Yes Spoilers: Why you shouldn’t have to wait for that one friend to catch up on ‘Severance’ and ‘The White Lotus’ - FAIL Blog

The Simple Joys of Weekly Episodes

Before we get into what can be done to your toxic “no spoilers” friend, let’s first break down why the weekly episodic model has proven to be so successful, using the cultural conversations surrounding Severance and The White Lotus as case studies. While there is no question that dropping an entire season of binge-able television at once can create a runaway hit—one could argue that there would be no Squid Game without that Netflix binge model—week-to-week releases allow for shows to improve their performance over time and for fanbases to grow.

Podcasts, TiKToks, Reddit threads, and viral tweets have all supported the growing cultural chatter and increased viewership numbers for both Severance and The White Lotus. For the former, fans spent nearly the entirety of February and March dissecting various easter eggs that gave further insight into the secrets behind the fictional company Lumon. For instance, this TikTok creator provided just one of countless philosophies about the character of Gemma, her secondary persona as Ms. Casey, and how it may or may not relate to the mysterious “Cold Harbor” project.

As for The White Lotus, each week, there seems to be a new viral meme, from Parker Posey’s memorable North Carolina accent to Sam Rockwell’s shocking monologue in the fifth episode. The widespread circulation of these memes has only led to a larger audience. People want to know what all the fuss is about and are catching up before the next episode airs. In fact, the week after the internet went wild over the brothers subplot, the subsequent episode, in which audiences learned just what happened at that Full Moon party hit an all-time viewership peak for the series (one that has since been surpassed the following week).

As we approach the season finale this weekend, it has been a joy to share reactions, predictions, and viral theories in group chats. For example, this video provides clues based on the books that the characters have been reading on the show—a frequent topic of discussion in my own friend group.

All this to say, one of the most pleasurable takeaways from these seasons of Severance and The White Lotus goes beyond the shows themselves. It’s the ever-evolving conversation in text threads and on social media that have spanned months of debate and discourse. Dropping full seasons at once may result in large numbers of viewers, but that model cannot compete with the long-lasting impact that week-to-week episodic storytelling has on the zeitgeist.

What Your Fearful Friend Can Do to Avoid Spoilers

As for that one nuisance in your friend group who you’re afraid of upsetting because they’re “so behind” on these shows, here’s the deal: it’s actually easy to avoid spoilers. If you know that you’re not going to be caught up in time to discuss theories with your friends, tell them in advance! Don’t get FOMO if your peers start another thread without you just because you haven’t made it your priority to watch the past week’s episode in a timely manner. Another option is to temporarily mute your group chat if you want to read what your friends have to say later on after you’re up-to-date.

As for social media spoilers, you can just as easily block keywords in your feed so that you don’t get unwanted memes of viral moments coming your way. Sure, we don’t have total control over what gets pushed to our feeds, but actively choosing not to engage with spoiler-filled chatter can make it easy for you to watch something on your own time while letting others go wild with their theories. This is what I did when I was behind on Severance for several weeks. By the time I finally caught up with the show, I managed to stay surprised without forcing everyone in my life to remain tight-lipped for weeks on end.

The point is that if you can’t keep up with the pace of weekly episodic television shows and the cultural conversations surrounding them, then it’s on you to control what you see and hear. Take your “main character” energy out of the group chat and let your friends enjoy the simple pleasures of engaging in debate over what’s going to happen next. In these bleaker times, it can be difficult for people to connect in real time over well-told, escapist storytelling. Don’t be the reason why people can’t share their excitement! I promise, you will still be surprised when Greg offers Belinda $100k in episode 7 of The White Lotus—I predict she will take that money, by the way!