Obviously, as a writer for this blog, I know all sorts of stuff about forthcoming plotlines on Corrie. I hear who's had their contract renewed and hasn't, who's going to be introduced to the Street. I read these things but there's a part of me that wishes I didn't.
Right below this post, for example, is a piece about the forthcoming fire in the Rovers. I know it's going to happen - so do you - so does everyone. ITV are plugging it, the actors are tweeting it, it's all over the magazines. The only element of mystery is "who will die?", even though we all know Shobna Gulati's leaving.
Even the question "who will die?" is a spoiler. Imagine if you turned on the show and, bloody hell, the Rovers went up in flames! And then Sunita got trapped in the cellar! Imagine how tense you'd be, how nervous, how thrilled.
It just doesn't happen any more. Even if you don't read the blogs, or watch the previews on Daybreak, you catch the cover of Inside Soap or All About Soap in Tesco's and get to see Will Sunita Live? in 30 point font all over a picture of a burning pub. Trust me, it happens; my partner doesn't catch many of these spoiler sites, and sometimes he'll come up to me in the supermarket and say "Is Stella really a man?" I've managed to keep the Rovers fire off his radar so far, but it's a hell of an effort; it's like having a part-time job.
It means that sometimes the smaller, unheralded plots end up being more satisfying. Take Roy's little casino sojourn; that wasn't catnip to Jaci Stephen so we heard nothing about it. It meant there was a bit of tension and a few laughs. It was fun because it was unexpected.
I'll still read all the spoilers of course, because I'm incredibly weak willed and I can't stop myself. Basically what I want is for the internet and television to just stop. Is that too much to ask?
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10 comments:
Before spoilers became common-place, I would spend a lot of energy trying to avoid leaks in the press. At least now I don't have to thump the person who lets the cat out of the bag. This has worked against the show in some ways. If you were on the edge of your seat in the past, you perhaps weren't so concerned with story arcs, character development etc. I can remember discussing whether Deirdre should leave Ken etc. Nowadays, I'd be more inclined to say that I didn't like where tptb were taking this character. Viewers have got so sophisticated that the only real thrills come from the live episodes. Will the planned disaster be an unplanned disaster? We also know which actors are leaving so sometimes that gives the game away. I absolutely agree that the small joys come from the unsensational parts of a story that haven't been leaked. Bohemian Rhapsody, for example, which would have been spoilt by hyping it up beforehand. I'd be happy with only the occasional big dramatic story, kept under wraps, and lots and lots of small golden nuggets.
I agree with Humpty, it's the small unexpected little things, a scene, or even a line, that makes it so enjoyable to watch these days. The big, sensational stories are good, they're well crafted and acted, even when you know or are pretty sure what's going to happen (people dying) but it's not the same as something coming as a surprise.
I do love the big spoilers I have to admit and have never shied away from putting them on the blog. I love, love, love knowing what's going to happen in Corrie but not in any other of the programmes I watch. I would have hated, for instance, to read ahead for Desperate Housewives or The Sopranos and loved the sense of excitement while watching other shows where I didn't have a clue as to what was coming.
But Corrie, for me, is different. I love knowing what's going to happen, what might happen and so on.
And also, I agree it's the small things that keep us watching, it's the dialogue that can't be "spoiled" in advance, the small gestures, the touching scenes, Roy in the casino and his "You're as bad as Alec Gilroy" line to his mum, it's all those sorts of things that keep me coming back to Corrie - but I am very much looking forward to the Rovers going up in flames.
Sadly, although ITV have 'spoiled' the fire story by saying Stella might die in it, I feel there's a strong possibility that she might not. I
You're afraid the Stella thing is too good to be true, Nora! LOL! I don't do spoilers for most other shows either, though i did for the American soaps that i watched. Aside from the soaps, spoilers aren't as common here it seems, not that i've noticed. But then i'm not really looking either.
I definitely wish Corrie was capable of keeping some things hidden. Hollyoaks managed to do it last year when one of its most popular characters was found dead. No one saw it coming.
I have to admit, I like knowing what's ahead for the characters and I do read the spoilers BECAUSE I KNOW THEY ARE THERE but when there's a massive storyline and every single detail is given out, it does spoil it.
If I avoided the internet, I probably would be surprised with some of the plots, although it's far too predictable at times and I just think that they could at least try to shock us every once in a while.
I doubt if Dallas could pull a "who shot JR" in 2013. We are so saturated with both fictional and real 'shocking' news that if were not immune to shock we would turn catatonic. I prefer serendipity to surprise.
The clue is in the name. Spoilers spoil it for me. I loved the film Day of the Jackal, but even though 99% of it was unknown to me, it was spoiled by the certain knowledge that DeGaulle wasn't assassinated and so the "Jackal" would fail.
Also, the bosses clearly think that leaking the stories will boost the audience. But it can lose audience too. Often I read spoilers and think: "that sounds boring - I'll give that episode a miss".
I'm another one who wishes there were a few more surprises in Corrie. Remember before the tram crash, when we really didn't know who was going to live or die? Waiting to see if, say, Peter would pull through was genuinely exciting. But most of the time these days there's no sense of real drama because we've all been spoiled just by going to the newsagents thanks to all the cover stories.
Agree about the small golden nuggets that surprise us - Sylvia's return and her endless one-liners to Roy, and Peter's defense of Tyrone to Carla (I was pleasantly surprised by that one!)The one episode where there was a spoiler about Audrey and Gail bumping into Lewis in a country pub was not diminished because of all the other brilliant scenes with them power-walking down the country lanes and over hill and dale - one of the best episodes for me with great writing, funny and serious at the same time. I'd still be watching and enjoying Coronation St. even if I read spoilers a year in advance...
I think the bits I enjoy the most tend to be one-liners and unexpected snark - the bits that aren't important or significant to be featured in spoilers. But I do find myself going to Digital Spy and having a look to see what will happen every now and then, just so that I can tell whether to bother watching this week or not. In the midst of certain storylines, all the one-liners in the world can't save an episode.
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