“Spoiler Alert”: This increasingly popular warning speaks volumes to the current trends of watching and discussing television and film. Viewers like to watch elaborate drama unfold on screen — and they like to talk about it even more.
It’s dangerous out there for movie and TV fans who can’t keep up. On one hand, it’s easier than ever to catch up on previous seasons of shows on Netflix or watch new episodes the next day online. But all the while, plenty of hardcore viewers are watching shows in real time as they premiere, eager to Tweet and talk about the night’s plot twists or body counts. Just look at The Walking Dead’s social media team, who revealed the death of a major character in November’s mid-season finale on Facebook — before the episode even aired on the West Coast.
But what counts as a spoiler? Surely, revealing then ending of Gone Girl or the most recent unsuspecting character to meet his demise on Game of Thrones would be a faux pas. But what about upcoming guest star announcements? Reported storylines? The color of a character’s shirt? Everyone defines spoilers differently; use the alert when in doubt.
There are even apps, like Spoiler Shield, to clear out any pertinent reveals from your social media feeds by blocking posts about certain shows or game scores. Because, on the Internet, spoilers lurk everywhere.
That being said, the following list looks back at some of the most dramatic, talked-about, edge-of-your-seat moments from TV in 2014 — and it’s filled with spoilers. You’ve been forewarned.
Hannibal
NBC’s finger-licking good crime drama (based on Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, in which the character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter is first introduced) is one of the most under-rated, -watched and -acclaimed current shows. If you’re into psychological thrillers with seductive cannibals or just mildly interested in Hannibal Lecter, catch up in time for Season Three (coming in spring 2015). Seriously. Mads Mikkelsen (as Lecter) is a force to be reckoned with.
Season Two was filled with tons of memorable moments, beginning with lead protagonist/FBI profiler Will Graham stuck in prison under suspicion of murder with few on his side. The show introduced fabulous villain Mason Verger and uncovered more secrets that had been swirling since the first season. But the jaw-dropping moment to top them all took place in final minutes of the finale.
Character reveals (Abigail Hobbs is alive?) and then character deaths/injuries (Wait, never mind) abound. Besides the show’s namesake and his doctor Bedelia Du Maurier — whom we last saw together sipping bubbly on a plane — no one’s safety is guaranteed for Season Three.
House of Cards
Since everyone binge-watches Netflix shows anyway, House of Cards forwent the whole saving big twists for the end of the season and abruptly killed off one of its main characters, Zoe Barnes, halfway into the first episode of Season Two. Frank shoving Zoe in front of a passing train certainly set the tone for the season, proving the lengths to which Frank would go to maintain power and success — both of which he held on to through his rise to Vice President and, now, POTUS. Season Three premieres on Netflix Feb. 27, 2015.
The Walking Dead
There have always been threats and villains outside of the prowling undead in this zombie show, and The Governor from seasons three and four takes the cake. So when the show introduced Terminus and the (as we’d come to find out) dangerous folks who called it home, many viewers believed Gareth and the Meat Eaters would be our Season Five baddies. Not so fast. Rick Grimes and his crew slaughtered the whole lot of them that made it out of Terminus after new resident badass Carol burned that shit down. Gareth was an entertaining, sadistic villain, so while it’s good for our protagonists that he’s gone, he will be missed. We’ll always have that shish ka-Bob.
Of course, this paled in comparison to the aforementioned mid-season finale death — and the confusing choice to off Beth — but we all knew that hostage trade at the hospital wasn’t going down without a hitch, right? We’ll see what’s in store for the crew next when the season picks back up on Feb. 8, 2015.
The Leftovers
This new HBO drama looked at the world three years after a Rapture-like event that resulted in the mysterious and instantaneous disappearance of 2 percent of the world’s population. No one knows where they went, why or if they were chosen or quite how to move on. And we never really learn those answers — that’s not the spoiler. Instead, the penultimate episode of a season was a flashback that gave us more insight into who these people, the “leftovers,” used to be, who they lost and precisely how it happened. The most surprising reveal was that Laurie Garvey was secretly pregnant at the time, and her unborn child vanished during the Sudden Departure. This far into the season, many thought those pre-Rapture details would remain vague, but the flashback episode was a crucial one, and a season high point.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is basically single-handedly responsible for the advent of the spoiler alert. No one’s head is safe, a fact Ned Stark proved (literally) in the first season. So it’s impossible to select just one nail-biting, jaw-dropping scene. The most shocking moments, however, must include King Joffrey’s epic, well-deserved death (weddings are officially the danger zone for Game of Thrones); Prince Oberyn’s crushing defeat against The Mountain; Lord Baelish making the creepy Lysa “fly” through the moon door; and Tyrion slaying Tywin.
Parks and Recreation
You probably wouldn’t expect a popular comedy like Parks and Rec to have a dramatic twist, but it kind of did in Season Six. Not only did Leslie and Ben conceive children — triplets! — but the finale ended with a time jump to 2017, where we pick up in January 2015 for the final season. Tune in to see how Parks envisions the near future and how the Wyatt-Knopes handle a mini Leslie and two baby Bens.
