When a Non-Spoiler Kinda Is

Last night during a break in recording Level Eleventy-Seven, we got into a mini Doctor Who discussion. You know, who’s your favorite Doctor, etc. Someone asked if I had seen the preview videos out now.

“No, I don’t want to be spoiled.”

“Oh but you really should see them! They aren’t spoilers, they’re…”

“LALALALALA! I’m not listening!”

Now I know that things out there are bits not IN the Day of the Doctor, but to me it still IS a spoiler because it’s giving me information outside of what will air on Saturday. And as far as DotD, I’ve had enough sneak peek spoilers as it is, thank you very much.

I remember when I read the ‘Flesh, Blood, and Bone’ chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the first time. (9 year old spoilers ahead) When JK killed Cedric, I was truly shocked! She killed a big character, a student no less, right in front of our eyes! I think I reread that passage four or five times to make sure I had it right, because that was a pretty brash thing to do. Kill a character? OK, dark. Kill a student? Darker. But kill right in front of our eyes?!?! Game changer.

Then the hype exploded and everyone, myself included, wanted hints and glimpses and insight into the next book. More, more, MORE!!!! So she gave us those glimpses… “Someone big is going to die in book 5, and I cried when I wrote it.” Obvious considering book 4, but even that little confirmation of something I probably already knew made reading book 5 less fun. By the time Sirius died, I was like… “OK, so what, saw it coming, big deal… yeah now Harry has to really start his hero’s journey, which means Dumbledore will die in the next book.” Sigh.

OK, so I get that that example is about a true plot spoiler while the video extras aren’t really supposed to be because they’re not part of the the Day of the Doctor. (as far as we know) But sometimes a spoiler isn’t just about a plot point to be revealed but about how you perceive the journey TO that plot point. I read one part of one line about The Night of the Doctor, and it already has my mind going about what it could mean, what it could lead to, why it’s necessary even though it’s not part of the 50th anniversary show. And I hate it because my mind it already trying to unravel the mystery that hasn’t even been presented to me yet!

So I am avoiding all things 50th for the next few days. It’s not that I don’t want to see all the extras, but I’ve decided that this 50th anniversary will only come once, and I want that feeling when I watch it akin to the feeling I had reading HP4… I want shock, I want awe, I want it to all be a surprise and new, so that when it’s done I’ll be wanting more… and I’LL HAVE IT because then the extras will ADD to what I saw, rather than distract me from it or making my mind dissect the episode while watching for the first time. Basically, I want to be a kid again.

Besides, if the extras are so vital to the story of DotD, then the writers should have put it into the script of DotD or even the last episode, The Name of the Doctor. Each episode should be able to stand on its own. I don’t need the radio programs, books, and video extras to enjoy the episodes to date, so I shouldn’t NEED these extras to understand and appreciate DotD either. Otherwise, in my view, it’s a fail on the part of the show. (Still hate that I needed to watch Clone Wars to really get who General Grievous was… yet another fail in the new SW trilogy. sigh)

You want to be spoiled? You want as much info as possible before you see it? Go right ahead. But I think I’ll open my Doctor Who present when it’s delivered. All the extras will still be out there after the show airs. It’s not like they will magically disappear in a time vortex at 2:50pm CST on November 23. And maybe it will make my 3D theater viewing of DotD on Monday that much more, because I will have new information from the extras when I see it then. (Might be nice since the ticket was $15!) I could be wrong… maybe those of you who have seen all the extras will have a better experience than I will on Saturday. I’m willing to take that risk. The Doctor keeps telling us to trust him… I think I will.

Happy 50th to the Doctor and all of us Whovians out there… Let’s hope it’s everything we’ve been wishing for!

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