Two of the toughest words in the English language to string together just might be “I’m sorry.” It’s not so much the pronunciation holding us back as it is a reluctance built on a deep-seeded gurgling of guilt, mixed with a smattering of moral dilemma, a pinch of paranoia, and perhaps a dash of wanting to avoid being punched in the neck. And that’s just when it comes to personal matters.

Corporate apologies are an entirely different animal, turning the Inside Out version of our brains into an actual boardroom of people and personalities trying to find the right way to admit wrongdoing without, y’know, really admitting any wrongdoing. Nowhere is this delicate art more transparent than the Apology Ad. If you’ve been watching the NBA Playoffs, you’ll know we’re in the midst of an Apology Ad renaissance not seen since the 2009-2010 sorry season when brands like Domino’s, Toyota, GM, and BP were all offering up their own versions of TV ad atonement.

Domino’s was apologizing for its crappy pizza.

General Motors was apologizing for getting bailed out.

Toyota was apologizing for a massive car recall.

BP CEO Tony Hayward apology for his company’s oil spill disaster in the Gulf Coast wasn’t warmly received, but it did inspire this gem from South Park.

Now, at a time where most companies stick to delivering mea culpas via press release or social media, Facebook, Wells Fargo, and Uber have deemed their current PR situations dire enough to warrant a full-on Apology Ad. Let’s take a closer look at the tone of each, where they land on the Sorry Scale between “PLEASE FORGIVE US” and “Sorry, not sorry,” and what we learned from it.