In the season four episode of The Simpsons "Marge in Chains" Mayor Quimby spoils the twist of The Crying Game. The episode originally aired on May 6, 1993, less than eight months after the movie's release.
From a Simpsons podcast I subscribe to I learned about how Gene Siskel spoiled this same twist when reviewing the movie for Siskel & Ebert's If We Picked the Winners for 1992. You can watch that episode here. Roger Ebert was none too pleased because he knew the secret was key to enjoying the film. I'm on team Ebert. [side note: man do I miss Siskel & Ebert]
Today, spoilers are everywhere. I was watching a CBC series on Tuesday night that contained a very specific Game of Thrones spoiler. Game of Thrones is a show I haven't seen a minute of but would one day like to view in its entirety. I already know too much.
When Roz Weston appeared on my podcast he spoke about revealing a Grey's Anatomy spoiler the morning after it first aired. He simply doesn't care if he spoils it for you because you could have seen it the previous night. Personally, I think that's a selfish move.
I'm fighting a losing battle. I'm still hesitant to spoil a plot twist in The Usual Suspects, a movie released over twenty years ago, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who might one day see it for the first time. I want you to enjoy it the way I enjoyed it, completely spoiler free.
Do you follow a code when it comes to spoiler etiquette? Is there a period of time after which you think it's fair game? Are you pro-spoil or anti-spoil?
