Buffed Spoilers (Link to possible spoilers in here...)

The BBQ Pit
1

Warning!
Possible spoilers for the last season of Buffy in the linked thread…
Warning!

Now, just so you know, I’m not attempting to pit the posters who actually wrote the possible spoilers; I’m just venting frustration at the what instead of the who.

That said, in the latest Buffy episode thread in Cafe Society, one poster wrote a possible spoiler about the involvement of one of the major characters for the rest of the season. Keep in mind, however, that this is Buffy’s last season, so this irks me even more than usual.

Listen, I don’t care if you’ve downloaded and read the next sixteen gazillion episodes; I don’t even care if a magical pixie has given you secret access to Joss Whedon’s brain (a la John Malkovich). What I do care about is that if you do know about future episodes, please do not write them in a thread that is not meant for future episode spoilers. Especially since this is the last season.

I’ve been watching that show since the first episode, and in that entire time, I have never purposely gone out to find spoilers. I like being surprised by either the good or bad writing. I enjoy not knowing what’s coming down the slayer pipe.

Speculation is fine. However, if you admit beforehand that you’ve read the furture scripts, you cannot speculate. Period. You know (unless they’ve changed the scripts since you’ve read them–which is what I mean by “possible spoilers”) what’s going to happen, so there’s pretty much no chance that you’re speculating on anything other than how badly we’re going to react to what you’ve written.

Of course, more than one person in that thread mentioned that he/she has read future scripts and does/does not like what happens.

Now, this might be a bit on the anal side when it comes to wanting to be surprised (although, I’m sure that when it comes to anal, there’s almost always a bit of surprise involved), but could you please refrain from offering your opinion(s) on scripts that you’ve seen and we haven’t?

True, you’re not giving away any details per se, but if you’ve posted before about how you feel about certain characters, story arcs, etc…, some of us know what you mean by “What a great way to end the series!” or “Good God, they can suck the the Elephant Man’s ball sack for writing the finale that way!”

There’s only a handful of episodes left in a series that I’ve enjoyed for seven years, so please avoid giving any more information away. Even if you think what you’re writing is completely ambiguous.

2

Really quick: I don’t feel that any of the two posters to whom I alluded meant to do anything evil. I think both spoiler instances were just mistakes of two other fans of the show.

3

And quit being so damned snarky all the time. Okay, so maybe this isn’t the best season ever, but Jeeez, it’s still pretty good for TV. If you’re “bored” or “don’t care anymore” then STFU. Quit raining on the parade for those of us who are enjoying the show. Start a “Bitch about Buffy” thread for God’s sake.

4

I have to agree with you guys. All the negativity and offhand spoilers makes me not want to read or participate in the weekly Buffy threads anymore. If you hate Buffy so much now, why do you need to tell us in every thread, over and over.

5

To be honest, the negative attitude evinced by some posters (either frequent contributors or occasional drive-bys) is actually something with which I can deal. I figure that most people won’t enjoy the show on the same level as I do (whatever you’re thinking right now, stop it!), so I try to ignore the more unhappy comments. (Truth be told, however, as negative as some of the comments might be, there are times when some of them either make sense or bring to light an understanding of a plot point for that week’s episode, of which I was previously unsure.)

But as I mentioned in the OP, the off-hand spoilers (as LunaSea also pointed out) are what really annoy me. Besides, it’s the last season. Could we just be a bit more careful until it’s all over? Then I’ll let ya’ give all the spoilers you want. :slight_smile:

6

Normally as a courtesy people post a link in the original thread when they Pit someone based on actions in that thread. I added one for you.

Also, given that many fans have watched their favorite series be run into the ground the last two years, a little negativity is to be expected. Especially seeing the very high standards set by previous seasons (now being enjoyed on DVD or FX at the same time as the new stuff) and the current arc on Angel.

IMHO, it is not nearly as bad as the various Simpson’s threads, where it has become a cliche that some wanna-be CBG shows up 2 minutes after the airing with a comment of either “Worst. Show. Ever.” or “The Simpsons have officially jumped the shark”. Now that’s annoying. . .

7

Yes it is, and thank you, elf6c. I meant to do so right after creating the OP, but got called off to a previously unannouced meeting and then forgot when I came back.

But I did manage to finish writing the OP before heading off. Priorities, people, priorities!

8

You’re very welcome, I am glad I could help.

:slight_smile:

9

Then you didn’t want to hear that X loses his other eye next ep?

I think you’re being a little silly.

You want to play along with some group speculation, but you get all bent out of shape it the discussion goes a little farther than you wished. Gee! I never imagined that woulda happened! Kinda like you just wanted to fool around and ended up a little bit pregnant.

Relax - maybe the spoilsports are intentionally feeding you misinformation, so you will end up thanking them for being doubly surprised.

Or don’t you want to know that Dawn bears Clem’s baby?

10

Dinsdale, there’s difference between rounds of speculation and actually knowing what’s going to happen beforehand. Because of that difference, in fact, this is why Euty says this:

in the sticky hanging up in Cafe Society.

Speculation, on the other hand, is mere guess work; it’s just fun. Which is why no sticky warns about speculation. Spoilers denotes exactly what the name means.

True, while there’s no actual SDMB policy prohibiting spoilers, I think it’s common courtesy to not include them without appropriate warning.

Besides, no one is getting bent out of shape, as you have suggested. In fact, I rather felt that the OP was polite.

And Dude, if Dawn and Clem want to get on it so that they can raise a brood of Clawns, I say go for it. Maybe they’ll have just enough of them that they’ll need a clawn car. :wink:

11

Equally annoying is the habit of using spoiler tags to discuss the episode that just aired, in a thread created precisely for the purpose of discussing the episode just aired. I’ve bitched about this before, mostly on the grounds of it being stupid and redundant, but I’ve also, on more than one occasion, looked at a spoiler box for what I thought was the episode that just aired, and instead gotten spoilers for something happening later in the season.

12

Wait a minute.
You aren’t bent out of shape?
And you are posting polite OP’s IN THE PIT?!

We’ll have no more of that, bucko, or I’ll be forced to reveal that in the final ep Spike and Andrew’s become a couple.

13

Are you quite certain? It seems pretty clear to me that you are pitting the person, even if you carefully avoided putting their name here.

Anal? I don’t think so. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be surprised. I was always the child who not only did not want to open Christmas presents early, I felt like the whole thing was spoiled if we got to do so - because I enjoyed the suspense. As I suspect you do.

However, I think it’s not 100% practical to expect that there are not going to be spoilers given out out a public message board about a show like Buffy when the show is so pruposefully transparent (or unable to keep secret) w.r.t. its plots.

It’s understandable that you’re upset seeing the spoilers, especially if they are for future shows. I even took the time to read that whole thread (which sucks because I haven’t seen that fucking episode yet, because I was in the fucking hospital with Fierra ) Yes, you did warn about it, but it’s no good warning about it if one wants to find out what your whole OP is about, including who is actually being pitted. However, I don’t (or, that is, won’t) blame you, because it’s just one of the prices one pays for being online and having access to information.

Certainly, if someone is told to “stop it”, they ought to. Checking the thread in question, that seems to be exactly what happened. In fact, my clock says 20 hours elapsed from the last post by her in the thread to now - or 13 from the last post to the OP of this one.

In reading that thread, I thought there were several people who made it clear they didn’t want the future spoilers discussed, and that they didn’t care to hear from the person in question any more on those (spoiled) subjects. Since that was more than adequately covered there, and the person in question stopped saying things after people complained, then what is your goal with this thread? In fact, you yourself made your point in there already, at 7:07 am my time, and the person in question made no more offense in that thread. And then, at 9:56 am, comes this thread. So…has she been posting the spoilers you don’t want to see elsewhere? Or mailing them to you?

Flaming people is fine when needed, but - people complained, she stopped, and … she still gets Pitted half a day later? Let me ask you, with no rancour - do you feel that you’re being entirely fair here, or does your frustration stem mostly from the season and the way the show is going - like most Angel viewers must feel, when they find out in two weeks that Cordy is really a Gray? (Hey, she did ascend in a beam of light…)

14

This is SO totally off the subject, but I just can’t let it go.

How in the hell did elf6c add a link to the OP?

Or had a Mod come in, done some clean up, and not left any trace?

:confused:

15

This

and this

are exactly the reasons I haven’t read any of the Buffy or Angel threads in the last several months. I’d like to discuss the shows with you all, of course, but I really don’t trust certain people to keep their damn spoiler-leaking mouths shut.

It really is quite easy to hate the act and still like/love/respect the person committing it, you know. I mean if my (hypothetical) SO ran over my foot, I’d be pissed that they ran over my foot, but still love my SO. (Of course I may pretend otherwise to hold out for some sweet “I’m sorry I ran over your foot” lovin’, but that’s besides the point.)

16

Well, Anthracite, there’s always next week. And given the track record of this person dropping little hints and foreshadowings and whatnot all over each week’s discussion (as well as grousing about how terrible the show is and how none of the actresses or writers is fit to even wipe the perspiration off James Marsters taut abdomen), I am grateful to Skip for starting this thread.

17

Anthracite, although this:

was put in for clarification purposes (and yes, it does point to the thread in question, thereby allowing others to get spoiled), I could have clarified a bit more when continuing on with the pitting. The rest of the OP applies to pretty much anyone in any spoiler-possible situation.

I wasn’t pitting the poster, even by silent proxy; the poster is a fan of the show, as I am, and as I mentioned previously, I don’t believe they spoiled for any purposely bad reason. But it was careless, nonetheless, and I don’t want it happening for the remainder of the season.

But because I wasn’t pitting the poster, the lack of future spoiling in that thread is moot concerning my point. Which is, of course, no one should do it in any thread, with the Buffy thread being used as a great example.

As for your question concerning how I feel about the show’s storyline thus far: I like it. Sure, the plots don’t resolve the way I necessarily imagined they would, but that’s what I like about the show, anyhow. Whedon and company do an excellent job with the unconventional, which makes me a happy watcher.

…er, so to speak.

So, no frustration with the plot. 'Cause even the bad Buffy epsiodes are still great television episodes. YMMV, of course.

18

Durr. Me no have reading comprehension.

You linked this rant in the originating thread. I got it.

Nevermind!

19

And just so I am clear: I’m not wanting to actually pit anyone, guys. I’m not sure how long this thread will last, but if it goes beyond the normal Pit fifteen seconds of fame and people start a train wreck by jumping on and insulting one person (unless you’re biting your thumb at me, Baby–and then bring it on! ;)), I’ll ask a Mod to close the thread.

I’m just a bitchin’ about the sitchin. (Yeah, well, that was the best I could do when trying to mutate “situation” enough to rhyme with “bitchin’”.)

20

Wow. That’s interesting, because she once got after me for being too negative about Buffy. Good thing I don’t hang out in Cafe Society…I don’t think you’ve seen “negative” yet. :wink:

James does have a taut abdomen, but I suspect Kennedy’s is more to my liking. So no agreement there with her.

But we both don’t like Angel (the character), so we find a common ground. And she named her cats Willow and Tara, after all, so that’s positive.