Yes, it's Brimming with Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's constantly hunting season for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have seldom found such common ground as when gleefully ripping the series' earlier episodes apart. The general consensus held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (also known as a holiday episode). Yet now, it's different. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but set of a Christmas special, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
By this point, Meghan has become the quirky relative at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and supplying 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 appears pleased; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her every micro expression, syllable and glance will be dissected and judged, but manages to seem relaxed and remarkably at ease.
It could be this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – may well be true. The reason is, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, foolishness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what Christmas is about? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the example she sets seems authentically shop-bought.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with flair. Her recipes looks delicious, the holiday arrangement she creates is stunning, her presents are almost too pretty to unwrap. Not a single thing is ordinary or ugly – including the way she ties her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she folds gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, overcome by holiday spirit and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where broccoli is organized in the shape of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but nonetheless, after the intensity of attention she has endured since she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her refusal to modify or even moderate her routine, despite it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will forever know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by what she's selling, a reminder that will certainly come as a relief: you don't have to. We don't have the draft in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you choose to watch and are consumed by envy about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. Be you a duchess or a office worker, few children fully understands the dedication and labor their parent puts in in December. So you can console yourself by imagining her children's faces when they open a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a sweet treat.
