We live in a time of unprecedented absurdity, which is to say that it takes a lot for me to question the legitimacy of, well, anything these days. But on Friday morning, I did just that. On my Twitter timeline appeared a video advertising a kitchenware collaboration that was so risibly absurd, I had to watch it four times in order to convince myself that it was not, in fact, a Saturday Night Live parody sketch.
Presenting, Le Creuset’s upcoming Star Wars collection.
Now, Le Creuset certainly isn’t the first brand to release an absolutely ridiculous video advertisement; we all remember the deranged Subway ad, featuring that frustrated adolescent boy (“Subway Boy”), that went viral earlier this year. However, there’s a certain je ne sais what the fuck about this viral video that had Twitter users roundly mocking it. First of all, let us consider some of the actual cookware: a terrified-looking Porg Pie Bird, a boring Darth Vader Dutch oven, and a haunting roaster featuring a rendition of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. But what makes the video so comical, in one woman’s opinion, is the dramatic symphony music that plays in the background as the signature ware comes across the screen. Also, the heavy Darth Vader breathing sound effects.
A few outstanding questions, which I would like to be read rhetorically, as I do not want my inbox flooded with scathing messages from Star Wars nerds:
1. Why is the Porg so scared?
2. How is the collab “one epic adventure”?
3. About the Darth Vader Dutch oven … why so boring?
4. Are there specific Star Wars–themed roasts you’d cook in the Darth Vader Dutch oven?
5. Why’d they have to do Han Solo so dirty?
6. Is there really someone out there who’s willing to drop a couple hundred bucks on the Dutch oven?
7. Who asked for this?
8. Who did this?
And one last one: We’re sure we’re not being trolled, right?