SPOILER ALERT! I rant.
Although I can’t find it released through any official channels, a number of reputable Walking Dead YouTube fan accounts have posted a sneak peek from the season ten finale – A Certain Doom. I’m not going to link or embed the video, it’s easy enough to Google if you so wish.
The only thing I have to say about it is, “why”?
These sneak peeks have been happening all season, usually aired on Talking Dead and contain the opening minutes of the episode. When the sneak peek for Walk With Us was released, it almost spoilt the episode, as it practically revealed the entire, intense, battle at Hilltop. The sneak peek for the finale reveals another HUGE SPOILER and it left me frustrated and annoyed that I watched it.
I understand that ratings need boosting and fans need to be encouraged to return or to watch, but don’t give away MAJOR plot points or deaths or anything in teasers. Movie studios have been doing it for years, the art of the trailer has fallen by the wayside, with the best jokes, the best action sequences, all revealed in the trailer. Why bother watching it at all? Sky TV released a trailer for Avengers: Endgame when that was due to air on Sky Movies that contained a pretty major spoiler that was one of the key (and best) bits of the final battle. It saddens me.
It might be easy to say “just don’t watch then”, but when it is plastered across social media, the title cards on YouTube reveal the SPOILER in question, it is hard to avoid. I’m a Walking Dead fan account, I need to interact with you, the community. If I blocked every keyword that might spoil the episode I wouldn’t be able to do that. Marketing should be better. Sure, tease the episode, give us a sneak peek at a scene, but don’t spoil the blasted thing.
While the sneak peek from Walk With Us did contain almost the entirety of the Battle of Hilltop, the episode went on and delivered some astonishing moments and was one of the best episodes of the season. Hopefully, the finale can follow suit and just because we’ve seen one thing, doesn’t mean it’s spoiled the entire episode.