Saturday, August 7, 2010

'True Blood' Saturdays: Let's talk about spoilers

Read the books - read the books ! This is the LA Times ? Wow do they ( or their readers) not read the press interviews with the True Blood actors,  directors and Ball ? Everyone of them has talked about weres, Sookie's powers , upcoming amnesia , witches, panthers and fairies. I think someone needs to stop the True Blood folks from spilling the beans --I don't think you should stop folks that have been reading and loving these books for TEN FREAKING YEARS FROM TALKING ABOUT THEM!!!!

It's probably time for us to have a chat about spoilers here at the Show Tracker "True Blood" blog.
I know that the series is based on a series of very popular books. I know that many, many of you who are into the TV series have read the books. And I know that it can be very hard to sit there and watch the series string out big revelations from the books when you already know what's going to happen. But I'm going to ask one thing of you: Please, please don't spoil the experience for the rest of us.
I haven't read the books "True Blood" is based on. The show could reveal tomorrow that Eric is actually a man-eating plant of one variation or another, and I wouldn't bat an eye because I'd have no idea that this revelation was made in Book 7 or whatever. Now, honestly, if you spoil me, I won't be terribly upset. I don't have a huge aversion to spoilers, and I'm just going to shrug it off. But many, MANY of your fellow readers and comments section dwellers don't want to know what's coming up, even though you do. It's easier to avoid spoilers for books that have been out for years than it is for popular movies or TV shows, sad as that may sound. So when you say with all certainty just what Sookie Stackhouse is in the books and that she's likely the same thing in the show, well, it kills a little bit of the fun for a lot of people.

read on

5 comments:

Tina said...

You're absolutely right Dallas, in that HBO, Ball and the cast let spoilers slip all over the place, and I'd be shocked if people other than the most casual viewer don't know that Sookie is a fairy or that Bill isn't all that he seems.

Google "Sookie Stackhouse" or "Bill Compton" and it's right there in your face.

I understand why people get upset about spoilers but if you're writing a column about a TV show that is based on a popular series of books - it's part of the territory. I suspect some of this whining is coming from the fact that the author himself doesn't wish to be spoiled.

While the details on TB are often different, I still feel the basic direction of the story and the major plot points have been fairly well preserved. So the books are always going to be referenced when we are discussing the show or speculating about where it might go.

If you don't want to be spoiled, stay away from places where you know that you will be.

I'm into the Vampire Diaries at the moment. I haven't read the books, and I don't want to know where the show is going. Do I whine on every website and Facebook page about book spoilers? No. I avoid them and leave the people who have read the books and love the show to dissect them as they will, and have their fun.

No sense swimming against the tide ;)

" Dallas " said...

Love ya Tina !

Do the Twilight folks go through this crap ? Do the Twilight movie watchers whimper about spoilers and say they don't want to know where the movies are going and they dont want to read the books ?
I dont think so-- I read an article today with Rob talking about Twilight movie of 2012 and them having a baby ( wtf?) I mean really these books have been read for 10 years!

I do not get the spoiler crap --never have, never will- it's kind of juvenile to try to deny the source material. You can speculate that the movie/tv series won't go that way of the book but to ask folks not to SPECULATE is crazy!!!!

1EvilJessica said...

Why cant they just put in BIG red letters something like spoil alert before carrying on with whatever they have to say? That way the reader can decide for themeslf/ves whether or not to continue reading or whatever?

Rita said...

I don't care about spoilers,i like every tidbit i can get that just helps me more
to know the story and the characters.But
just because we get told some things dose
not always tell the story,i enjoy always
will,that is just me.

" Dallas " said...

Exactly Rita --Ball loves Charlaine's stories and stays close to them but there are NEVER any guarantees so discuss away you won't always be right using clues from the books !