Admittedly, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. Yet I Truly Love Meghan's Festive Episode.
No concerned with the season, it's constantly hunting season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when eagerly tearing the series' earlier episodes apart. The general consensus held that a more egregious regal scandal had hardly ever taken place than the now-infamous pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (aka a yuletide episode). However on this occasion, it's different. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but set of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
At this stage, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing random tips, and contributing the odd random outburst. ("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 quite a personality, but her company is customary and strangely comforting. And she appears pleased; she's inflicting any harm.
She understands her every micro expression, word and glance will be dissected and scrutinized, but nonetheless looks relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Maybe this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. The reason is, let's face it, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels delightful. Yes, it's all painfully excessive, foolishness and over the top – but isn't that just what Yuletide is all about? And the words she speaks might be laughable, but the life she leads seems authentically shop-bought.
Anything she sets her mind to, she pulls off with style. Her culinary efforts looks delicious, the wreath she crafts is gorgeous, her presents are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Nothing is average or ugly – including the way she secures her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a meal in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she wraps wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be completely savoring herself throughout. How could any cynical observer not be won over, filled with festive joy and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is positioned in the form of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the degree of scrutiny she has weathered since she became involved with Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her decision to modify or even soften her persona, despite it being so constantly, internationally ridiculed, is strangely reassuring. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will stay true to form, come what may. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by what she's selling, a point that will certainly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. There isn't national service in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are overcome with envy about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a everyday person, hardly any child completely grasps the effort and hard work their parent puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, instead of a candy.