Friday, November 9, 2012

Spoiler Rules To Live By

On today's GeekTime, we all had a long (and geeky) conversation about spoilers and the rules that should apply. Many listeners thought we were joking around.

I wasn't.

I take my spoilers very seriously. There are two types - spoiling with excitement (SPE) and spoiling with intent (SPI)

When it's SPE, you just can't help yourself. This is forgivable since it's a byproduct of television viewing exuberance.  SPI, however, is just plain obnoxious. The classic "I know something you don't know" maneuver.

I've been guilty of doing both in the past, so I wanted to lay down my spoiler rules to make sure we're all on the same page.

REGULAR EPISODE

Rule - 5 days

Whether it's The Walking Dead or Modern Family, Homeland or Sons of Anarchy, when an episode is over I am ready to talk about it.

However, I respect that most people don't watch TV as often and as frequently as I do. A five-day grace period provides plenty of time for viewers to catch up.

SEASON FINALE

Rule - 48 hours

A poisonous plant. A flash forward. A bullet in the head. Season finales are potential game changers. EVERYONE wants to talk about a season finale as soon as it's over regardless of how good or bad it was.

Two days is enough time for your pals to catch up on the program. This is important TV. Prioritize, people.

SERIES FINALE

Rule - 24 hours

A snow globe. A cut to black. A jail cell.  However a show comes to an end, it's too tempting to hold back any conversation about it. You just can't help yourself. One day gives enough time for anyone to catch up without the episode being spoiled. You're avoiding newspapers and the internet all day anyway. After that...all bets are off.

COMPLETED SERIES

Rule - None

If a series has completed its live episode run, there's no such thing as a spoiler. C'mon, you've had ample time to watch The Wire or Battlestar Galactica. Shame on you for not catching it the first time around.

I'm not saying you should SPI here, but if you do, it's guilt free. It's all in the game.

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On Jon Hein's TV Show, we really do try hard not to spoil stuff.  In "The Week That Was", we consciously pull clips that don't ruin the end of a given episode. And it's awfully tempting to do so.

But let's face it, JHTV is a weekly show that discusses...TV! If you're listening to the show, and I'm thankful that you do, you might occasionally hear some spoilers from the past week's programming.  But it's all SPE...trust me.

If we all follow these spoiler rules, the world of television will be a better place. 

Now let me tell you how Breaking Bad is going to end.  This Heisenberg guy...

1 comment:

  1. What about historical events? We all know what happens to Lincoln and the Titanic. But what about lesser known historical events like Argo?

    ReplyDelete