Indeed, it's Full of Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Festive Episode.
No concerned with the time of year, it's perpetually fair game for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the lifestyle show's earlier episodes to shreds. The general consensus held that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned once again with a "Christmas Special" (or a yuletide episode). Yet now, things have shifted. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – persist, but framed of a holiday show, the purpose becomes clear. The elements have slid into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the oddball family member at the typical holiday get-together – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and contributing 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 an interesting figure, but her aura is known and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears pleased; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and look will be dissected and judged, but still appears relaxed and remarkably at ease.
Maybe this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. Since, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and over the top – but is that not just what Christmas is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the life she leads genuinely looks beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with style. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the festive decoration she makes is breathtaking, her gifts are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Not a single thing is average or visually unappealing – even the way she ties her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a meal in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be completely savoring herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, filled with holiday spirit and left with a powerful yearning for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the form of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but nonetheless, after the level of scrutiny she has faced ever since she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of two legendary actresses would find it hard to appear this naturally. Her decision to change or even soften her persona, despite it being so constantly, internationally ridiculed, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will forever know where we are with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a point that will certainly come as a comfort: you don't have to. There isn't mandatory conscription in this country, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you decide to tune in and are consumed by envy about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a everyday person, no kid fully understands the dedication and labor their mother expends in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by envisioning the young royals' faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, rather than a candy.
