It wasn’t quite so sweaty, but it was bad. I still have the tape somewhere, but can’t bear to watch it. The sequence in Broadcast News was based on a real incident, IIRC.
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Maybe I’m projecting, but isn’t this the only reason anybody exercises? If it’s not for vanity, it’s for health or to be prepared for doing something less miserable. It looks like her demeanor was meant to be real-people relatable rather than the standard “if you use our product exercise will be fun” lie every other fitness gadget manufacturer tells, and apart from the odd production, I can almost respect that. Seems like the idea could’ve almost worked with a different director.
My biggest concern is one I have with a lot of holiday ads: Unless you’re a gazillionaire, you don’t surprise your spouse with a luxury SUV (and where the hell does one get car-sized red bows anyway?). I do know a couple where the wife uses a Pelaton as her preferred workout, but you better believe that purchase was not a surprise to anybody, and that she did not produce an awkward video documentary of her arduous journey from A to A over the course of a year.
Still looking for plain version of the ad.
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Ryan Reynolds has it on his twitter feed. I dont have twitter so I’ll probably botch the embed:
https://t.co/jYHW74h81l https://twitter.com/VancityReynolds/status/1203118775815622664?s=20
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I find it refreshing how smart Reynolds has shown himself to be.
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Hold up, people are thinking that the actor is a bad guy because of the character he played?
The dumbassery is strong here.
Next thing you’ll know, they’ll think WWE is real.
Dumbassery indeed, but Peloton struck gold with this ad, and it’s working exactly the way it’s designed to work: generating hand-wringing, pearl-clutching, link-forwarding OMG, she’s in an abusive relationship! outrage in overwrought, dithering twits who project their own insecurities onto a pair of fictional characters in a thirty-second commercial instead of getting their oversized asses off the sofa and onto a real bike. Kudos to Peloton, I hope they create many more ads and outrage just like this.
Yes. and at the end of the day, Skylar didn’t turn to selling meth and murdering people to feel alive again…
Well, isn’t that what we want, to be very pregnant? I mean, isn’t that why we trap men into marriage? /s
She did not sell meth. Walter White is not a hero, he’s an asshole who sold a dangerous drug in order to feel like a “real man”.
And her husband was a dick to her.
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So much winning…
God - they’re so smart.
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Weird to see someone describe Skyler White as “below average” when the writers made it pretty clear that in the BrBa universe, she was considered ‘out of Walt’s league.’
Saul Goodman even did a double take upon seeing her for the first time; "This is your wife? "
That said, you’re absolutely correct;
Walter White was not any kind of hero or good guy; he started out with arguably ‘good intentions’ and the money & power he acquired quickly corrupted and then completely consumed him, turning him into a monster.
No one in that show was “a good person,” really; every character was highly flawed and even unlikable at times, and they all made many terrible choices… still, the narrative gave them all moments where the audience couldn’t help but relate to them.
That’s what made it such a compelling show.
Obligs:
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When they were going over his history with the couple who were his former friends and colleagues at the pharma startup, it became immediately clear that Walt had always been an arsehole who was insecure about his manhood (Gus had his number immediately, with his whole “a man provides” pitch – steeped in American toxic masculinity – to get him to keep cooking).
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Yep; to put it frankly, Walt was the quintessential ‘Bitter Bitch’ - mad at the whole world because he’d squandered his one real chance at being a “master of the universe” due to his own overblown ego. He never ‘achieved his full potential’ and that ate away at him like acid.
As for Elliot and Gretchen, they were also shitty people; aside from cheating on Walt together when they younger, taking credit for Walt’s major contributions to founding their billion dollar company on national tv was a terrible choice that came back to bite them on the ass, hard.
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The backstory was that, back when Walt and Gretchen were dating, they went to her parents’ house during a holiday family event. Gretchen came from money, Walt came from modest means, and he was so (needlessly) insecure during the visit that he broke up with her shortly thereafter, no doubt in his usual “charming” way, and also left the startup.
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True, but there was also subtext that indicated Gretchen and Elliot had been together before Walt broke up with her.
Feeling doubly insecure was what made him flounce away from Gray Matter, and he ended up bitterly regretting it, literally for the rest if his life.
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So much this. I remember all the times Walter came out on top of an awful situation and how great it felt - before realizing the bodycount (either literal or metaphorical) in his wake.
(I’ve watched the show from start to finish twice now and a second viewing lends a lot of additional perspective as well. The more I discuss it here, the more I’m hankering for another binge.)
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Some items I’ve given to my wife as a gift in the past:
Christmas: Roomba
Anniversary: weed-whacker
Birthday: High-end toaster-oven
Christmas: remote car starter
I know a lot of people would think those are sexist gifts, but my spouse is super allergic to dust and hates to vacuum, she loves to bake and garden, and she hates getting into a cold car. I have pictures she took for me using them saying things like “thanks!” and “WOOT”, and she was just as excited as the lady in the ad. Some people may call me sexist and infer that I’m telling her to clean, cook, and shuttle the kids around more. Just like some people might think it’s sexist to get their spouse a sweet piece of exercise equipment I suppose. It’s an ad, it went viral, mission accomplished I guess.
*sighs
If your spouse actively WANTED needed and appreciated those gifts, then that’s a different scenario than what has people creeped out about the poorly conceived ad which inadvertently ended up costing Peloton money the last I’d heard.
If ‘the mission’ was to alienate future potential buyers, and lower stock value, then sure.
Usually, I like or agree with many of your comments; however, this is not one of those times.
Moving on now; you have a good Monday.
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I feel seen
(Luckily I just eat my feelings instead of start murdering drug rivals!)
