By DOUG STRASSLER
You know what really grinds my gears these days? Spoilers. They’re everywhere. They’re on the Internet, and they’re called out in reviews. People can’t seem to wait to see the next episode of a TV show or to actually see a movie to find out what happens.
I’m not exactly sure where the need for spoilers comes from. I have friends that have to read about every element of next week’s Lost and The Office before the current episode is practically finished. Do people think they look smarter in front of their friends if they already know what is about to happen? I know I hate it when someone narrates or predicts along with what I’m watching, whether or not I can figure it out for myself. Or do they need to know because they simply Just. Cannot. Wait?
This is one of the ways in which I feel the information age has made the actual act of watching a smaller event in the overall entertainment experience (DVD marathon viewing sessions have also contributed to the need for instant gratification). Remember a time when you couldn’t wait to call your friend right after seeing something because there had been such a shocking, Oh-my-God moment? Most of my pre-Internet and spoiler options are limited to the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, but Thelma & Louise would have never had the same effect on me if I’d already learned the ending and then perfectly plotted events that made it inevitable. And having seen The Crying Game before learning that there was a twist actually makes a big difference in appreciating the film at first viewing.
Do you remember when a dejected Omar Epps threw himself in front of a train back in ER’s heyday? It was a total “holy crap” moment and phone lines lit up after that! Same thing when Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross) came back from “the dead†on Melrose Place. How boring would that episode have been if we had known it was coming? And that scene where she lifts her wig off would have been boring if we’d known ahead of time to wait for it.
Also, can you imagine having gone to see The Empire Strikes Back already knowing what Darth Vader’s big revelation was going to be? How unexciting would that have been? Similarly, who would have bothered tuning in to the Dallas episode where they revealed who shot J.R. if multiple sources had already run who the likely culprit was? These are iconic examples of cliffhangers and reveals. If you take away the surprise, you take away the chance of anything ever having a chance to enter the lexicon of memorable moments.
It also doesn’t help matters when an article or review prints a spoiler alert. Now I already know there is something to spoil! In Ben Brantley’s recent review of Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, he refers to a character’s death in the second act. Now whenever I do eventually see it, I’ll be waiting for a character to kick the bucket. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know which character dies; my viewing experience has already been tainted.
Similarly, reviews of a fairly recent movie – I’m being deliberately vague in order to try not to give anything away here – mention a jarring twist near the end. Some said what happened, some just acknowledge that there is a major SOMETHING that happens. Either way, I now know more about the movie before ever even seeing it than I should. And even if I choose not to go on the Internet, turn on my TV, or open a magazine or newspaper, that information is already out there. Chances are I’ll hear it in passing in a store or on the subway.
Am I just an old fart, longing for an age that no longer exists? Do you guys seek spoilers out or wait to be surprised by what you see?
20 responses so far ↓
1 Suzannah // Mar 18, 2010 at 8:18 am
Sorry Doug, you are an old fart. As someone who watches almost all of her teevee on the internet or dvd, I realize the onus is on me to avoid reviews and even websites where I know elements of plots will be given away in headlines or a front-page photo. As far as I’m concerned, if the tv show has already aired, it’s fair game. I’m actually annoyed by “recaps” that announce “Spoiler alert!” at the top of their columns. Um, if it’s a recap then obvs there are spoilers and people who don’t realize that are too dumb for television.
As for people who reveal spoilers in reviews or conversation before a show/movie/play has been shown, that’s bad form. But in the case of the movie whose name you dare not mention, did you really want to see that obviously sentimental and wretched movie anyway? I thought I knew you better than that, my friend.
We still do have collective tv a-ha moments. The end of the Sopranos is one that comes to mind. The thought of a million people banging on their blank tv sets does make me smile.
2 ferretrick // Mar 18, 2010 at 8:35 am
I TRY to stay away from spoilers at all costs. What does bug me is the people who feel that the Internet should shut down discussion of a TV show, movie, or whatever, until they personally have a chance to see it. If I’m out on Thursday night and don’t get a chance to watch Survivor before bed time, I avoid going to sites like zap2it.com where I know who got the boot will be front page news until I’ve watched the show.
And sometimes it is absolutely necessary in a piece of criticism to divulge a spoiler, or at least that there is SOMETHING that, if you talked about it, would be a major spoiler. Often the success or failure of a piece of art hangs on whether the surprises work or they don’t. If a pivotal plot twist is key to evaluating a piece of art, you can’t really review the work without at least talking about it in abstract terms. I haven’t read Brantley’s review of Love Never Dies, but did he reveal the death in order to make an important point?
An example-its probably impossible to be unspoiled about Psycho now, its such a part of the culture. But the first audiences who saw it, and didn’t know the shower scene was coming-could critics really evaluate the film just based on the scenes of Janet Leigh embezzling the money? Can you grade the film without revealing that it’s not really about that, its about Anthony Perkins being a psycho killer?
3 Jesse // Mar 18, 2010 at 9:16 am
I seek out spoilers for movies I don’t want or plan to see… primarily horror and intensely disturbing movies. In movies like Salo, Irreversible, etc, the “payoff” is getting to see something that challenges your fortitude. For that kind of payoff, I’d rather just read about it to know what all the fuss is about… I don’t need my stomach to be tested by a movie, and I’m glad those spoilers are out there.
It’s a big challenge for a production studio to make a movie that relies on a “twist” these days. It was done successfully in The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, and (I think) that movie you guys are all talking about, presumably “Remember Me.” For movies like this, I think it’s okay for spoilers to start leaking out after a few days at the box office. All the people who were in serious suspense about the movie have already seen it by this time, and those stragglers who still want to be surprised can buy a little more time by putting their heads in the sand.
Beyond this surprise-friendly grace period, it’s up to the movie to make itself valuable. Star Wars was a great example… it definitely wasn’t just about the twist at the end of Empire Strikes Back. This twist was so powerful, rendered so well, that even when you know it’s coming, it’s still an intense moment, and the films still hold up. Any film that becomes bland and uninteresting after reading the synopsis is, unfortunately, probably not a very good movie in general.
That said, I hope we don’t all lose our sense of courtesy, at least… surprise and artificial suspense are still a huge part of the storytelling experience, and it’s mega-rude to spoil movies without indiscriminately, no matter how you slice it.
4 Doug Strassler // Mar 18, 2010 at 9:18 am
I agree about avoiding spoilers after something has aired or been released — I do go out of my way to try and avoid online and verbal chatter about what happened as best as I can, but feel the onus is more on me to avoid it. But only after, not in advance.
Sometimes, occasionally, I think a spoiler alert is necessary in evaluating a work of art. But a published review is geared for a different audience than a more analytical essay; I feel like there are ways to support an argument in a review without acknowledging a specific turn or reveal. I might refer to a writer’s or director’s choices, or mention that the plot isn’t totally cohesive. This way I feel it hasn’t given too much away for those who are reading in advance, but might make sense to those reading afterward.
And I didn’t think Love Never Dies reference made even a slightly important point.
5 InfoMofo // Mar 18, 2010 at 10:30 am
So with movies and TV, I agree that there should be a grace period under which spoilers are punishable by death. I know what recent movie you’re referring to, and I saw the star of the movie appear on a talk show, and the host was pretty blatant about letting the audience know to expect a twist, which I thought was uncharacteristically uncool. I wasn’t going to see it anyway though (geez it was hard to write this paragraph, I feel like I’m writing a blind item).
I think after the tv show has been out for 1 week, or the movie has been out 1 year, then spoilers are fair game. If you don’t know what Soylent Green is by now, it’s too late.
6 Doug Strassler // Mar 18, 2010 at 10:45 am
Totally with you on that for both movies and TV. If by summer of 2000 you hadn’t seen The Sixth Sense, hearing about what happens at the end — that Mischa Barton shows up and sucks in it — probably won’t rock your world.
7 Kaitlyn // Mar 18, 2010 at 11:45 am
Doug, I totally agree with you about media spoiling things much more frequently (and without care). Lately, I’ve been noticing it with casting spoilers, which can be harder to avoid than one would think. On a show like Lost, part of the joy is not knowing who is really dead and gone, and who might be coming back. Yet all through the hiatus, there were constant articles about work that cast members were taking, which, in my opinion, gave an idea of what shape the current season might take.
8 Karen // Mar 18, 2010 at 1:10 pm
As a general rule I despise spoilers. If I don’t see a show like Lost or Survivor on the night that it airs, I spend the whole next day averting my eyes. The only instance where I don’t mind spoilers is for a movie that I know I’m going to be slow about seeing, or for horror/thriller movies. I’m such a chicken that the only way I can get through a scary movie is if I know what’s going to happen.
9 Schlinkaboo // Mar 18, 2010 at 2:05 pm
What about when “Gary Dies”? We were all tuned into that thirtysomething episode to find out about Nancy’s cancer and were hit with this very sudden, shocking, accidental death. If I had known that a “character was going to die” of course I would have assumed it was Nancy and the whole experience would have been ruined.
What is with the need for “shocking twists” all the time? The Sixth Sense was a fascinating movie, I thought that “Mischa Barton was going to show up” but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a very good movie. (And Shamalamdingdong has been trying to capture that lightening in a bottle every since, secret twist after secret twist!) And The Crying Game, same thing. I didn’t know the secret going in, I picked up on it pretty early and it didn’t change my appreciation for the film at all. It was a good movie, that was just part of it.
Too many television shows demand that we watch to guess these shocking twists and are the first to announce it and impress our friends and talk about like we were on the inside all along. Just make good television and we will watch. Mad Men is excellent because nothing happens and I’m still blown away at the end of every episode because of what I have experienced.
10 Doug Strassler // Mar 18, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Schlinkaboo, I don’t know you but I was thisclose to writing all about that episode of thirtysomething. It’s my all-time favorite episode of tv. And I was worried that no one would know what I was talking about!
And I totally agree about shows like Mad Men. BIG things don’t need to happen all the time. The true story, for me, always lies within the small things.
11 Destiny // Mar 18, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Something similar that irks me is the “spolier trailer” where 75% of a movie is given away in the preview. The Talented Mr. Ripley comes to mind along with almost every romantic comedy.
BTW, Doug, it’s nice to have you back and once again you’ve hit on an interesting topic. I’m also a sports fan, and nothing irritates me more than when TV news and websites reveal the results of tape delayed sporting events (like the Olympics when they’re held in another time zone). Grrrrrrr
12 Rachel // Mar 18, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I like surprises – I like them in my everyday life, and I like them in my entertainment. So generally I don’t read articles about anything I plan to watch or read. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from being accidentally spoiled with headlines or the like.
It does mean that I miss out on the social aspect of entertainment sometimes, which is a shame. I rarely manage to watch anything right when it airs/is in theatres, and since I want to avoid spoilers I stay away from the (virtual) conversations. The season when I was watching Lost at the same time as everyone else was great. But I’d rather not know what’s coming.
13 K. // Mar 18, 2010 at 8:18 pm
It’s Mehki Phifer who was on ER, not Omar Epps. Omar Epps is on House. Different black guy, different medical drama.
I think I know the movie and the spoiler that you’re referring to, and I read the spoiler because I’m not going to see the movie. But I have deliberately avoided all reviews of Shutter Island because apparently there’s a twist that I definitely DON’T want to know about. When I saw The Sixth Sense and the twist was revealed and the whole theater went “Ohhhh” and realized there had been clues along the way … I love that moment, especially in scary movies. I never want to know whodunnit ahead of time.
14 Doug Strassler // Mar 18, 2010 at 8:29 pm
K, I agree about the satisfaction that comes when you see something and have managed to avoid spoilers.
However, I was indeed referring to Epps — he played Dennis Gant, a surgery intern during the third season of ER who bristled under the watch of Eriq LaSalle.
15 K. // Mar 18, 2010 at 9:27 pm
My apologies for my mix-up and perhaps the tone, if it came off snappish. I don’t think I watched ER’s third season (and since the show was on for 100 years, it was a long time ago anyway).
I was reading some comments online the day after Kal Penn’s character committed suicide on House, and there were a more than a few people who were mad that it had been spoiled. And I thought, “The show already aired and you’re reading an article about it …” I think once a TV show airs, you have the right not to go looking for spoilers, but you should expect them to be out there. I read Alan Sepinwall’s blog all the time, but not until I’ve seen the show he’s reviewing – like I have DirecTV so I’ve seen Friday Night Lights season 4 already, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t click on his review.
16 Stacy // Mar 18, 2010 at 9:34 pm
From the comments we’ve seen it appears NO ONE likes spoilers…then why are they out there?
Anyway, it makes me think about how too many classic movies have been ruined for new viewers and how impossible it is to keep anything secret forever except from the most unaware people. I’m envious of my brother, who has managed to not only avoid new spoilers but never seems to be aware of the most classic film endings. In high school he got sucked in while we were watching Gone With The Wind, and I will never forget how late that night, after we’d given up and gone to bed, he burst into my room and said “He left her?!? I sat through four hours and he LEFT her?!?!”
17 InfoMofo // Mar 19, 2010 at 10:54 am
Well one thing you can do is vote with your RSS readers. I’ve stopped reading buzzfeed ever since they spoiled the Mad Men episode where … dammit.
Well something happened. And I had even already seen the episode, but it was so asinine for their west coast readers that I just decided it wasn’t worth it.
18 Doug Strassler // Mar 19, 2010 at 11:30 am
Stacy, out of curiosity — was the end of Titanic a shock too?
19 josh // Mar 29, 2010 at 7:08 am
My envious-of-ignorant moment came when sitting next to a friend who knew nothing other than the title of the movie we were watching. She had to figure it out along with the title character. When the camera fell out of the sky and nearly hit Truman, she had an audible WTF moment.
20 Ryan // Apr 5, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I’m with you Doug. Maybe we’re too old school, but I still haven’t forgave the friend that ruined the Sixth Sense for me all those years ago. And that was just one jerk trying to ruin my day. In the 24/7 news cycle people are ruining tv and movies endings just for the sake of writing about it first. That’s great you have advanced access to these movies through press connections that common folk don’t have, and feel the need to write SPOILER ALERT in a slightly bolded font. Wow, thanks for giving me the option not to read this paragraph Mr. Writer. Its not like the reader has a choice for you; I’d love to write “spoiler alert, this guy’s article sucks!” before half the reviews I read but sadly us common folk lack that power…
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