Justin Timberlake's New 'Mirrors' Video Adds Aw-Shucks to the Hype Machine

Towards the end of a CW special that featured a wax-figurine Ryan Seacrest, some celebrities of questionable status, and a lot of the rat-pack schtick, the omnipresent singer debuted a genuinely interesting and surprisingly emotional music video.

Towards the end of a CW special that featured a wax-figurine Ryan Seacrest, some celebrities of questionable status, and a lot of the rat-pack schtick from Justin Timberlake, the omnipresent singer debuted a genuinely interesting and surprisingly emotional video for his song "Mirrors." The David Fincher-directed video for "Suit & Tie" played on all the provisions of being as rich and famous as Justin Timberlake in slick black and white. But this one, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was apparently an ode to his family—and the "Mirrors" video is all rich and brown in its tinted hues. (Sigismondi, if you remember, also recently brought us the supremely trippy, but also fantastic, video from David Bowie starring Tilda Swinton.)

The second video off The 20/20 Experience offers a decidedly heartfelt take on an otherwise seemingly normal, catchy pop song: It opens with a dedication to "William and Sadie." Per MTV, William and Sadie Bomar are Timberlake's grandparents, and William passed away in late 2012. According to James Montgomery at MTV, the video subtly makes note of the fact that William's health forbid him from attending Timberlake's own marriage to actress Jessica Biel:

The "Mirrors" video makes a passing reference to this, in a scene where his grandparents' wedding ring falls through the air, only to be caught by Timberlake, who then embarks on a lengthy, and quite wrought, dance sequence. The message appears to be clear: He will carry on their legacy, even if he's not sure he'll be able to. 

When the song dropped, many believed the sole inspiration was Timberlake's marriage to Biel. Now the video adds an even sweeter layer.

While the rest of the special on The CW wasn't really anything special (Timberlake said music is the "most special" of all of his pursuits and "broke" news that we already knew about, Seacrest's hair terrified, etc.), this video is a nice coda of sorts to the endless Timberlake promo machine that may finally, blissfully be winding down.