What I want to watch after watching the Super Bowl
Lindsey Meyers
Lindsey Meyers
Scene is constantly on the lookout for what to watch so we can provide our readers a compass to navigate the constantly saturated flow of entertainment.
The Super Bowl is something everyone watches, even if just for the commercials and Lady Gaga’s drones. This year many commercials targeted a “watching” audience to watch more. Here’s a guide to help you decide what’s hot and what’s not from the Super Bowl ads.
What To Watch:
That girl from T-Mobile dance some more (take note Missy Elliot)
T-Mobile had quite a few spots in Sunday’s primetime programming, but anyone featuring Justin Bieber is bound to spark conversation. In the #UnlimitedMoves spot “the Biebs” was upstaged and out-sassed by a young female hip-hop dancer. Her moves give the Abby Lee Dance Company a run for their money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_4tX4XwI8
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
The red capes. The cult premise. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss). This adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s fiction novel looks eerie but visually appealing — and addicting. Hulu seems to be promising premium content, a welcome addition to a platform that seems lost between the Netflix and online cable provider models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMrDTDEmS4c
The 84 Lumber ad — in full
Fox Broadcasting Company made 84 Lumber amend their Super Bowl spot to remove an image of President Trump’s proposed wall. But it’s 2017 and YouTube exists: When word got out, visitors crashed 84Lumber.com trying to see the ad in full. The full ad (available on YouTube) shows a wooden door carved into the wall, followed by the message “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPo2B-vjZ28
“Einstein”
National Geographic played on Lady Gaga’s halftime show to draw audiences into Einstein’s rendition of “Bad Romance.” Combine that with an intriguingly vague, intense montage and the show has my attention.
In a Kia spot, McCarthy attempted to save the whales, the trees, the ice caps and more in what was lauded as a “Hero’s Journey.” With her Sean Spicer skit on SNL the night before, Sunday’s commercial was well timed — people had been referring to her cross-gender casting’s brilliant results as “heroic” all day. Plus, the commercial added some of the best humor of the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u6M18M3D0s
Kristen Schaal in a “50 Shades of Gray” spoof
In a sensual ad that made Corinne’s antics on “The Bachelor” seem PG, Kristen Schaal teased a “50 Shades of Gray” spoof for T-Mobile featuring Verizon’s data overage fees as sadomasochistic punishments. The “blockbuster” was more enticing than “Pirates of The Caribbean 89,” “Scarlett Johansson in Yeezy Season 3” and whatever else the Super Bowl's action film spots were showcasing. Reminiscent of her character on “Flight of the Conchords,” Schaal’s feature was more memorable than Bieber’s for the brand.
At first I thought it was an Eggo ad gone awry, but then: the font. Guess I have until Halloween to finally work up enough courage to watch the first season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Egf5U8xLo8
What Not To Watch:
“Real Awful Moms / World of Tanks”
Quite honestly, I did want to watch this fake reality show (see “Dance Moms” and “The Bachelor” references above), but then a tank rolled into the scene and the voice of Bop-It (not a verified fact, but seems legitimate) yelled “Tanks Rule!”
Lindsey Meyers
Lindsey Meyers
