If you are yet to see the Tom Hiddleston commercial we’re talking about, watch it now:
It’s Chinese and That’s Normal There
Lorena: I’m hearing these kinds of commercials are super normal in Asia. I’ve never been though.
Jamie: Yes, I think they are. So I think at least part of my initial reaction was because I’m just not used to them. But at the same time, I haven’t seen all that many commercials for the Asian market, so I don’t know how common this style actually is. But I’ve been hearing the same things as you, and I have to assume people know what they’re talking about, so I’ll take their word for it.
Lorena: This first person POV camera shot is reminding me of the British comedy Peep Show. Sounds pervy, but it’s just named such due to the filming technique they used. Basically everyone strapped on a early 2000s version of a GoPro on their forehead and then the other actor(s) did their thing while the actor wearing the camera was only ever heard, not seen. Then they shot the same scene again, different actor wearing the camera. Very clever and you adjust to it as a viewer within the first couple minutes of watching. Bonus, Olivia Coleman is in it!
Would You Want Tom Hiddleston Serving You Breakfast Like This?
Lorena: It’s inherently problematic because he’s snuck into the home and can’t even stay long. The whole thing is just uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want this kind of relationship with Tom. I would want him more present.
Jamie: Yeah, I don’t get it. He says he finished early, and yet has to run out the door again right away? Like, I need my sleep as much as the next person, but the implication of the commercial seems to be that he’s super busy and travels a lot, so wake me up. I’ll take a nap later, if you’re hardly ever home I want to spend time with you when you are. The whole point of this kind of fantasy themed commercial seems to be like a wish fulfillment thing, so you’d presumably want him around.
Lorena: Oh for sure it’s wish fulfillment themed… but, beyond waking me up to spend actual time with me, is this really what my wish fulfillment would look like? Are there cheese grits and biscuits and gravy? Then no.
Is this what life is like when you take vitamins?
Jamie: This music is SO peppy, and as someone who has never been a morning person, I have never started my day with that much zest. If this were filmed from my POV it’d just be me sluggishly making my way down the steps, him handing me a cup of tea, and then just sitting there for a while because he knows I’m not ready to talk yet. Maybe that’s what Centrum is going for here. “If you take your vitamins, you too will have a sunny and happy life with an actor man!” If so, I’ve definitely seen worse marketing strategies…
Lorena: I mean, at least we know he’s coming in FROM work, so probably slept in the middle of the day(?!) This whole thing makes so little sense. Also, presumably all that raw food would be sufficient vitamins for your day? It’s not like he was shoving all vitamin C options in front the person. There was plenty of fiber too. Antioxidants. And I agree the not ready to talk yet thing is real. Once my friend and I tried to do breakfast instead of nighttime coffee, and we sat there not speaking the entire time.
WHAT is this breakfast?
Jamie: Can we talk about this food? I know that more typical Western breakfast foods aren’t the norm everywhere else, but it still seemed so weird to me. And nowhere in my Google search did “enormous plate of raw vegetables with egg” show up as something that’s typically eaten first thing in the morning in China. WHAT EVEN IS THIS?
Lorena: Right?! I’m pretty sure rice is a thing people eat there. Like blackberries were the only PROBABLE item of consumption on that platter. That egg did not even look real either, like not even McDonald’s advertisement real. And it’s in a heart shape!
Jamie: The heart shaped egg KILLS ME 😂 I literally laughed out loud. You need a mold for that shit. (And he’s not gonna be doing any dishes, because he walks out the door almost immediately. That kinda puts a dent in the whole domestic bliss fantasy thing they’re going for.) This meal is so weird. There has been seemingly no attempt to heat up anything else, and yet he takes the trouble of shaping an egg into a heart. It also seems like literally the only seasoning on this dish is a few flakes of pepper.
Lorena: It certainly did not give me any good vibes about his skills in the kitchen. Like, I’ve written a story where he cooks a better basic pasta meal than this platter of raw food + heart egg. Now I wish we could get an emoji with heart eggs instead of heart eyes…
“You look great.”
Jamie: Shut up Tom, I do not need those empty reassurances first thing in the morning. I just woke up, I do NOT look great and we both know it lol
Lorena: Not to mention the tone. It’s like a live action version of an AI-written Choose Your Own Adventure middle grade book. I did find this guy’s response video to really speak to our feelings here…
This was so weird … pic.twitter.com/92nMweuVly
— Phil Wang (@PhilNWang) March 30, 2019
