Let’s talk about spoilers.
College Humor put out this video on spoiler etiquette (featuring Andre Royo from “The Wire,” Sarah Wayne Callies from “The Walking Dead,” and Julie Benz from “Dexter,” among others), and while it’s mostly played for laughs, it does raise a few really good points. Most notably, it sets guidelines for how long you have to wait before you can discuss spoilers with impunity: two weeks for a regular episode, two months for a season finale, and one year for a series finale. Those are a little on the long end for my taste, but I’d be willing to accept the terms just to provide some clarity. I get that some people like to wait until the end of a season to plow through a show on DVD, but there has to be a limit, people.
The one that hit closest to home for me, because I write for a television blog, was this one: “Viewers shall seek out information online at their own risk. While a spoiler alert is considerate, it should by no means be expected.” I swear to God I’ve had it up to my bloodshot eyes with people who open their browser, go to a website that discusses timely television news, then get all huffy when that website actually discusses things that happened on television. We try to be pretty good about it here in our discussion posts about “Justified” or “The Walking Dead,” but only because those are next day things, and it’s understandable that you had something come up the night before. But make no mistake, that is us being considerate, not something you are owed.
In summation, Omar gets shot in the head at the end of “The Wire.” It happened four years ago. If it was that important to you, you would have watched it by now.
via Buzzfeed
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SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE.
Oh, Josh. I heart you.
I got yelled at by a friend for mentioning the Dumbledore death when we were discussing the release of the final HP movie. Stupid. But it does lead me mention my gratitude to all of you who have read the GoT books, but are good about not spoiling the show.
It was his sled. It was his sled from when he was a kid. There, I just saved you two long boobless hours.
Julie Benz
*swoon*
That is all.
That’s not the Rochambeau I remember.
RAYLAN GIVENS HAS BEEN A VAMPIRE ALL ALONG
WILL AND GRACE REUNITE AFTER THEIR CHILDREN FALL IN LOVE!
….Because we totally watch Will and Grace here.
*cough*
I think it depends on where you’re posting, too. For example, I haven’t watched last night’s Walking Dead, so I wouldn’t read a post about it. But if somebody’s dropping spoilers without warning in a post that’s NOT about TWD, that’s sort of inconsiderate.
Basically, people should be considerate, but if you’re way behind and reading things that could contain spoilers, that’s on you.
Spoiler : Carl’s face is stupid.
It’s not a spoiler if it’s common knowledge.
I’ve actually had pretty good luck around here. I see the Justified post and know that it’s on my DVR and so I skip that article for the day and nobody has ruined things yet through this methodology.
Here’s how I’d do it (if I were TV King):
–Sporting events: 3 hours. That’s right.. you have to let west coast people get to see it before you can start talking about it.
–Elimination “reality” shows: Same rule. Can’t start blabbing until both coasts have seen it.
–Scripted episodes: 2 Days. It really shouldn’t take you that long to get around to viewing it, and if it does it’s really your fault.
–Season Finale: A week. That’s right–Even though there are lots of shows that I wait to see on DVD as a whole, I concede that this is MY OWN choice. Wait a week for those who are more appointment-oriented to watch and then blather on!
–Series Finale: Same rule. Really? You’re going to hold the whole world hostage for a year? Don’t think so. One week! If you wait 6 months for the DVD (as I do with about 4 series for whom I don’t get the first-run channel) it’s your own choice.
Courtesy can only be carried so far.
What sports are you watching that are not shown live?
I’m the same for Justified, as long as they don’t show a spoiler in the picture I’m good. Season Finale though I will probably skip any tv related websites and stay off twitter that night.
Sookie sleeps with Jaime Lannister but it’s just a dream in Jack’s head while Walter Bishop put him on drugs in order to save Equestria. And everybody dies at the end of Six Feet Under.
You’ve been reading my fan fiction!
Except you forgot the part where Optimus Prime sleeps with Wall-E.
Your fanfiction sounds awesome, can you throw around an ocelot in this mix?
When Simon mentioned (jokingly) that he might do a 6th season of The Wire someone naturally posted it to reddit. In that thread I mentioned how it would never work because certain people are dead and certain people are retired, it wouldn’t even be the same show. Next thing you know there’s a bunch of people saying THANKS FOR SPOILING IT ASSHOLE! A show that ended 4 years earlier I somehow spoiled. Not to mention the fact that these people are reading reddit threads about a show they they presumably don’t want spoiled.
Oh, before I forget…Omar is dead and McNulty retired.
My friend worked on the set of Friday Night Lights for awhile, and at the same time she was getting into Season 1 of the Wire. Michael B. Jordan spoiled what happened to Wallace for her himself. I always that that was pretty hilarious.
That’s awesome. I guess you can’t really yell at one of the few people who can ask, “Have you got to the episode where I die yet?”
The Wizard of Oz isn’t actually a wizard!
I actually just started season 2 of The Wire.
I deserve this for waiting so long.
…because the zombies were dead the whole time!
Seriously, I hate when I have to DVR one of “our” (Glowmos unite!) shows, because I know I have to avoid the next day’s discussion. But that burden is on me…it’s not on you guys to avoid discussing it. Hell, if you were going to give me that kind of consideration, let me just go ahead and give you my paypal info so you could all send me a dollar.
Omar dyin yo
Exactly I had this spoiled for me and have been bitter ever since.
Heh, I hadn’t watched The Wire yet, and I’ve managed to blaze through all 5 seasons in the last 2 weeks. I JUST watched that episode last night, and I had somehow managed to not get that spoiled. DON’T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FINALE, I HAVE TO GO HOME AND WATCH IT TONIGHT!
@ ChiSwede
Five Words… Dragon Herion Kingpin Knife Fight
I did some serious glaring at the one who did it whenever they popped up on screen the rest of the show.
@buckwheat YOU ASSHOLE.
On a more serious note, I usually try to not spoil stuff, but I really don’t understand what the big deal is. I couldn’t care less if something is spoiled for me even in the most awesome and suspenseful show (it’s called Breaking Bad, look it up it’s pretty cool).
If the writing is good, the scene and how the plot develop should still be riveting and mind blowing!
If telling you the ending, or some event beforehand, ruins something, it’s probably because this show/movie SUCKS. (case study : The Sixth Sense)
I mean, I’ve read all A Song of Ice and Fire books, and I’m still stoked and can’t fucking wait to see season two and three.
I knew Ned was going to die, but that scene was still gripping and heart-wrenching, and I nonetheless secretly hoped that someone was going to save him.
Likewise, I had read LOTR before seeing the movie. Guess what? They were still totally awesome!
Also, YES, I’m a fantasy nerd.
Yeah, I’ve always been of the opinion that the entire enjoyable part of a book/movie/tv show should not be a single plot twist or event. I’ve had tons of stuff spoiled for me and not cared that much in most cases.
I know that since I don’t watch anything that ends after 10pm on a work night (I’m at work by 6:30am and am a pussy who gets sleepy) that it’s my job to avoid reading stuff about shows I care about enough to get angry about if they’re “spoiled”.
On the flip side, however, I think I’d have been pissed off if I knew what happened at the end of the Trinity Killer season of Dexter. That season was really good without it, but I was genuinely shocked by that ending.
If a website spoils it it’s one thing, but facebook status updates of ZOMG XXXX Died! I cannot believe it 5 fucking minutes after it happened is the worst. At least give me 24 hours to finish what’s on my DVR!
My favorite spoilers are the TV blogs that have a headline “Shocking Death: Why Did [????] Get Killed?” and then the featured picture before the jump is the dead character.
FYI: None of this applies to anything that has yet to air, like stuff that happens in the “Game of Thrones” books. The Official Warming Glow policy of “warned once then banned forever” still applies there.
One thing I love about this place is anyone who has read the books that posts here has yet to spoil something. Another reason why I love you guys. I’m halfway through A Clash of Kings btw…
/sips fanta with pinky out
//smug book reader
I recently read somewhere that Soylent Green was “people”…..
I know it was a movie….but I saw it on TV once….
Also….many times it was all a dream…..or even an evil twin…..
I think the whole thing has gone overboard. The term should only apply to twists or reveals that are intended to be actual surprises. Not every character death or random plot point is a ‘spoiler’ just because you haven’t seen it yet.
If I told you the character on a tv show , where major characters dies frequently, who robs drug dealers at gun point, ends up dying you should at the most be mildly annoyed that you found that out. If I told you that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time in The Sixth Sense or that the chick from the Crying Game has a cock.. well I would understand it if you got a little bit fired up.
Cuddy dying of lupus led to the most touching end-of-House montages ever.
It wasn’t lupus.
This is a subject that’s near and dear to me. I work insane retail hours and have triplet 4 year olds. My DVR is regularly two or three months behind on any given show.
And I steadfastly, STEADFASTLY I tell you, maintain that if I don’t want to know what’s going on with a show I’ve not caught up on it rests on me exclusively to make sure that doesn’t happen. While it may be polite for someone else to spare me, it is absolutely not their responsibility.
Spoiler whiners are essentially self-centered.
I went out to play trivia on opening night of that movie. Someone’s team name was ‘Dumbledore Dies’. Shouts were heard around the bar, and I had to stifle my laugh cause some people were out for blood. Hysterical, funny for me, crazy for others.
spot on
Isn’t it a bit ironic that the very next post following a post about spoilers etiquette has a spoiler in the banner pic?
I don’t watch The Bachelor so this is not a complaint. Just an observation.
What the fuck did Julie Benz do to her face Jesus. Stop with the plastic surgery, what is wrong with a few wrinkles on a 40 year old.
If I’m offering some information, or I want to discuss a show that could spoil things for people I always give fair warning. However if somebody bitches about me spoiling a movie that is years old I reserve the right to kick you in the dick/vag because you should have seen it by now,
Using the “jump” seems really effective to me. It’s almost like a click-through agreement. By clicking here, you understand you might be seeing spoilers and agree not be a whiny fucking infant about it because you clicked through the jump.
And if you’re using some format of a feed reader that doesn’t include the jumps, then don’t use the reader. Websites about film and television often discuss film and television.
One year is too long for anything. When I’m talking to my friends for a few months after something I’ll ask if they see it and then if they intend to see it before I say anything about it. After that window of like 3 months, it’s over. Your preferences for time-shifted all-in-one-night viewing isn’t going to influence my conversations.
“Dude, Spoiler” is the new “First”. No one knows how it started, or why it became en vogue, but everyone else does it, so we do it too.
The one thing I’ve learned about catching up with old shows and the interwebs is never to google anything without getting spoiled. I think twice I’ve typed a character’s name from a show and got “dies” suggested to me and ruining stuff.
This past month or so I watched the first four seasons of the Wire. Was about to start the 5th tonight. Honestly I am ready to stomp your fuckin face in for that. Was the joke really that funny that you would be willing to ruin one of the best shows just to get a slight if any sort of chuckle from the people who saw it?
I like how you waited four full years from the season finale to watch “one of the best shows,” but this is all my fault.
It is.
Actually, I’m almost done with season 4, am am LIVID that a TV blog would discuss the end of one of the best, most beloved and critically acclaimed television series in the history of the medium!
/sarcasm
/seriously almost done with season 4, though
I remember when there was the post that “spoiled” Rita dying on Dexter. I hadn’t seen the episode yet, but I didn’t understand the post enough to get that it was a spoiler (I’m slow) and wasn’t clued into it until I read the comments complaining about the spoiler.
So I should just stop watching season 1 of The Wire?