Admittedly, it's Full of Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. Yet I Truly Cherish Meghan's Festive Episode.
No matter the season, it's always hunting season for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the program's earlier episodes to shreds. The general consensus was that a greater royal outrage had hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (or a yuletide episode). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a yuletide episode, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan resembles the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – dispensing random tips, and delivering the periodic peculiar declaration. ("I love spinach!" … "A tradition has to have a beginning." … "A tree is part of my memory and love of the holiday season.") She's a bit of a character, but her company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she looks content; she's causing any harm.
She is aware her each tiny facial movement, utterance and gaze will be picked apart and criticised, but manages to seem relaxed and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. Since, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels charming. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, nonsense and extravagant – but is that not just what Christmas is about? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the walk she's walking seems authentically impeccably styled.
Anything she attempts, she accomplishes with flair. Her cooking looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she creates is stunning, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Nothing is average or ugly – even the way she fastens her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a dish in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she folds wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, filled with seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but even so, after the level of examination she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her unwillingness to modify or even moderate her routine, regardless of it being so constantly, widely parodied, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will forever know where we are with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a thought that will certainly come as a relief: you don't have to. There isn't mandatory conscription these days, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are consumed by jealousy about her idyllic Christmas, all is not lost either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, no kid completely grasps the dedication and labor their mum puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining the young royals' faces when they unfold a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, in place of a sweet treat.
