Recoil
Regular
Let me first say, before I get into it, that I never watch the "Next week on ______" previews of any show. I've seen networks like Fox and such do a damn good job of ruining the coming week's episode by showing some key plot point in the preview in the hopes of roping in viewers. So I just don't do it. I don't watch any of them. Ever. I have a TiVo and as such when the show I'm watching ends, I just hit STOP and never watch the previews. If I'm watching other shows on that same network that week, I'm alway fast-forwarding through commercials so I never see previews there either.
Well. This week that broke down a bit. I had some down time on Tuesday. I was upgrading my home PC and it was going to take a bit of time, so while I was doing it, I had something on the TV in the background. In this case, it turned out to be something on Sci-Fi Channel. I don't remember what it was, because I really wasn't WATCHING it. You know what thats like right? You are busy doing something, but sometimes its nice to have something on the TV in the background. It can't be something you really WANT to see, because otherwise you would stop what you are doing to watch it, so it has to be something you really don't care about. And thus was the case with whatever was on Sci-Fi channel at the time.
Anyway, so I was working on my PC upgrade with Sci-Fi channel in the background, and there it came. A preview trailer for the new exciting upcoming episode. Its not like I freaked out and went to hit mute. Usually they aren't that big a deal. I just kept on doing my thing. Well, apparently I should have freaked out. Because here is how it went down:
"THIS WEEK ON STARGATE ATLANTIS: Blah, blah, blah, some plot point, blah blah, and forces someone to blah blah. And you WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES"
And then....they show you. Well guess what mother fuckers. I believe what happens in the last five minutes. You just Goddamn showed it to me. So why do I need to watch the show? Hell. They didn't even show me the last 5 minutes. Turns out that episode is Part I of II. They showed that last cliffhanger clip that makes you really want to tune in and see what happens next week. Basically, some dude you thought died in Season 3 all of a sudden is found, and that is where the episode leaves off. So Sci-Fi channel took the entire shock or cool value out of the entire episode. I watched it on Friday. The episode itself was shit. Pointless. A big "who cares." The only thing that would have made it worthwhile was if they would have sprung that big surprise on me at the end (cause they made you think they were gonna find someone else). But no. Thanks to Sci-Fi Channel's brilliant marketing, the whole "YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS" was spoiled right after they finished saying that sentence.
What the FUCK is up with that?
Seriously folks. Two signs Stargate Atlantis is circling the drain:
1) They start bringing in characters from the parent show Stargate SG1 to replace characters in Atlantis.
They brought in Samantha Carter to replace Dr Weir this season.
Teal'c has also made a guest appearance, as has the doctor from SG1 several times.
So they think Atlantis is floundering, so they bring in familiar faces to try to bring those fans in. Always a bad idea.
2) They realize that perhaps killing off a well liked character was a bad idea, so in a super neat plot twist they decide to bring him back, but instead of doing it as a surprise reveal in a two part episode which would awe fans, they figure that no one is watching their show anyway so no one will actually appreciate bringing him back in that way, so they just toss him in the preview so people HAVE to see that he is back and say "oh, cool, he is back, guess I'll watch again"
Dumb. Just...dumb. I've seen some good spoiler previews/trailers in my time, but this one was really the most blatant. Nothing like literally telling the fans that they won't believe the surprise ending...then spoiling that surprise 2 seconds later.
*shakes his head at Sci-Fi Channel*
Well. This week that broke down a bit. I had some down time on Tuesday. I was upgrading my home PC and it was going to take a bit of time, so while I was doing it, I had something on the TV in the background. In this case, it turned out to be something on Sci-Fi Channel. I don't remember what it was, because I really wasn't WATCHING it. You know what thats like right? You are busy doing something, but sometimes its nice to have something on the TV in the background. It can't be something you really WANT to see, because otherwise you would stop what you are doing to watch it, so it has to be something you really don't care about. And thus was the case with whatever was on Sci-Fi channel at the time.
Anyway, so I was working on my PC upgrade with Sci-Fi channel in the background, and there it came. A preview trailer for the new exciting upcoming episode. Its not like I freaked out and went to hit mute. Usually they aren't that big a deal. I just kept on doing my thing. Well, apparently I should have freaked out. Because here is how it went down:
"THIS WEEK ON STARGATE ATLANTIS: Blah, blah, blah, some plot point, blah blah, and forces someone to blah blah. And you WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES"
And then....they show you. Well guess what mother fuckers. I believe what happens in the last five minutes. You just Goddamn showed it to me. So why do I need to watch the show? Hell. They didn't even show me the last 5 minutes. Turns out that episode is Part I of II. They showed that last cliffhanger clip that makes you really want to tune in and see what happens next week. Basically, some dude you thought died in Season 3 all of a sudden is found, and that is where the episode leaves off. So Sci-Fi channel took the entire shock or cool value out of the entire episode. I watched it on Friday. The episode itself was shit. Pointless. A big "who cares." The only thing that would have made it worthwhile was if they would have sprung that big surprise on me at the end (cause they made you think they were gonna find someone else). But no. Thanks to Sci-Fi Channel's brilliant marketing, the whole "YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS" was spoiled right after they finished saying that sentence.
What the FUCK is up with that?
Seriously folks. Two signs Stargate Atlantis is circling the drain:
1) They start bringing in characters from the parent show Stargate SG1 to replace characters in Atlantis.
They brought in Samantha Carter to replace Dr Weir this season.
Teal'c has also made a guest appearance, as has the doctor from SG1 several times.
So they think Atlantis is floundering, so they bring in familiar faces to try to bring those fans in. Always a bad idea.
2) They realize that perhaps killing off a well liked character was a bad idea, so in a super neat plot twist they decide to bring him back, but instead of doing it as a surprise reveal in a two part episode which would awe fans, they figure that no one is watching their show anyway so no one will actually appreciate bringing him back in that way, so they just toss him in the preview so people HAVE to see that he is back and say "oh, cool, he is back, guess I'll watch again"
Dumb. Just...dumb. I've seen some good spoiler previews/trailers in my time, but this one was really the most blatant. Nothing like literally telling the fans that they won't believe the surprise ending...then spoiling that surprise 2 seconds later.
*shakes his head at Sci-Fi Channel*