Never Say Never

A commercial, which is airing now, sparked my interest for its final message. I know what the final message is supposed to be; it is supposed to show a loving family unit and contentment by the narrator. However, that is not what comes across to Cynical Me as I extrapolate the commercial’s ending based on the rest of the advertisement.

For those who have not seen it, here is the gist of this commercial, which is for an insurance company, with the final tagline, “For all the Nevers in life.”

The beginning scene: a twenty-something man is sitting at a poolside bar looking at girls with friends, and he says, “I am never getting married. Guaranteed.” Next scene: he is picking out a diamond ring. The following scene: he is sitting with his wife on a plane with the background sounds of screaming children and crying babies, and he says to her, “We are never having kids” as she nods in agreement, which morphs into the scene with the pair in a hospital and she is in labor, screaming in pain. This scene is followed by the husband, his wife, and the baby in a high chair living in a loft apartment, and he says, “We are never leaving this place; I love it” as the scene fades into their moving into the suburbs as a minivan drives by. Of course, he says, “I will never have one of those” until the next scene shows him washing a minivan. Later, he says, “We’re never having any more kids” as she goes up the stairs saying, “I’m pregnant.” The last scene: he is sitting contentedly on the couch with his wife and children piled on either side of him and says, “I am never giving this up.”

Based on his previous “nevers” I figure he is heading either for a divorce or his death, neither of which is positive. I know that is not what the company intends. The intention is to believe in this man’s happily ever after, but I can only imagine what is next for this guy. I wonder if I am the only one who is warped enough to look at this commercial this way.