*Spoiler alert: This article contains plot developments in the "Sex and the City" reboot "And Just Like That ..."
Fitness equipment maker Peloton has provided the perfect response to being featured in the "Sex and the City" reboot, "And Just Like That …"
Last week viewers were shocked when one of the key characters, John James Preston, who is known as Mr. Big and played by Chris Noth, died after suffering from a heart attack while working out on one of the company's exercise bikes during episode one of the HBO Max show.
Since then, Peleton's shares have dropped by 16%, prompting the company to respond by stating that Mr. Big's lifestyle and family history had likely contributed towards his death and noting that exercising on one of its bikes may have "even helped delay his cardiac event," according to BBC. On Sunday, Peloton took it a step further by releasing a parody commercial that features its own instructor Jess King, who also appeared in the episode, sitting alongside Mr. Big on a couch in front of a fire.
Mr. Big asks King if she wants to "take another ride," adding that "life is too short not to." The camera zooms out to show two Peloton exercise bikes behind them. Then, a voiceover by actor and director Ryan Reynolds says: "And just like that, the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs, and circulation ... Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse, and reduces blood fat levels. He’s alive."
On Monday, Peloton's shares rose more than 5%, according to CNBC.
"And Just Like That ..." series developer Michael Patrick King last week told Vanity Fair that Mr. Big's heart attack was not caused by using the Peloton exercise bike but explained that they chose to include the brand in the episode because using a known company humanizes the character and the overall realism of the show.
"Well, we knew he was gonna have a heart attack. So the Peloton had nothing to do with the heart attack," he said. "The Peloton is a thing that people have now, right? It reflects [modern] society. I wanted something to show that Mr. Big was current. Everybody kept coming and saying, 'Oh, [the characters] are old. They're old.' These characters are alive and vibrant."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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