Simon, a question. I found on Eliza's Fanforum board a post, originally from IMDB, by an alleged Dollhouse crew member. He has info on reshoot scheduling and the start of actual production for the series. Is it legit and okay to post or IMDB is out of limit for its infamous lack of credibility ?

Perseo | July 10, 12:48 CET

When I am dictator, I will personally approve all spoilers.

Oh. "Approve of", not "approve". Nevermind.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2008-07-10 18:55 ]

@theonetruebix | July 10, 12:55 CET

"Approve of" is a strange choice of words. I don't look at them myself (not for Dollhouse, anyway), but I don't care if other people do.

jcs | July 10, 12:57 CET

I will avoid spoilers at all cost yet tommorrow I am participating in a panel about Dollhouse, at a local con. Knowing only the officially released information makes it hard to talk about.

Lioness | July 10, 13:01 CET

I used to read every and all spoilers during most of Buffy's original run, because there were no available downloads in those days, and I wanted to frequent the major US posting boards and the such. I found out about almost all of the major events in S2 before seeing the actual episodes, but even then they managed to be shocking and intriguing and involving, so much so that S2 is still my favorite season to date (even though some later episodes may arguably be better).

Currently, with shows, I tend to remain spoiler-free and it certainly adds to the enjoyment of watching the show when you know nothing beforehand. One of the biggest shocks in fiction I've ever experienced was Wash' death in Serenity, and that certainly would have been completely different had I been spoiled for it.

On the other hand, if you have enough time to emerse yourself in fandom and discuss spoilers beforehand, there's some undeniable fun to be had. But all things said and done, I will still try to remain spoiler-free for Dollhouse. It's a 'purer' viewing experience and more like the writers intend it.

GVH | July 10, 13:03 CET

I condemn my reading of spoilers in the past and in the future.

Pointy | July 10, 13:19 CET

I said no, although I have no problem with the fact of spoilers. That is, I don't mind that the option of knowing what's going to happen is out there. But I'm staying the hell away from them. I want as much surprise and shock out of this show as I can get. And I've already done a fair amount of accidental spoiling for the pilot just by reading reviews of the script that gave away more than I expected. Oh well.

So in the way that the poll apparently means, no, I don't approve.

sumogrip | July 10, 13:34 CET

It's already been posted to the front page and deleted. I'd rather not rely on posts from anonymous IMDB posters.

Simon | July 10, 13:39 CET

I hate spoilers, they suck out all the surprise, which for me is a huge part of the fun, out of the show. Even if you don't for sure know if it is true, the suggestion ends up coloring my viewing and taking me out of the unfolding story. Great stories (IMO) deserve a fresh unspoiled viewing.

embers | July 10, 14:13 CET

Is it considered approving of spoilers to read the pilot ;)? Lioness - good luck at your panel!

zeitgeist | July 10, 14:17 CET

You just have to treat it like a serious academic conference, Lioness, and speculate.

Pointy | July 10, 14:57 CET

I also hate spoilers because they ruin the surprise. I don't even watch the previews for next week's episode but I do feel like I miss out on the sense of community because I am avoiding spoilers. I used to lurk at alt.tv.x-files and I thought the threading there was conducive to avoiding spoilers before the specific episode aired but once the episode had aired, you could join in on the thread 'already in progress', as it were.

Slipping About | July 10, 15:44 CET

Being in Norway, we will probably get the series at least six months after it airs in the states, making it almost impossible to avoid spoilers. With Buffy and Angel, I remember that the spoilers only made me anticipate better what I was about to see. Hearing about something isn't the same as seeing it, and with the way Joss and co. set up their scenes and dialogue, even with spoilers, there will always be something new, something that makes you say, "Oooh wow, that was fantastic/terrifying/shocking etc, and no wonder everyone was talking about it."

MysticSlug | July 10, 15:56 CET

i used to love spoilers..but now i don't now that i like to enjoy a show in the moment.

andrewisfat | July 10, 16:07 CET

I don't disapprove in the sense that i'm against them for everyone, just avoid them plague style myself.

I know plenty of people that are fine with them and feel they don't lessen the episode/film/etc. but it's not a point of view I share or, to be honest, even really understand - even a tiny snippet usually has me thinking about what's ahead instead of enjoying whatever i'm seeing and with very emotional moments (like Wash dying) I want to experience it as powerfully as intended, I don't want the blow softened by advanced knowledge, to me that defeats part of the object of telling stories.

One of the best things about good fiction for me is the feeling of "surprising inevitability" you get when what happens is totally unexpected and yet totally fitting too, especially if you put the pieces together just as/before it unfolds - that's a great feeling of connection with the writer and with the others in the audience doing the same, it's part of what makes the cinema (or TV) a social experience. Seems like that'd be lost with spoilers and i'd really miss it.

Also, it feels a bit like taking away the creator's control of their own story and how it's told, kinda one step away from delivering the punchline to a joke before the teller. I can understand writers that maybe feel it's disrespectful of them and/or the story.

Course, Everyone's M does indeed V, each to their own and all that - just my tuppence worth ;).

Saje | July 10, 16:34 CET

I admit, there are shows I look for spoilers on (csi, ncis, one tree hill - don't laugh it's highly addictive), and then there are shows which I REFUSE to read any spoilers on (Doctor Who, Torchwood, 24, and any Joss show). I like feeling surprised on those shows, and I feel that if I know ahead of time the suprising feeling you get will be ruined.

badwolf | July 10, 16:57 CET

Yes, I would say the more I love a show, the less likely I am to read any spoilers about it. In fact, I'm more likely to read up on shows I don't like enough to actually watch.

jcs | July 10, 18:46 CET

I'm not much of a spoiler guy. I like the surprise of the episode or movie.

I am very very happy that I didn't know what was going to happen to Book and Wash, before it happened.

The shock of Joyce Summers really dying,was one of those moments like, naw, come on, this is a dream right and Tara being shot was a Holy Shit, WOW, WOW, WOW, moment.

None of those would have had the impact on me, if they weren't just out of the blue, surprise, happenings.

shepherdbookshair | July 10, 18:50 CET

I don't care about spoilers, they are a waste of time. I'll wait for it to come on. Watch it, get annoyed he kills my darlings, grumble about the cancellation and move on... oh donuts

Pumps | July 10, 19:38 CET

Anti-spoiler guy here. Hate that they even exist, there are too many temptations in this world as it is. They're called "spoiler" for a reason - they spoil things, make the end product less enjoyable. And knowing the guy next to you knows more about the show than you do without having watched it is frustrating in itself...

daylight | July 10, 19:42 CET

I don't.Not in any fandom.I never wish to know anything.
I just spent 14 weeks hiding cause I didn't wanted to know anything about Doctor Who.It worked,too.and it was completely worth it. It is much difficult to hide from spoilers than it is to read them,but I like being surprised.
I hate it when new spoilers just break and it's impossible to even check my friendslist cause everybody is talking about them.
I don't mind speculation,though, I do enjoy that.

okelay | July 10, 20:34 CET

Generally anti-spoiler for all the reasons cited, but I've let myself know a little about Dollhouse. At least the general concept, who some of the characters are, etc. Somehow, because there are no episodes to see, it doesn't seem illegitimate. But I'm done. I will know no more than I do now come January.

shambleau | July 10, 21:19 CET

I don't like spoilers. Even though I still have a reaction to Wash's death each time I see it - or not, since I usually close my eyes at that particular moment ;) - I am glad I didn't know ahead of time. As a matter of fact, I had read something on the Serenity board that seemed to indicate Inara died and I kept waiting through the whole movie (prescreening) for that to happen. And since I had seen it before almost all of my friends, when we went to the prescreening here, they all yelled at me for not telling them, but there is no way I would have spoiled it for them.

I was spoiled for all the major reveals in BtVS because I had friends who watched it in real time and would tell me about it. (I didn't want to watch one more show about teens and I had never found vampires interesting - okay, so I was wrong!) I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to not know what was going to happen. With Firefly, I wasn't online until it was cancelled, so had no knowledge of anything upcoming.

I don't think learning about the premise of the show or who the main characters are is 'spoilerish' and having read the reviews of the pilot, I probably know more than I wanted to about Dollhouse, but I don't want to know details of what happens so I will avoid spoiler threads here and elsewhere.

samatwitch | July 10, 21:34 CET

Okay, thanks, Simon. I know what IMDB reeks of, but in this case the poster sounded quite knowledgeable.

Perseo | July 10, 23:40 CET

I'm a spoilerphobe. I usually do my best to avoid them, including avoiding online communities and previews etc. But I am so hungry for new Jossverse that I've been diving into all the Dollhouse spoilers so far. I know more about the first episode of Dollhouse, than I have ever known about any other episode I haven't seen yet. But I will try to avoid any spoilers for beyond the first episode.

Aviva | July 11, 00:21 CET

Well damn, saje just said exactly what I was going to say. Only I would have used fewer words. ;-)
Definitely would not have used "tuppence", since I'm blissfully uncertain of exactly what a "tuppence"
is (are?).

Shey | July 11, 08:55 CET

"Tuppence" = two pence i.e. it's British for (and possibly the original version of ?) "Just my 2 cents" ;).

And yeah, I went off on one a bit, oops ;). Started off pretty neutral but as I posted I think I started to convince myself that actively seeking them out (rather than just being impatient - which I totally get - and/or not minding if you're slightly spoiled for something) has issues that I hadn't considered before.

Saje | July 11, 09:04 CET

Thank you for that saje, I am now a slightly less ignorant Colonial.
(Only kidding about the long windedness, that wasn't even close to your record.)
*runs like the wind* :) (Or more like a light breeze, it's really late here).

Shey | July 11, 09:15 CET

Wikipedia agrees:

zeitgeist | July 11, 09:48 CET

;-)

(Only kidding about the long windedness, that wasn't even close to your record.)

Why the very cheek of it ! Not to mention the very accuracy ! I'm affronted I tell you, outraged even !

;-)

Saje | July 11, 11:15 CET

okelay, I to was one of those people who hid from the internet and from the world cause I didn't want to know what happened on Doctor Who. And it's hard because I work with a bunch of Who fans and they read up on spoilers, and I'm always sitting at my desk with my hands over my ears going "NOOOOO!"

It was all worth it though.

badwolf | July 11, 11:49 CET

Yep, was that the best "To Be Continued" or was that the best "To Be Continued" ? I'dve hated to have had that spoiled.

Saje | July 11, 13:35 CET

I don't know how I feel on this subject. Hence my "It Depends" middle-ground let's-be-friends answer.

Angel & Buffy were both "spoiled" for me for years. Everyone at my movie theater were talking about it, singing the songs, wearing Dark Willow outfits, etc... but that was my own fault for not joining on to the Dream Machine when the Scoobs first aired. However, the more they talked about the show the more I wanted to watch it. It's funny how that happens (did the same with Harry Potter). I figure if they know and love it enough to go out of their way to share a great moment that they truly enjoyed with you, there must be something to it.

And, you know what? I still felt shocked and cried and sang and did all of those wonderful things as if Buffy, Angel, & I had just met.

Firefly was off-air when I saw it, but wasn't as talked about so I was spoiler-free.

Dollhouse, OTOH, is a bit different because I'm here from the beginning (YAY!). I've seen the trailers and that bit of a clip, but as far as watching/reading the pilot, no. Pictures, yes, but pilot no. And I don't feel spoiled. A little information is good so I can advertise to others. I don't think from what I know I can really see how this crazy roller-coaster is going to end.

Mis dos pesos.

korkster | July 11, 14:30 CET