Spoilers, and why I avoid them.

[thorfinn]

I'm an information expert. Putting together little bits of data to form concrete information is something I excel at. Hearing tiny little spoilers and rumours here and there adds up inside my brain, even if I'm trying to forget them, and I really prefer to come to the episode fresh, as the writers intend it to be seen.

If the writing is subtle, and the plots are balanced and complex, then rumours don't worry me quite as much, because it is harder to pick future plotlines based on existing information plus a couple of rumours... but when the plotting isn't so subtle, then it becomes startlingly easy. And even with balanced plotlines, rumours and spoilers can tip the balance of prediction strongly in one direction...

Which can ruin "great moments" of story completely for me. The "great moments" in all stories generally come at the resolution points of conflict/tension. The story builds to a peak, where the conflict is greatest... and then there is resolution, in a direction. When I know in advance what that resolution is, then the conflict/tension is ruined, because I know how it's going to come out. The moment doesn't have the emotional impact that it should, as a result. I want those high-points, when they're available.

That's why I'm so strict about avoiding possible spoiler information for shows I actually care about (those are very few, Babylon 5 and Buffy has been about it so far) enough. Even future casting information (which a lot of people seem to be happy to discuss), is enough to drive me to block my ears and move away rapidly... I don't want to know. Show trailers are often even worse. I turn away and block my ears and make "nanana" noises when they're on...

Comments

Season 3 buffy

[kowari.livejournal.com]

Having only seen up to, I think season 3 buffy (I got sick, and slept a lot, I started working, life just got... full) but my mum has been taping them all for me.

Trying to avoid people talking about it is kinda hard. I know tidbits, but if I tell my brain to forget, it can. A special ability of mine. So I have managed to avoid all details of plot so far, dispite it being vigourously discussed around me. (I know something of robots, hell and that is about it)

So, soon I will sit down and watch them all end to end.

And yes, I agree that Bab 5 is the only other one I have been anal about plot... try explaining that to my mother ("I read on the net the other day.." "SHUT UP MUM, I don't want to know!")

Spoilers

[delwyn.livejournal.com]

Right there with you Thorfy. You can't have an "oh my god they did what?!?" moment if you've already heard about it. Babylon 5 was the first show I became a stickler about with spoilers after I hearing how the 2nd Season episode Divided Loyalties ended before seeing it. Sitting through the ep I realised how much more tense it would have been had I not been aware of that one little secret. From there it was "spoiler shields up, keptin" and full submission to JMS' whimsy.

This season of Buffy hasn't really grabbed me - there's been a lot of "blah" stuff going on and I haven't really cared about spoilers or even watching an episode when I'd missed the previous four. Hopefully next season improves.

Spoilers or not.

[longi.livejournal.com]

I will usually watch trailers or listen to the odd detail or two on most things, with one exception:

Star Wars.

I think I actually threatened to gag and disembowel a few people if they dared spoil Clone Wars for me.... one person who shall remain nameless told me about a certain character in a certain scene, which pissed me off immensely because it would have had *so* much more impact if I hadn't been expecting it.

Re: Spoilers or not.

[thorfinn]

Yar... If I expand my list of media outside Television, then definitely, SW:aNH and SW:AotC were both on the list of movies I wanted completely unspoilered. Again, in part, because I didn't have faith that the plot was subtle enough to bear it... quite the opposite. I was sure that it wasn't subtle.

I don't avoid movie trailers, because mostly, they're better than TV trailers - they don't tend to give away important plot spoilers, but I do in general avoid other types of spoiler material for any movie I actually am planning to see.

Books and stories, I'm utterly fascist about, if I'm planning to ever read the book (or series of books) myself.

Spolier Bunny

[lirion.livejournal.com]

I am pretty much the opposite. I enjoy spoilers, and while I don't go searching for them, I am quite willing to listen if someone is discussing them. I watch the trailers and read the synopsis of books because they give me an overview of what is happening (yes I know that is stating the obvious), and I LIKE having that context to frame my thoughts around. Last season in Buffy, I pretty much knew what waas going to happen at teh end and that worked for me. This season I didn't - i knew some things, but they occured a few episodes before the final, but not the specifics, and that worked for me too. Partly last season, events were building to an obvious conclusion, so the spoliers didn't bother me, even though there were some surprises. This season, it was so disjointed with no clear direction, that even though i picked bits and pieces (without the aid of spoliers) it would have been different and yes it would ahve lost some of its impact, because there were surprises thrown in towards the end. But I could have enjoyed it either way.

And yet, in movies for instance, yes I watch the triiler, but I tend not to want spoliers - because its a once off, there will be no future episode. Same with books. But I don't get anal about it...