the film crew prompting her to have that reaction? Another issue is the Korean vs International fan experience. They are much more tuned in to the idols. They know much more about how the shows work and it is generally well known among Kfans that the show is scripted. It’s not even something they question. Especially since they are often at the filming site. That was another controversy that isn’t as well known I think cause I don’t hear many people bring it up. Towards the end the WGM production crew got quite aggressive with the shawols supporting peaceful on the sidelines. Chasing them and shining bright lights in their eyes while they were at the theme park, etc. I think that was the final straw in the fandom to make everyone want Taemin off of there. Did some fans get ridiculously possessive of Taemin and throw hate at Naeun for no good reason? Yes. Full stop. I will not defend any of them. I enjoy the show and I wish Taemin and Naeun could move on from it peacefully and look back at it as fond memories or even become friends (cause I do think they were fond of each other.) it was just ruined by the reactions of everyone around them. You can see the difference at the end of year shows the first few vs the last how relaxed Taemin seemed at first then someone would say something and he would get agitated and leave. By the end he wouldn’t even look their way and never did again, completely shutting down every time they came in contact. But then I think most couples from that show are that way. They avoid talking about it. And often avoid their partners. The few who do speak up rarely have anything good to say about their time there. It’s a WGM problem magnified by young Kpop idol fandoms 🤷♀️
PearlAquaTaemint
2021-06-10 15:25:53 +0000 UTCI completely agree with everything you said. Some fans just really didn't want to admit that their idol can make mistakes too, even at that age while awkwardly navigating his "first relationship." If the producers actually wanted to villainize him for ratings they did a terrible job of it because he was so sweet and soft throughout the rest of the show. WGM made me a Pink Panda as well and the Naeun hate parade was disgusting and disappointing to see. Shawols nowadays have a generally good reputation as a mellow fandom but you're right that we had our ugly season too. If this really was their first experience with romance, it's such a shame to think of how it might be tainted in their memory by that abuse and feelings of guilt by association. I don't think it's delulu at all to feel that way. Their chemistry was so obvious and natural and their eyes lit up around each other in a way that's hard to fake. At the very least, they clearly enjoyed each other's company as friends, even if the romance was exaggerated for the camera. I can only hope that Taemin didn't let fan behavior sour whatever kind of relationship they had and that he doesn't regret his time on the show
Koruphaia
2021-06-10 07:26:51 +0000 UTCThis is a great summary! I was a babywol back when this show was airing so I don't really remember all the specific ~drama~, but I do feel that a lot of the scoffing about how "scripted" the show is, even to this day, stems from that conflict where Taemin really was at fault. Some fans refused to believe that Taemin (despite literally being a 20-year-old boy who had never seriously dated in his life) might not actually always be perfect. So there was a huge outburst of "well it's scripted anyways, they just made him act immature for the show," and then of course many Shawols decided to boycott the show after deciding that it was the producer's fault for "scripting" a conflict that made Taemin look bad, even though I seriously doubt that was the case at all. Another thing I remember though, unfortunately, is just how vile some Taemin fans were towards Naeun. This was aired at the peak of Shinee's popularity, the same year they won their Artist of the Year Daesang, so naturally their fan base was much more... "passionate"... than it generally is now. It also skewed much younger, because the boys were younger then too, which I really I hope is the reason for how entitled and immature a certain, very vocal group of Shawols acted throughout the airing of the show. The jealousy over seeing Taemin "date" within parts of the fandom got a bit scary at times, and I know Taemin felt awful and blamed himself for putting Naeun through that kind of online abuse. Despite this, there were still many supportive Shawols back then that actually became Pink Pandas (APink fans) through this show, and vice versa. I was one of them, and still love APink to this day because of this show! It's really a shame that the nasty, vocal minority of Shawols soured the show for so many people - possibly including Taemin and Naeun. On the whole though, I think they really did enjoy their time "dating" - I don't think I'm wearing delulu goggles when I say they clearly seemed to have feelings for each other (and you're absolutely right - Taemin has many skills, but traditional acting definitely is not one of them lol). I hope they were able to get closure on their relationship - whether it really was romantic outside the show or not - at some point.
nialeta
2021-06-09 22:56:01 +0000 UTCOh no, I’m sorry it’s not working! Let me know if it still hasn’t refreshed in a little bit and I’ll relink the video again just in case ☺️ got to have our WGM fun!!
TORS1E
2021-06-09 09:25:04 +0000 UTCSo far it still doesn’t work, maybe there is something wrong with my device. I will try it later anyway.👍 Btw Obsession and other videos are without any problem. I love your reactions🥰 Thank you for all of your love for SHINee!
Ojkmt_Nini
2021-06-09 08:53:01 +0000 UTCMy understanding of the controversy around the show is that many fans were angry about the perceived damage it did to Taemin's reputation. The couple (real or not) seemed to like each other for the duration of the show but there was an incident between them that sparked quite a backlash. For context, a lot of fans already accused the show of being scripted. A few details emerged that some took as evidence of a script and honestly a lot of those suspicions were fueled even further by jealousy among possessive fans. People who worked on the show have since clarified that the show was only "scripted" in the sense of where they went and what activities they did but that the conversations and reactions were natural. Maybe they were prompted to speak in a certain way but I find this believable. Our beloved Taemin is brilliantly talented and great at emoting on stage but let's be honest, he is not a good actor when it comes to delivering lines and such. If the show is fully scripted then both Taemin and Naeun deserve a Daesang for their performances. Later in the show there's an episode in which Taemin pranks Naeun by basically faking being an immature jerk to her to see how she'll react (since he wants her to express her feelings more) and yeah it's terrible and cringe and she cries in the interview segments. Then the prank is revealed (the SHINee hyungs even "punish" Taemin for it lol), she's mad for a bit, and they make up by the next episode. But whew, the backlash. Made worse by the fact that in a behind-the-scenes video of Naeun's interview, we hear a staff member refer to Taemin as a son of a b****. A lot of people were skeptical of the degree to which this episode was authentic and accused the show of framing Taemin as the bad guy and hurting his reputation. There were a lot of hateful comments flung around from both fandoms as well towards Taemin and Naeun. As you saw here, Taemin already alluded to these sorts of comments in just the third episode, so you can probably imagine how bad it got towards the end of the show. All the controversy led to their run on the show being abruptly ended. In the final episode they both seem genuinely upset and reluctant to part, so I doubt they held any animosity towards each other. But as an unfortunate result of all this, any time they cross paths in public, like at award shows, they avoid each other like the plague, and Taemin never speaks about his time on WGM. We'll probably never know the true extent of their feelings toward each other and whether they maintained an ongoing relationship in private or went their separate ways, nor is it any of our business. I can only hope they were able to peacefully resolve things between themselves outside of the scrutiny and callousness of these "fans."
Koruphaia
2021-06-09 08:52:29 +0000 UTCI wonder what the controversy is about. Maybe because it's a paid work assignment and they were thrown together at such a young age? I was a late bloomer and didn't date in highschool but saw friends with broken hearts. How they are going through this on a tv show is what I find baffling. When Taemin said the members were teasing him, I recalled the partial episode I found with English subtitles. I was surprised to see Minho being a bit mean, or maybe that's too harsh a word. (Like when he recently asked to skip Taemin's song and play another.) Anyway, I guess we'll be seeing some growing pains as the series continues. Thank you again for posting these darling episodes, Tors1e.
Hope 4Peace
2021-06-09 06:43:04 +0000 UTCOkay, it should be working now!
TORS1E
2021-06-09 06:41:56 +0000 UTCOh no! Thanks for telling me, I’ll re-link it now (it must have gotten broken, sorry!)
TORS1E
2021-06-09 06:30:43 +0000 UTCI don’t know if this only happens to me, but the link says we couldn’t find the page🥲
Ojkmt_Nini
2021-06-09 05:21:56 +0000 UTCI made a long comment addressing the controversy around the show that keeps immediately disappearing and is probably incorrectly marked as spam but in the meantime while I try to get that restored, thanks for your reaction! WGM is such a fun show to revisit and takes the edge off of the pain we're all feeling right now. Apologies if you suddenly get three identical essays all at once!
Koruphaia
2021-06-08 23:14:13 +0000 UTCmaybe the halfway point between “fate” and “good casting” is “it’s fate that the casting team was able to find out they had all these things in common” 😂 thanks for the reaction, as always, and looking forward to your debut as a drama writer! 😮
nialeta
2021-06-08 18:02:35 +0000 UTC
