Question for my F-Listies (and anyone else who wanders by)

[feliciakw]

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ACTUAL SPOILERS IN YOUR RESPONSE. I cannot stress this strongly enough. I am trying to remain as spoiler-free as possible (without completely leaving the Internet) until September 18. (Note to self: Stay away from TVGuide.com.) Here's my question:

For those of you who live for spoilers, who go hunting them down, who read the sides, who grasp at any and every spoiler as if it is a life preserver . . .

Has knowing the surprises and twists and turns and reveals of a show ever really enhanced your enjoyment of it?

The reason I ask is this: I've been watching YouTube vids of yesterday's SPN panel at SDCC. For the most part, I feel I came away minimally spoiled (yay!). Much of what was mentioned I read weeks ago (and promptly stopped reading spoilers), and some of it (like a guest casting mention and episode plot) was more like "coming attractions" than actual "spoilers." However, in one person's question, I learned something that doesn't really surprise me, but now I've lost the "Oh! Of course! That's awesome!" that I would have otherwise had when watching the season opener. Now this particular piece of information might not even be considered a spoiler to some folks. But I, now knowing to expect this piece of information, will miss out on the nifty-neato coolness of discovering it for myself (amidst all the angst).

So my question is . . . do you really enjoy the show more when you know what's going to happen? Do you worry for no reason when rumors or publicity prove to be misleading? Do you cope better with big reveals that disappoint when you know them ahead of time?

Because me? Half the fun of SPN is not knowing what's going to happen next. (Granted, this is a double edged sword, as not knowing also contributes to much viewer anxiety in the midst of the story arc. Of course, previous betrayals by various shows contributes to that, but I digress . . .) Some things I'm not surprised by, even if I'm not spoiled for them. (Dean's circumstances at the end of S3, for example. No surprise. Otoh, Don and Charlie's circumstances at the end of N3 last season? HUGE surprise. I was closer to tears for that one than for SPN, precisely because I did not see it coming.) But I would have been VASTLY disappointed if I'd been spoiled for the twist in "Mystery Spot," for example. Or if I'd known how S1 ended.

So I'm curious. If it does enhance the show, how so? If it doesn't, why do you spoil yourself?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Comments

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

For some reason, mild spoilers enchance my enjoyment of a lot of TV, just because the spoilers generally give me reason to squee now, followed by actually watching the ep, which I enjoy just as much as I would have without being spoiled. It's like getting a gift certificate: you get the "yay! present!" happiness, and later you get to actually buy something with it, so you get more yay later, too. Two yays for the price of one!

The exception for me seems to be SPN, because I really like that "Oh my gosh!" freak-out. With SG-1, X-Files, etc, I liked having the comfort of knowing everything would be fine in the end because there's still x-number of season to go, so obviously no one;s dying in this or that ep. With SPN, I'm watching it while it's still airing, so I'm enjoying the surprises. Don't mind being mildly spoiled, esp for the beginning of the season, during the hiatus, but I do like to avoid finding out how the finales go down ahead of time.

[kimmer1227.livejournal.com]

I prefer not to look at spoilers. This is actually the most I've delved into spoilers. I broke down and read everything about the con, including the 5 minute preview. I don't look at sides, but will peek at discussions about sides. Once the season starts, I'll stop cold again. I really prefer that true element of surprise. Casting stuff doesn't bother me, most of the time.

I think I lose some of my enjoyment reading too much stuff. I tinkered a bit in other fandoms. For me, if I like what I read, I'm so excited about it, by the time it airs, I'm disappointed cos' I've built it up so much in my head. If I don't like what I read, then I dread it so much, I overanalyze and nitpick what actually airs. That's why I try to stay relatively spoiler free for SPN.

I actually have been more spoiled by the network promo department than any written spoiler. They showed Dean holding fallen Sam in the promo for AHBL I. They did the same for the S3 finale. They showed Sam holding fallen Dean. What the hell! I would probably have had a heart attack at the end of AHBL I, cos' I had NO idea they were killing Sammy. Maybe the network was looking out for my health.

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

In my case, I find that I like knowing ahead better, because then when they do something something I don't like, I've had time to prepare for it.

As for the rest, I feel if a story is good, it's going to work regardless of whether you know every detail beforehand or not. After all you only see something for the first time once, any other viewing you know everything that is going to happen. I find I can pay attention better knowing spoilers. Besides pretty much NOTHING is a surprise if you've read enough or watched enough TV and movies, you can usually see where something is going pretty quickly or at least know it's one of the possible directions. I've rarely been surprised by anything they've done on Supernatural, even things I wasn't spoiled for, but I have at times been presently surprised by the execution. I tend to expect the worst but silently hope for the best.

I know what I like and what I don't like and, not knowing beforehand doesn't make me like what I don't like any more than if I'd not known. :) It just makes me less likely to throw something at the TV.

[kerravonsen]

I really don't like spoilers, so I probably shouldn't be commenting. But I don't mind knowing "this is a good ep, this is a crap ep" beforehand, if I remind myself to take such things with a grain of salt. It allows me to brace myself for the bad, and thus enjoy the "bad" episode more -- but if I build up a good episode too much, I am always dissappointed. Hence the grain of salt.

[ficwriter1966.livejournal.com]

Thanks for hosting such an interesting discussion, Felicia! It's got me thinking again about how the definition of "spoiler" varies so widely across the fandom. I've chatted with a couple of folks who want to know *nothing*. Zero. Nada. (Although I assume they would want to know, is it a new episode or a rerun.) Some folks don't want to know titles, because in some instances the title suggests the theme of the episode. Some don't want to know casting. Some are OK with casting and blurbs (as in TV Guide). Some (like me) are "anything goes."

Unfortunately, the trouble with being spoiler-free (especially to the extent where you want to know NOTHING) in this Internet age is that a number of folks either don't know how to keep spoilers under wraps, or they don't care if they spoil you. It's easy enough to go surfing for new in-person photos or info on a previous ep, and stumble across a major spoiler. Then, too, the promo monkeys seem to have no grasp on the concept of "Don't give away the major plot points in your promos" (text blurbs or clips). I think, these days, to remain 100% spoiler free, you have to live in a cave.

As someone who, even as a 10-year-old, would anxiously await the new TV Guide so I could see what was coming up on my favorite shows, I have to say I'm puzzled at people who'd feel upset at knowing something like "the boys go home to Lawrence" or "the boys work with Bela to save Bobby's life" or "the boys are captured by their old nemesis Agent Henriksen." When I read things like that, I go, "Yeah??? Awesome! Is it Thursday yet?!" Little shiny tidbits like that *totally* enhance my squee. To me, someone saying they don't want those is like saying they don't want cookies. 'Tis a puzzlement.