It was an artist’s nightmare. In the weeks running up to the premiere of the Lost season 3 finale, a shady info-thief by the name of Lostfan108 leaked a complete synopsis of the pivotal episode, shocking conclusion and all, to the internet. The site where the synopsis initially appeared, AintItCoolNews, reacted slowly to censor the information, which appeared without a disclaimer.
Within hours, the culmination of a Herculean production and creative effort was being judged by thousands of fans on the basis of a few paragraphs of sloppy exposition. If an episode can be spoiled within a few weeks of release, imagine what is at stake this season as Lost attempts to keep as many as a dozen or more episodes under wraps as the six-month hiatus passes.
Most of the issues at play during the Lostfan108 leak were centered on conduct. Many non-Lost fans charged into public areas and posted, blurted, or otherwise spread the spoilers without disclaimer. This is not to say that Lost fans weren’t, on occassion, guilty of the same indiscretions. The intensity of the anticipation surrounding what Lost’s crew had dubbed “The Snake in the Mailbox” made the spoilers a forbidden fruit to some fans who had otherwise avoided the steady stream of spoilers.
When asked about the event at this years Comicon, Producer Carlton Cuse said they were really looking to the fan community to police the spoilers this year, particularly with the long gap between the beginning of production and the actual air date. Producer Damon Lindelof stated, hypothetically, that one could go online and find out what the first ten episodes were about if they wanted. Both men passed the issue back to the fans.
In reality, as Harry Potter Fans know, the magnitude of the source material is no measure of protection against the spread of spoilers. It is not as if those who pathologically seek or spread this information are afraid of the popularity of their prey.
So Lost, like One Tree Hill, Smallville, Supernatural, and any other show, will be just as vulnerable – as always – to the spoiler hounds perhaps more so now that they have tasted finale blood, but it will be up to the responsible fans to limit or contain any damage this information will inflict on the viewing experience.
– Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
