Earlier this week, a most curious and bewildering thing happened. In preparation for the upcoming season of HBO's sci-fi western Westworld coming out later this month, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy announced on Reddit that if they received enough upvotes, they would reveal the entire season's plot with a video, and divulge all the secrets they've been working on for two years. Met with reactions of confusion and suspicion that it was nothing more than a joke, Nolan and Joy nonetheless received the up votes required, and the following morning released a 25-minute video that promised to give all the secrets of the season.
Of course, it turned out to be a joke about 2 minutes in, an elaborate Rickroll that sees Evan Rachel Wood singing "Never Gonna Give You Up" while fellow cast member Angela Sarafayan plays the piano. Following that, there's a 22 minute loop of the show's haunting theme song playing over a black and white video of a dog just sitting there, a memorial for Bento the Keyboard Cat who died late last month.
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It was disappointing for some, hilarious for others, but the afternoon and evening following that pre-video announcement were filled with conversations about what exactly the show would gain from just releasing its spoilers. Such blatant transparency has, frankly, never been heard of, and there was a legitimate worry about speculation-hungry outlets chomping at the bit for all the information HBO would provide with this move. It came off as a way to to absolve themselves of the pacing issues that plagued the show's first season. Beloved as it was, at times the show came off as though its creators believed it was a lot more clever and deeper than it really was with some plotlines, such as Jimmi Simpson's William turning out to be Ed Harris' Man in Black.
For some those that were able to suss out what game the show was playing back in 2016, it was a little tedious to see the show take its sweet time dropping its bombs. And if there's one thing that can be agreed upon, regardless of the show, it's that once you hear a theory that sounds plausible enough, it begins to consume you, and you're waiting to see if it'll come true or not. To that end, it made a certain degree of sense to believe Nolan and Joy might actually give away all of Season 2's plot points; by doing so, they would have made it so that no one can fill their head with too many theories, shifting the focus instead to how well executed the storylines are.
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Westworld giving away all of its secrets weeks before release would have been a Hollywood game changer. As one of the biggest, most anticipated shows on television, it would've been a first, a move that everyone would've been on equal ground in regards to its story. Nolan and Joy's "plan" would have put viewers on the same playing field as Game of Thrones fans were for the first five seasons; those who read the novels knew the big story beats, and (mostly) kept that information secret from the newbies until it was time for reaction videos. It's the same thing fans of Harry Potter or comic book readers experience. They're always going to have a leg up on everyone else because they come into things with a decent idea of how characters will end up, or what popular stories will eventually come into play.
All told, it would've been the best way to deal with the constantly growing spoiler culture we find ourselves in, a band aid over a grievous wound. It obviously wouldn't be the perfect solution, but only because no one really knows what to do about spoiler culture. Back in the day, people speculated, sure, but the rise of social media has allowed information to be shared instantaneously and spread like wildfire. It's a giant elephant in the room that no one really knows how to properly handle spoilers; creators can be as secretive as they try, but it won't stop someone from just spilling on Tumblr or Twitter the moment they've seen the product in question. Even if one mutes or blacklists, something will slip through the cracks. It's, frankly, a monster of our own creation -- we crave feedback and discussion, and in turn wish to spread that discussion to everyone else.
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It's possible that this is just another generational divide in regard to how we consume media. Both Westworld and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War are in the hands of adults in their 40s who didn't grow up with Facebook or Twitter like younger generations have. It's not that they're too old to "get" this stuff, but it is a wholly different beast than they're used to. Back in the day, there was no bing watching or online leaks to be found; fans simply had to wait for weeks or months to see how things would shake out.
Up until fairly recently, information about upcoming movies and television seasons was dolled out in relatively controlled manner, and the change in fan culture is likely overwhelming many creators. Hence, the Russo brothers openly asking fans to not spoil the plot of the film in the coming weeks. The younger generation is, frankly, just used to being candid when talking about their passions, something Marvel Studios been dealing with when it comes to Tom Holland promoting Infinity War.
In some ways, spoiler culture has gotten more toxic over the years, with some people going to outlandish methods to avoid learning a single thing about the media they're consuming beyond the most basic of plot summaries. It's been said that spoilers can ruin a story, but a recent study has shown quite the opposite -- they can make you enjoy your entertainment experience even more, though it's understandable that many, if not most audiences might have a hard time believing this to be true.