"See You Again:" When a variety show is so true it becomes terrifying

If you ask me what is the most popular variety show of the year in China? Then, I would say: Season 4 of "See You Again" is peerless.

The show, being streamed on Internet video platform Mango TV, sees three couples facing marriage crisis – some of them celebrities; others not so well known – going on a trip together, during which they can face their problems directly and then decide at the end of the show whether to divorce or not.

For the past two months, the show has topped trending topic charts of various social networking sites, and the couples' words and deeds have been discussed and analyzed at length.

Prying into the private lives of others, especially celebrities, often triggers a sense of excitement, guilty pleasure or just idle curiosity. But is this the sole reason for the show receiving more than 800 million view counts?

I think not. Although it is widely speculated that the show was not all spontaneous but staged, it still delved deeper into the intricate emotions within human relationships. And what people see behind those three couples are actually themselves: Being married for a decade or two; the problem of having no child or more than one child; the waning of passion; financial issues … These are problems probably all couples need to deal with.

Among all the six guest stars, housewife and livestreamer Mailin is undoubtedly the "brightest" – not because of her great performances, but because of her questionable behavior: She seems to be indifferent about the emotional needs of her husband, singer Li Hangliang, while is an endless pit when it comes to her own needs. Even as she says she doesn't care what Li thinks and feels, she is never satisfied with what Li does for her.

While Mailin became an easy target on social media, a friend of mine, a 46-year-old woman with a 15-year-old son, said, "At first I sneered at Mailin and found her too annoying to watch, but then suddenly, I re-examined something happening in my family, I was horrified to find that I was acting just like her."

She then stopped watching the show altogether.

My friend and her husband are a "model" couple. They have never had affairs; neither of them has been absent in raising their kid; and they are financially well-off. But real life is not a fairy tale. There is no "happily ever after" and most of the time life is just a repetitive routine.

"I expect some excitement and pleasant surprises, and I often expect that from my husband," she told me. "But what the show tells me is that you can be annoying when you act like that."

The moral of the story my friend learned, however, is not that "couples need to take care of each other's needs," but "not to judge a person when you don't get the whole picture, just like 'the madwoman in the attic'."

Today viewers demand more from variety shows than mere entertainment, they want emotional resonance and connection, and the nuanced portrayals of humanity in "See You Again" in fact trigger reflections on viewers themselves: When we criticize them, are we becoming one of them?

Honestly, the show might well be staged. Even if the three couples decide to mend their relationship in the end, yet real life doesn't have a script. When you have to face the problems the couples face, are you ready to make your choice?