22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Thursday, March 6th, 2025 3:40 PM

Solved

Aren't plot outlines not supposed to have spoilers?

I read a plot outline for an episode I had not seen and discovered a spoiler at the end of it. I was more than a little annoyed to be given the ending before I had even started the episode. I checked the guidelines, which agreed with me. So why was my deletion ( https://contribute.imdb.com/contribution/250302-125354-871000/?ref_=ra_his_wa ) of the spoiler declined? I did also correct the number on the verb in one sentence ("team" is singular, not plural), but surely that could be ignored and still remove the spoiler. I didn't see anything else in the guidelines that applied, although I grant I may have missed it. Any clarity anyone? I am really disturbed by the plot outlines for season 1 of NCIS; virtually every one ends with a spoiler!

Employee

 • 

17.8K Messages

 • 

316.8K Points

1 month ago

Hi khindall - I can confirm that the plot update was incorrectly declined. I reviewed the correction and have now resubmitted it on your behalf and approved it. The changes should be live on the site shortly. --- For any remaining episode Plot outlines with spoilers, please do submit corrections and our staff will take a look. Cheers!

(edited)

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Well . . . I have a whole bunch of those plot outlines, and it looks like they were similarly declined. Should I post the numbers here? Thank you!

Employee

 • 

17.8K Messages

 • 

316.8K Points

Hi khindall - Thanks for the update. Yes, if you have already made requests that were declined, please post those submission reference numbers here and I can take a look.

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Let's see . . . #250302-215311-692000 #250302-215740-641000 #250302-220451-575000 #250302-222215-670000 #250302-223855-194000 #250302-224555-400000 #250302-225220-466000 #250302-225747-711000 #250302-231427-766000 #250302-232233-951000 #250303-182254-518000 #250303-182711-579000 #250303-183302-093000 #250303-184258-226000 #250303-185137-140000 #250303-185456-997000 #250303-190212-416000 #250303-190515-730000 #250303-220214-807000 #250303-220959-877000 This particular contributor really needs to have someone sit them down and explain what spoilers are. All of the above are plot outlines in the same season, and they all have spoilers. I did try to contain my editing, but it's very hard to turn the editor in me off. If anything feels excessive, please ignore it. The second season suffers from the same problem, as do the vast majority of the plot summaries from the first season. Will someone else be having a word with the contributor and ask him to repair them or should I continue my spoiler eradication mission? If I am to continue, is there some way to stop all my contributions from getting accidentally declined? It would be a pain to have to do all of them twice. Thank you, Michelle!

(edited)

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- Thank you for posting the rest of the submissions! Further checking, I can see that these corrections for all had already been approved from other contributions. Any new submission, as I was able to see has been removed as a duplicate, however, the changes have been applied and are already live on the site. --- As per your last questions, you are welcome to continue submitting the corrections if you spot any mistakes. --- In any case, you can also provide us with the submission reference numbers here and we can assist further. --- Cheers!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Well, if someone else is doing it, I'll try to contain my inner editor. She tends to offend people. (Sigh . . . ) Thanks for the help, Maya!

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

Your welcome!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Latest declination: #250310-120942-424000 Possibly also #250310-110356-814000, but that one isn't removing a spoiler. Are you sure it isn't something I'm doing? Very few of my contributions go through on the first try, and a lot of them do go through on the second. Thank you!

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- Thank you for posting these submissions! Taking a look, these have now been approved and the changes will be live shortly. These were processing errors which have been reported. You are welcome to include links with supporting evidence on your contributions as further steps. Cheers!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

More declined submissions of spoiler removal: #250315-155651-299000 #250315-212519-516000 #250316-141325-146000 #250316-150530-583000 They're all attempts to edit the plot summary of any episode. The plot outline corrections seem to be pending or approved. Most say my change does not meet submission guidelines, but for #250316-141325-146000 I got: ReasonDuplicate Your contribution has been declined. The item you have submitted is exactly the same as a submission that you or another user have already entered, which is still pending review by our staff. Forgive me, but I find it difficult to believe that someone else has submitted the _exact_ same correction. It seems to me rather than your system is malfunctioning in a new way. I am trying not to see the errors, but after a lifetime of trying to see them, I just can't not do so.

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

Hi khindall- Thank you for posting the submission reference! Further reviewing them, these have been re-submitted on your behalf and approved. For the duplicate submission, there was an issue on it as there were 2 of your corrections for the same item sent at the same time. This has been fixed now. The changes will be live on the site shortly. Cheers!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

And more . . . #250321-182100-945000 Also, there is this one: #250320-142519-168000 It isn't a spoiler, but a particularly obvious error. The animal is definitely a rat and not a mouse, and no character refers to it otherwise, even if it has a cartoon mouse's name. I have been trying to post only spoilers here, but having enjoyed the acquaintance of a few pet rats as well as mice, I feel this change is warranted.

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- These have been resubmitted and approved. The changes will be live on the site shortly. Cheers!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

#250323-132258-380000 Is this a real rejection or just another accidental one? It's frustrating not being able to tell. . . .

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- It has been resubmitted and approved.

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

Once again . . . #250327-133945-454000 I would really like to get to the bottom of the false declinations, including the false duplicates. I am not clicking twice. I have a whole bunch now pending. My inner editor plunged out of control again.

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- It has been resubmitted and approved. All of these have been reported for further revision to the appropiate team.

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

"All of these"? Do you mean my submissions or all the NCIS plot outlines? Thank you!

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- All the ones rejected. Your welcome!

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

I was just thinking. Maybe you should not call them "plot outlines," which implies that the entire plot is being sketched. Based on IMDb's description, something like "episode premises" would be more accurate and so cause less confusion regarding what should and should not appear in them.

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- Thank you for the feedback! I will pass this along to the appropiate team for visibility and future consideration. You are welcome to post this as an Idea thread so we can gather votes/comments from other community members and track interest within it as well.

(edited)

22 Messages

 • 

390 Points

I'll try. Things are rough in my life and learning how to do something new is hard. Can you tell me if this one is a real reject or not? 250331-205131-319000 Thanks. . . .

Employee

 • 

2.6K Messages

 • 

28.4K Points

@khindall- It has been re-submitted and approved.