Spoiler Etiquette in the Age of 'Endgame'

Plus: Someone Great, Independent Bookstore Day and what else is making us happy [NPR] by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when we learned for sure that [Rami Malek will take on James Bond](. It was the week when the television world genuinely shocked me, because [Judge Judy changed her hair](. And it was the week when people began to wonder whether [Jeopardy!]( met its match](. Let's get to it. Opening Argument [This spoils nothing in Avengers: Endgame, but it does blab about some details of previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films.] As you read this, eager line-standers have already seen Avengers: Endgame, the final piece of a 22-movie saga that started with Iron Man in 2008. Most of the major actors who began the franchise don't have yet-announced projects playing these roles after this film, so there has been a widely held belief, even among the entirely unspoiled, that there would be big news out of this movie -- maybe losses, maybe endings of other kinds, maybe more sacrifices like the ones that have happened in some of the earlier chapters. Moreover, the film has a major plot development to confront: At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos (the big purple bad guy) put on the bedazzled glove he spent many many films trying to obtain, and snapped his fingers — wiping out half of all the living creatures on Earth. It seemed likely all along that undoing this disaster, by whatever method presented itself, would be the plot engine behind the film. [scene from Avengers: Endgame] Marvel Studios Spoilers are a funny thing. I don't really believe, in the age of on-demand television, that you can expect people to withhold all information about anything that has ever happened on a TV show for the simple reason that some people have, thus far, chosen not to watch it. But I do believe that if you, as a critic, give so much away in a review that you don't allow other people the fresh perspective that you yourself had, you're not doing your job. Everything else is somewhere in between. I wouldn't sit on Twitter while a new Game of Thrones episode was on if I didn't want to know what happened until later. But I wouldn't, the morning after it aired, write "CAN YOU BELIEVE [MAJOR HAPPENING]??" in a tweet or a headline that nobody could avoid. A note: Think about context. If your tweet says "YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO DIES!" and your photo is a picture of the doctor, everybody will conclude that the doctor dies. Whether this is true or not, you've disturbed their experience unnecessarily. And remember that if you tweet "You'll never believe what Captain America does on his birthday!" and someone else tweets "You'll never believe what day Captain America chooses to do his laundry!" then you have joined up to spoil the fact that Captain America does laundry on his birthday in the movie. (He does not.) (OR DOES HE?) (He doesn't.) Film is more complicated, in general, than TV. A film opens on a given day, sure, but how many people actually see it then? In the case of this film, a lot of people. But even more do not. What do we owe to them, those of us who see it early on? Think of a sliding scale. I don't say much of anything about movies beyond a general sense of whether I love them or not until they've at least opened (sometimes at a festival). On opening day, I feel fine dropping a basic description of the premise of the film and basic casting information, provided it's to people who go and look for it (like people who listen to the podcast or people who choose to read a review). But even then, I don't really talk about much of anything, plot-wise, until after opening weekend. At some point — probably three months is a good mark? — it becomes acceptable, to me, to assume that a piece of culture has made it onto our collective reference shelves. What that means is that if you're trying to talk about a trend, you can talk about a plot point as part of that trend. This doesn't mean you should do it gratuitously; you shouldn't. I wouldn't favor "Eight Surprises From Summer Movies" that just lists shockers to list them, and I especially wouldn't favor a piece that looked like it was about one thing that dropped an Endgame spoiler out of spite. When does it totally end? When is there really no such thing as spoiling something? I would argue it never really ends. It never entirely ends. You never get to a point where there is still not a pinprick of light that represents your obligation not to reveal. Imagine walking by a movie theater where people are lined up to see Psycho. Now, the movie will soon be 60 years old. The great majority of people know what happens — even the majority of people lined up for a repertory showing. But if you were to walk up to those people and say, "[ending of movie]! [ending of movie]!" you would be a jerk. Ultimately, as with all etiquette, spoiler etiquette is meant to help us all not ruin each other’s day. The ideal definition of a spoiler is "a thing that, if known, is deleterious to the experience." The problem, of course, is that everyone doesn't agree. So err on the side of not telling — at least for a while — and enjoy the silent pleasures of being in the know. P.S. Avengers: Endgame is so good, you guys. --------------------------------------------------------------- We Recommend If you want a jump on what might be worth checking out in preparation for Pop Culture Happy Hour next week, consider the HBO documentary The Inventor, the ABC News podcast The Dropout, and the book Bad Blood, all of which are about the founder of the medical startup Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes. [This Saturday is]( Independent Bookstore Day! No matter how you like to buy and read your books, your local indie bookstore is a critical home to author events, reading programs and generally a community of people who like words. Find your shop and make a connection, even if you're the "wander the shelves and don't talk to anyone" type. I was traveling this week and was a little thin on fresh recommendations, but do you want one that's always even better than I remember? Legally Blonde, people. It's on Netflix. Elle Woods knows what's up. --------------------------------------------------------------- What We Did This Week [scene from Game of Thrones] HBO Glen [continues to recap the new season]( of Game of Thrones, doing heroic work as always. I [reviewed last weekend's new Netflix release]( Someone Great, which features some great performances and lovely moments, if a little bit of a rote setup. Our Monday podcast [was a wonderful discussion]( (and I can say that, because I wasn't there) of Beyonce's Homecoming, featuring Stephen Thompson as well as our friends Kiana Fitzgerald, Sidney Madden and Brittany Luse. Stephen continues to do his thing over at NPR Music, including [a First Listen featuring The Mountain Goats](. And [our Friday podcast]( is our Avengers: Endgame show, where Glen and Stephen and I are joined by PCHH first-timer Scott Detrow, of the NPR Politics podcast. A crossover to talk about a crossover, if you will. You can also find [Glen's full review]( of Endgame, and I can promise you it's about as unspoilery as a review can get. --------------------------------------------------------------- What's Making Us Happy Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: - Glen: [I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson]( - Linda: Josh Gondelman’s new album [Dancing on a Weeknight]( and [Josh on Jordan Jesse Go!]( - Scott: [Game of Thrones]( - Stephen: [Lil Dicky’s "Earth"]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [pchh@npr.org](mailto:pchh@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Books, Daily News and more! 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