"I'm not missing Happy Pony."

Despite its heavy rotation, this AT&T spot makes us laugh every time. A clever idea perfect in its execution. It's a funny riff on hard-boiled cop-dramas Mexican standoffs ("Drop 'em. Both of you."). But it's also a timely commentary on the way DVRs have changed our household interactions - who hasn't had an argument about a show conflict? - in a way that no one could have imagined just five years ago.

Plus there's all of the little details. The fearful look on mom's face as she dares to pull her remote on dad. The assertive way Billy stands up into the frame to get the drop on mom and dad - mom may be scared, but he's not. The way grandma dismisses the whole thing with a disgusted wave of her hand; DVRs are not a part of her generation - she can't possibly understand the dire, urgent showdown she's stumbled onto. The deadpan money line "And I'm not missing Happy Pony" delivered in a slow tracking shot that would be right at home in a cheesy 80s action movie. And for those with, ahem, DVRs, there's the fun of freeze-framing the shot of the TV as it scrolls through the details of the programs our family has presumably been arguing about: "Kung Fu Island," "Wheel of Fun," and - of course - "Happy Pony."

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