I get you. The general consensus is that spoilers are Always Very Bad but sometimes I think they can actually be helpful. I watched Xena many years after it initially aired so I also knew about the ending without having watched it yet and I think it was better that way, it prepared me for the shock. I still felt kind of betrayed by the show and upset at their choice so I can't imagine either what it must have been like to be among the fans who saw it first-hand, without knowing what they were getting into. There's a reason why we never talk about A Friend in Need, after all, lol... It was a terrible, terrible idea to end it that way, sheesh.