Don’t spoil yourself with script

SADAF AHSAN

NATIONAL POST

There’s a certain brand of people who, upon buying a new book, read the last page or the final line before actually starting it. Why? Is it paranoia? Is it rooted in a fear they might die before ever getting to the end? Do they have a weird obsessive compulsion to one-up and control the material in front of them before it can ruthlessly get a hold of their emotions?

Whatever the case, it’s that same style of nonsense we can apply to those who might choose to read, say, a leaked script before watching the actual episode. No one wants to eat the pasta without the sauce. What good is a script without the visuals to go along with it, especially from a show as highly esthetic as

Nevertheless, if is known for anything, it’s the culture of spoilers it promotes. Navigating the internet on Monday morning after each episode airs Sunday night is like venturing north of the wall and making your way through throngs of White Walkers; it’s not for the faint of heart.

And so it makes sense that after hackers stole 1.5 terabytes of important files from HBO that the swiped material would include a script that allegedly reveals top-secret final season details — all of which the network is vaguely but intensely referring to as “proprietary information.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened to HBO. In 2015, the first four episodes of season 5 leaked online via some advanced screeners provided for media. But why does reading the script for next week’s episode feel dirtier than watching those leaked episodes? Again, there’s something to be said for consuming and appreciating a completed work, and something strangely voyeuristic and immoral about digging up as many plot details as one can from nothing more than a teleplay (unless you were only ever in it for the dialogue).

But, as these hackers are well aware, there’s a new market for spoilers, and fetches top dollar. However, if you’re a fan, I’d wager there’s more to the TV series for you than just knowing who ends up with who, who makes it to the Iron Throne (No. 9, 1.1 million).

Yes, Big Brother has a tendency to dominate the hot-weather airwaves. But there’s no doubt Canada loves its reality. And given today’s oversaturated TV market, the “it’s summer and there’s nothing else to watch” excuse no longer applies.

So yeah, guilty. and who dies next. You don’t just want names, facts and figures. You want to see the buildup. You want to earn the ending.

Sansa and Arya Stark are set to reunite soon, but reading that on paper won’t carry the weight and emotional resonance it will when both actresses see each other for the first time onscreen. I want to know how Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen end up in bed together after clearly not enjoying each other’s company in last week’s episode — that is, if they do end up together at all.

is not just about the words. If it were, it wouldn’t have already moved past George R.R. Martin’s source novels and acquired hordes of new fans. It’s also about the great cast, the international settings, from Ireland to Iceland, the distinctive, beautiful score crafted by Ramin Djawadi.

This, much like many other great TV series, is not meant to be enjoyed in bits and pieces.

is so good because it is the sum of its parts, and must be consumed as a whole.

You’ve made it this far, and with only a season and a half to go, why spoil yourself now?