(no subject)

Armed with certain basic information, one can usually deduce upcoming events in a piece of serial fiction. This is one reason why people avoid spoilers, of course- because the process of deduction is inevitable for some of us, and not always pleasant.

Deduction is not impervious to surprises, of course, but throwing in too many surprises is a dramatic cheat. Most plot twists, but not all, have to follow from something already established- unless they're just so damn emotionally satisfying that the rational part of your (my) brain has to shut down because the reptile brain is just so damn happy.

The problem cowes in when the emotions retreat too far, and actually watching becomes just checking off the list of things you deduced. I am happy to report that the second-season finale of Doctor Who was not a waste of my time to watch. It was very good.

( Spoilers )