Bastards.

[scarfman]

Bastards. Goddam bastards.

Didn't I say in an essay here on the nature of spoilers that nothing from the first third of the episode is is a spoiler, something like that? What's the obvious corrolary? Anything from later than a third into the episode is a spoiler. For instance, anything from the last five minutes of the episode.

This is the second year in a row that the ads for the Gilmore Girls season finale have included scenes or giveaways of the last shot of the episode.

Goddam bastards.

Comments

[blinovitch.livejournal.com]

I think this is the first time I've seen you use strong language.

[scarfman]

Fool me twice ...

[scarfman]

Naw, that was flip.

It pisses me off because it's sloppy, and achieves exactly the opposite of what it's meant to achieve, by people who are professionals at this and ought not to (this will sound corny and less than sane, but it's what I feel) betray the sacred trust with which they are, uh, entrusted. I said in my previous essay that "spoilers don't scare me"; it's not the destination, it's the journey. But there's a difference between wynne_xp spoiling a story for you because s/he doesn't realize you haven't watched your TiVO yet, and The WB spoiling their own story for you the week before it even frakking airs.

[blinovitch.livejournal.com]

I suspect that is because there is a yawning chasm between the philosophies motivating those who create a television show and those who promote. The creators, if they're good at what they do, will probably agree completely with you. The promoters will shrug and point to their charts and graphs which prove that commercials that include crucial scenes protected by the sacred trust you speak of demonstrably improve the episode's ratings.

As much as we enjoy the entertainment, it's only there so the WB can sell our attention span to advertisers. It sucks, but it's true.

[dave-iii.livejournal.com]

This is true: We're the commodity, not the customers. The advertisers are the customers, as you say it's out attention span that is being sold. If they thought they could get away with dropping shows altogether and running just the commercials, they'd do it.

I especially love it when the marketers will construct the ads (or movie trailers) out of all the relevant and best looking scenes, since it means I won't actually have to go see the program/movie itself, ever.

[pedanther]

Didn't I say in an essay here on the nature of spoilers that nothing from the first third of the episode is is a spoiler, something like that? What's the obvious corrolary?

That anything from after the first third may be a spoiler, I would have thought.

(Which is not to suggest that you are wrong about this specific example being spoileriffic, of course.)

[scarfman]

Well, I understand why it happens. I even expect it'll happen, occasionally. But two Gilmore Girls season finales in a row ... that's like hitting the lottery. Shirley Jackson's lottery.