The New Matthew McConaughey Lincoln Ads Will Leave You Dazed and Bemused

After channeling his ponderous True Detective character for a first round of baffling Lincoln advertisements earlier this year, Matthew McConaughey has returned with a new round of equally perplexing spots (hey, they helped spike sales after they aired in September, so why not?)

In the first new spot — which, like all of the ads, was directed byDrive helmer Nicolas Winding Refn — it seems as though McConaughey is inadvertently channeling his mysterious island-drifter character from the acclaimed 2013 indie Mud. In that film, McConaughey played a bearded, near-mystic loner living on a beach; in the first Lincoln ad, which you can watch above, the actor seems similarly at peace in the natural world. “It ain’t about hugging trees,” he says as part of his pitch for a hybrid car. “It’s not about being wasteful, either. You’ve just gotta find that balance.”

In the second spot, above, McConaughey sits in a restaurant with horrible service, dodging a storm. When the downpour suddenly stops, he gives a McConaughgrin (TM), heads to his car, and opens the sun roof. It’s a nice way to repackage a pretty standard feature — which, after all, is what advertising is all about.

Jim Carrey, call up Saturday Night Live — you’ve got some more spoofing to do.