Sci-Fi Shenanigans

Spoiler alert!

While any form of entertainment can have spoilers, these nuggets of information are a contentious matter in the sci-fi world. It's not that surprising, really, since fans of the genre are hyper detail-oriented. Of course, when it comes to spoilers, that eye for the minute and obscure can cause its share of divisions. Some gobble up spoilers like they're going out of style. Others (including J.J. Abrahms) loathe them. (And for the record, the J.J. haters can go left.) So where do I stand on spoilers?

That's the thing. I'm not sure if I do have a stance on spoilers. When Heroes was still on, I stalked a couple different sites for spoilers. I'd still watch the show every week and found that the spoilers I got didn't detract from my enjoyment of the show. At the same time, I'm trying to avoid any sort of spoilers for Doctor Who (all new version, for now). I'm not even sure why I'm working so hard to avoid spoilers for it. I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that I watched Season 3 and really liked it (including the Daleks in Manhattan storyline; I'll have to discuss that in a future entry). Maybe hearing of all the Doctor/Rose shipping material has put me off because I'm more of a Martha Jones fan. What can I say? Martha is a character with which I identify (smart, ambitious, great fighting spirit and eventually figuring out what's best for herself). Whatever the case may be, I;m trying not to ruin all the other seasons, as I'll watch them...eventually.

There is the fact that I've noticed I'm more likely to watch a show if I do get spoilers. I think that's why I stuck with Heroes till the end and have been slacking big time on watching Who. When I get spoilers, I'm more inclined to pay attention and look for those tidbits in an episode. Otherwise, my motivation to watch something is left for wanting. I know that ideally I shouldn't need spoilers to keep me interested in something. I'm finding, though, that this phenomenon primarily applies to TV shows. I used to like following TV shows when I was a kid. Nowadays I prefer movies, but I'll still try out a show if I find the premise interesting (e.g. FlashForward). The problem is many concepts (even in sci-fi) don't appeal to me. Even when I find something I like, I can't always stick with it. It seems spoilers are the glue that keep me attached to a regularly airing TV show.

I can understand why people don't like spoilers, though. When J.J. Abrahms edited the May 2009 issue of Wired, he devoted an article-rant to the concept of spoilers. The pieces boils down to the aura of mystery being all but eliminated when someone gets a hold of spoilers. For a lot of people, the unknown element is part of sci-fi's allure. Even if the characters, motivations and other components are outright stated, each episode answers the question of how everything works (or doesn't work) together. Having a part of that answer can be a buzz kill for some people. On the other hand, getting spoilers can be misleading. Someone may get some information, try to predict how the episode will play out and then get flabbergasted/whargarbly when things turn out way different.

On that note, how do you like your spoilers? Rare, medium or well done?