Throughout Super Bowl 51 we kept an eye on the high-stakes game of commercials.

Some of the best commercials included spots for "Stranger Things: Season 2," Turbo Tax, Yellow Tail wine, Google Home, T-Mobile, Skittles, Honda and Avocados From Mexico. Among the duds: H&R Block and McDonald's.

Watch the commercials below and scroll through our running recap of the best and worst Super Bowl ads:

7:30 p.m.: You gotta hand it to the New England Patriots. What a comeback! And you've got to hand it to some of the best commercials. Some themes:

Humor worked:

Heartstrings:

Hit and miss celebrities:

7:15 p.m.: Overtime! After looking like it was a done deal, the Patriots and the Falcons are all tied up. Which means more commercials. At this point, all of the highly anticipated ads have aired at least once.

7 p.m.: Sprite

LeBron James isn't going to tell you to drink Sprite. He isn't. He'll leave that to hipsters and drones. Well ... until he does. As celebrity endorsement spots go, this feels like a let-down.

6:43 p.m.: Mercedes

Steppenwolf! A biker bar! An "Easy Rider" poster. Mercedes has a winner with its "Built to be Wild" spot, starring Peter Fonda and directed by the Coen Brothers in their Super Bowl debut. Here's hoping next year we get Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski and Credeence.

6:33 p.m.: Bud Light

He's alive (sorta)! The ghost of Spuds MacKenzie stars in a spoof of "A Christmas Carol." It's a one-day-only spot produced by the Portland ad agency Wieden+Kennedy to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the party animal's first Super Bowl appearance. It's a little creepy, but plenty of fun.

6:30 p.m.: Wix.com

Jason Statham and Gal Gadot destroy a restaurant, forcing its rising star chef to create a website using Wix.com for his new food truck. But the action doesn't stop there. For the game, the 2:22 spot is being split into two parts, but it's best seen in its entirety.

6 p.m.: "Stranger Things: Season 2"

There have been a lot of movie and TV show ads in the Super Bowl so far, but the trailer for Netflix's "Stranger Things: Season 2" is the first one that made us stand up and shout "YES!" We've got frozen waffles, monsters, and the kids in their very 1984 "Ghostbusters" Halloween costumes. Forget the Super Bowl -- give us "Stranger Things: Season 2" right now!

5:55 p.m.: Things aren't going well for the New England Patriots, but the Super Bowl is going very well for some of the companies with smart, funny commercials. Turbo Tax scored a big hit with its Humpty Dumpty ad (produced by Portland's Wieden+Kennedy), while Mr. Clean gets an image make-over in a funny, sexy ad. Other ads tugged at the heart-strings, with messages of diversity (Budweiser, 84 Lumber, Google Home).

Kia

Melissa McCarthy tries to save the planet in this spot for Kia that hilariously touches on saving whales, trees and the polar ice cap. There's a bit of a disconnect between the comedy and the brand, though ... this is one of those ads that people will remember, but forget which product it was promoting.

5:45 p.m.: Budweiser

You've probably already heard about Budweiser's Super Bowl ad, which offers a powerful spin on the national debate over immigration. It's hard to watch without getting a little teary-eyed, though it has inspired a backlash among some beer drinkers.

5:40 p.m.: Mr. Clean

Who knew Mr. Clean had such a well-aerobicized butt? A wife's fantasy comes to life when her disheveled hubby does a little cleaning. Straight women aren't the only demographic this ad is aimed at, that's for sure.

5:30 p.m.: NFL

How cute is this NFL Super Bowl Baby Legends ad? Young children dress up as legendary football players. Adorable way to start the second half of the game!

5:10 p.m.: 84 Lumber



A timely ad from 84 Lumber, that boldly takes on the national immigration debate by showing a mother and a young girl enduring hardship to get to this country. It's an interesting approach for a lumber company, and another Super Bowl ad that strikes a note for diversity (up there with Google Home). It's sure to anger some people, but we give the company credit for taking a stand. Apparently part 2 of the commercial, which ends with the pair encountering a border wall, was deemed too controversial for the Super Bowl. You can see it here:

5:05 p.m.: It's halftime!

Yellow Tail

Yellow Tail wine from Australia may be crummy, at least by Oregon standards. But you (almost) want to reach for the cheap chardonnay if you can get a kangaroo to DJ a roof party.

4:50 p.m.: Turbo Tax



Humpty Dumpty falls from a wall while doing his taxes on his smart phone. All the king's men are there to offer support in this hilarious spot from Portland's Wieden+Kennedy. Very inspired.

4:45 p.m.: Alfa Romeo

Big dreams take flight, especially if you're wealthy enough to afford an ultra-luxury sports car (which you can't do on a ballerina's salary ... sorry!)

4:40 p.m.: So far, there have only been a handful of high-scoring ads. We really loved the spots for Avocados Mexico, Honda and T-Mobile, which struck the right funny notes. And the touching spots for Google Home and Coca-Cola's "Together is Beautiful" brought a much-needed message of unity.

4:20 p.m.: Honda



A parade of celebrity year book photos come to life. What Steve Carell looked like in high school is worth the price of admission.

4:14 p.m.: T-Mobile

Justin Bieber, who knows a thing or two about partying, explains the right and wrong way to celebrate. Funny spot, and Justin's moves are great.

4:10 p.m.: Buick

Cam Newton takes on pee-wee football with hilarious results. Not sure exactly what this has to do with Buick, but it's funny.

4:05 p.m.: Intel 360-degree

New England quarterback Tom Brady gets out of bed, brushes his teeth and eats a pancake off the floor. And he looks amazing doing it. Gisele Bundchen, you are one lucky lady!

3:57 p.m.: H&R Block

What a waste of Jon Hamm!

3:55 p.m.: Skittles

The whole family loves Skittles: Mom, Dad, Grandma, even a cat burglar and a security guard.

Busch

"Buschhhhhhhhh!"

3:47 p.m.: Avocados From Mexico

A secret society gets into guacamole, thanks to Avocados From Mexico. Hilarious cameo by Jon Lovitz.

3:45 p.m.: Google Home

A rainbow flag. A wiener dog. And lots of diverse faces welcoming others into their home. Google Home makes a pitch for inclusiveness and family in a deeply divided time. It's a theme that's echoed in Coca-Cola's ongoing "Together is Beautiful" campaign. It will be interesting to see how many Super Bowl advertisers strike a note for diversity.

3:30 p.m.: Just before kick-off.

McDonald's

Diabetes now comes in three sizes, thanks to Mac Jr., Big Mac and Grand Mac. It's an energetic spot - hey, you're going to need to burn off those empty calories.

Pizza Hut

Oh my! It's George Takei! Who wouldn't want to go to a house party thrown by the "Star Trek" great. And for $6.99, the pizzas don't look half bad.

2:50 p.m.: The best from the pre-game show

A few standouts from the Super Bowl pre-game show.

Febreze

Febreze air freshener takes on the stinky issue of the Halftime Bathroom Break, when "we go from standing as rivals, to sitting as one." It's about as classy as a poop joke gets.

Squarespace

Cranky John Malkovich can't believe that someone else owns his domain name for his new line of fancy-pants menswear. Only Squarespace can adjust his attitude.

HumaneWatch

The consumer advocacy group HumaneWatch goes for a little red meat with its parody of ads by the Humane Society of the United States, using the image of lawyers in cages to make the point that the animal rights group is more focused on politics than running animal shelters. It's a funny spoof, but are people really thinking deep thoughts about animal rights on what's essentially National Hot Wing Day?

KFC

The first spot from Portland's Wieden+Kennedy's "Colonel vs. Colonel" ads, continuing the trend of celebrities bringing the fried-chicken giant back to life. This time, it's Rob Riggle and Billy Zane. It'll be fun to watch as these spool out during the game.

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-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler