"When is it okay to reveal a spoiler?"

This issue is getting increasingly contentious because more and more TV viewing is happening later and later after a show first airs. Between DVRs, DVDs, OnDemand and streaming services, it’s not unusual to find somebody who’s really excited because they just started watching the first season of AMC’s Breaking Bad, which debuted four years ago (spoiler alert: Walt and Jesse are still alive!).

Read the EW article.

This is something I've struggled with. (yes, 'struggled'. You know you take TV watching seriously when you legit worry about shit like this in your free time.)

In the old days, it was easy to decide spoiler or no-spoiler. If I was writing a recap of a show that aired the night before, it was not a spoiler. It already happened. If I was writing about an article or message board or theory or rumor or something, it was most likely in spoiler territory.

I even put up this nice little warning-

But these days, everyone is DVRing (including myself) or waiting until the DVDs come out or catching on to brilliant series long after they've started (I don't hate on this... I've participated in a fair share of MegaVideo benders for Dexter, Mad Men, etc.). It is making it harder and harder to figure out what's a spoiler and what's not. 

For example (WARNING! SPOILER's AHEAD!!!!), Was Lexi dying on Grey's a secret? What about who wins DWTS or American Idol or whatever? What about who goes home on The Challenge? The fact that Deb saw Dexter kill someone? In general, I believe that if it already aired, it's fair game. It's your responsibility as a viewer to avoid so called 'spoilers' for events that already happened. Would you get pissed at ESPN for talking about how won the World Series because you haven't checked the score yet? (Spoiler Alert: It's going to be the Cardinals. #12in12)

There are some BIG spoilers for some BIG shows that I refuse the reveal. They concern Game of Thrones' first season, Boardwalk's finale last season and Dexter's Trinity season. All of those episodes are long past. So, why not share? Because they were so big. And so shocking. And blew my mind. And I want others to share in that experience. I want my friends to get hooked on these shows and see those episodes and be all like 'OMG Danielle. When _____ does _____ to ______?! That was fucking insane."

This is what it means to be a TV enthusiast like myself.