'I mean, come on, a ghost with epilepsy! It was so OBVIOUS!' by Kara
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 7:22 AM

Yeah. I'm a bit annoyed at the fact that Avatar: The Last Airbender is actually a good show. It messes with my whole concept of the universe. American animation can't have a running plot -- 'specially not the stuff on Nickelodeon. Although, as I'm watching it in order, I haven't actually gotten to see more in over a month. Have to resist the temptation to stop on it when I'm flipping channels in case I get 'spoiled.'

... how can you get spoiled for a cartoon on bloody Nickelodeon?

Last night, speaking of spoilers, I accidentally spoiled a webcomic for someone. Now, I don't think that's silly. I keep up with webcomics every day, but if I didn't, I wouldn't want people wrecking stuff weeks ahead of where I am. And I know people who hit the ceiling if you mention anything even remotely related to an episode they've not yet seen. Which means I've had to become extra careful about prefacing idle comments with, 'This is not going to spoil it for you ...'

Here's my question. What is the half-life of a spoiler?

I mean, for example, Half-Blood Prince. I personally think we've hit the point where every actual fan who's gonna read it has read it, and anyone who hasn't either doesn't care if they find out, or has already found out because the events therein are on T-shirts and all over the 'net and crap now. But that's a book ... and with books in a series like that, people are most likely going to be waiting for the next one.

With anime, it's tougher. I'm watching some shows from the '70s that I'd like kept quiet about. However, that's such a large amount of shows, as opposed to three seasons of one show, that it's very hard to say 'Everyone has seen this show.' I have missed many shows that are apparently considered 'essential' for anime fans, and I refuse to say what they are because having people go 'OH MY GOD YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THAT????' because that's one of my biggest pet peeves. (My other is people responding to that by going 'OH MY GOD YOU DON'T LIKE THAT???') I'm also a really bad judge of what shows are part of the anime fan consciousness.

But I mean, think of it this way. 'Luke, I am your father' is part of the culture now. (Cue wiseasses pretending I've spoiled it for them.) To say Star Wars has been around for a while is sort of an understatement. So apparently 27 years is sufficient time, in 'mainstream' entertainment (because I consider Star Wars to be commonly enough known to say that), for a plot point to be known and spread around and 'unspoilable.'

But what about, say, The Sixth Sense? Or Fight Club? Are those spoilable? People who were waiting on the e. of their s. to see them would have seen them in the theatres when they first came out. But what about people who are going to rent them? When will those endings be part of pop culture, and how will we know? (Are they already?)

Now, within specific shows. I'm using Doctor Who as an example a lot, because the season finale is in a few days on the BBC. Really hardcore fans with fast computers will have been downloading it; really hardcore fans with slow computers will be watching it when it comes out on Sci-Fi next month, or they might even be waiting for the DVDs. (A lot of people wait for the boxed sets of shows now ... I understand why, but I'm just too impatient, myself.) At what point can I blurt out something from the beginning of this season, or the end of last, while discussing with other friends, without making someone groan and freak out? Because it's not that I'd talk about it arbitrarily. I'm more concerned about slips.

Because I know ... like I said, I'm shamefully behind on Avatar (argh) and I haven't even started the second season of Life on Mars, a show I consider myself very devoted to. Unfortunately, I'm not even sure when I'd consider it Open Season, especially considering these are not things half the country gathers around the TV to watch immediately. (Well, except for Brits and LoM ... all my friends there have already seen it and know whether Sam's crazy or in the past or in a coma.) But I know that, if at some point I've just gone too long without seeing either, I'm gonna give up on it being kept quiet for me. But I'm not sure when.

Well, except for these two aforementioned shows. But I also sort of my utter suckage at being so far behind nullifies my right to see stuff for myself.

Hurm.

If you have been, get it!