Peloton's commercial featuring a very much alive Mr. Big is getting some amazing reactions

via Peloton in Instagram
SPOILER ALERT: Though many fans theorized that Samantha would be the character to bite the dust in the highly anticipated "Sex and the City" reboot, it was in fact Mr. Big who met his demise. The plot twist not only had mixed reactions from viewers, it caused Peloton stock prices to plummet.
Big’s death might have caused Peloton stocks to go six feet under, but their latest commercial is giving the internet life, and is the absolute epitome of “damage control.”
And just like that...he's alive. pic.twitter.com/bVX8uWypFZ
— Peloton (@onepeloton) December 12, 2021
The video starts with Big, seemingly resurrected, next to a crackling fire, drinking wine with his favorite instructor Allegra, who also appeared in the show. Have the two run away together? That seems to be the case.
As Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" plays, Big toasts “to new beginnings.” Allegra tells Big how great he looks. Big asks his trainer-turned-mistress if she wants another ride, adding that “life is too short not to.”
Cue the piece de resistance: We hear the voice of Ryan Reynolds saying:
“And just like that ... the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation, thus reducing your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers your pulse and reduces blood fat levels.”
And then in a clever, fast, distinctly Ryan Reynolds kind of way, he whispers, “he’s alive!”
It took no time for the commercial to receive positive—and comical—reactions.
What a comeback hahahaha damn. Give the person/team who conceptualized this a RAISE
— amb (@_amb15) December 12, 2021
Including a tweet demanding a raise for whoever came up with the idea.
This is hilarious! Props for Peloton’s creativity. I don’t understand what all the hysteria is over a fictional character’s death. The bike didn’t kill him. The guy had a bad heart to begin with.
— Sam - Get boosted! #GoJoe (@Saj15Sam) December 12, 2021
I’m guessing Chris got paid a $hitload of money to do this.
As well as pointing out that no one should take a fictional character’s death as true commentary on the safety of a real-life product.
Carrie watching this ad pic.twitter.com/KG5C2F0ojJ
— Liam Purcy ✨🪐💫 (@liampurcy) December 12, 2021
One person considered poor Carrie after she inevitably finds out Big ran away with his favorite instructor.
Peloton was faster with a response than Carrie was with dialing 911.
— Shep (@ShepHerdsTV) December 12, 2021
Another person wrote ”Peloton was faster with a response than Carrie was with dialing 911,” which is, if you watch the episode, kind of true.
yeah this looks like it was definitely filmed, edited, post-produced and put out over the course of a day and wasn't a planned product placement campaign at all from the very beginning
— Jawn Didion (@sashaamato) December 13, 2021
And, of course, some were less than convinced the commercial was as impromptu as advertised. Either way, it was a pretty creative move on Peloton's part.
So Ryan Reynolds did a parody/response ad to the famous “Peloton wife” ad for his own gin brand and now Peloton hires him to do a parody/response ad to someone else… clearly, the only constant in this life is Ryan Reynolds. https://t.co/A786URDBP4
— Peter Sagal (@petersagal) December 12, 2021
Somebody had to acknowledge the one thing we can all count on: Ryan Reynolds being hilarious.
Today Peloton introduced the concept of Schrödinger’s Big, a character who may be considered simultaneously both alive and dead as a result of his fate being linked to opposing corporate interests
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) December 13, 2021
It’s not every day that quantum mechanics get involved in Twitter comments, but one person managed to compare Big’s simultaneous aliveness and deadness to Schrödinger’s cat.
🎶The circle of life pic.twitter.com/oMcFsF8CVz
— Ced (@cedfunches) December 12, 2021
The strategy seemed to do the trick, going by the clearly visible upswing in Peloton’s stock prices.
For more context: In what now can be seen as heavy foreshadowing, "And Just Like That"’s first episode starts with Big proudly announcing the thousandth ride of his exercise bike, and more than once mentioning about his favorite Peloton instructor, Allegra.
Cut to Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) coming home to find her collapsed husband (Big), suffering cardiac arrest post Peloton workout. Not the greatest look for a health product.
Peloton has received its fair share of bad press over the years, but luckily this might have been the biggest blessing in disguise. And it gives “flipping the script” an almost literal meaning.
And just like that … a PR nightmare turns into a genius marketing campaign.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."