Indeed, it's Packed with Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's constantly fair game for criticism on the Meghan Markle's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when gleefully ripping the series' first and second seasons apart. The prevailing view was that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel-bagging incident.
Presently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned once again with a "Festive Special" (aka a yuletide episode). Yet now, the dynamic has changed. The standard components viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but framed of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
Now, Meghan has become the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – providing random tips, and delivering 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 seems pleased; she's causing any harm.
She understands her each tiny facial movement, utterance and glance will be dissected and judged, but nonetheless looks unburdened and remarkably at ease.
Maybe this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – may well be true. The reason is, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what the holiday season is for? And the talk she's talking might be laughable, but the example she sets appears to be beautifully curated.
Anything she sets her mind to, she pulls off with flair. Her culinary efforts looks scrumptious, the wreath she makes is stunning, her gifts are practically too exquisite to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or ugly – including the way she secures her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a dish in the microwave, 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 cynical observer not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a deep longing for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where greens is organized in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the level of attention she has weathered ever since she became involved with Prince Harry, the love child of acting royalty would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her refusal to alter or even moderate her persona, despite it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will forever know what to expect with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a reminder that will certainly come as a comfort: you aren't required to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are consumed by jealousy about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, few children fully understands the effort and hard work their parent expends in the holiday season. So you can take heart by picturing her children's faces when they open a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, rather than a candy.