Before her tumultuous tenure as a working member of the royal family, Meghan Markle was predominantly known for her acting role on Suits and her lifestyle blog, The TIG. Once she and Prince Harry were engaged, Meghan shut down her blog and said goodbye to Suits. But now that the couple is several years removed from their U.K. exit, the Duchess of Sussex is pursuing her creative passions again. If her single-season Spotify podcast, Archetypes, was akin to dipping her toe back in the water, Netflix’s With Love, Meghan is a joyful swan dive back into her pool of passion for all things lifestyle.
Since the show was announced earlier this year, and continuing after its release, Meghan has been under constant scrutiny (what else is new?). Is now the time for an idealistic home-making show? Isn’t it a little out of touch? Or is Meghan simply doing the same thing Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Gwyneth Paltrow do without the incessant criticism? I binged With Love, Meghan to give you the real scoop.
The premise of With Love, Meghan is Meghan showing us how she makes life’s smallest moments and interactions absolutely magical for her friends and family—and herself, honestly. Each episode features at least one guest, and they’re, more often than not, her closest friends, which I found so charmingly authentic. Everything about the series feels endearing, cozy, and positively enchanting—and I actually learned a lot in addition to being entertained! By the end of the series, I found myself ranting to my husband about how she should absolutely keep the series going for at least another season, and here’s why.
My Review of With Love, Meghan
She’s such a warm, wonderful, gracious host
Not even ten minutes into the first episode, it became immediately apparent that Meghan is nothing but authentic and truly wonderful toward others. There were so many times when I found myself thinking, “This woman is literally a real-life Disney princess.” She exudes such warmth and genuine energy, even with people she’s meeting for the very first time. She immediately starts interacting with them like she’s known them forever, working to set them at ease like it’s second nature to her. There were so many moments I caught myself genuinely smiling and laughing along as she interacted with guests and the set crew or told stories about herself and her loved ones.
She didn’t try to make the show into a celebrity parade
One thing I really appreciated about Meghan’s approach to With Love, Meghan is she didn’t have a celebrity on every episode—and if she did have a famous guest on, it was either because they were already friends or they were someone she had been inspired by and had been wanting to connect with in real life. Because the majority of the guests were her friends or local experts she befriended, you get a really lovely glimpse at her personal life and how she treats people, from her famous peers to her non-famous neighbors.
For example, in one episode, she’s at a local flower shop, browsing blooms to purchase for an arrangement. One of the shop workers strolls into the room she’s in, not expecting to see her, and she exclaims, “Hi Jose!” In that moment, it became clear to me that she really does go out of her way to learn the names of everyday people and establish herself as their neighbor and friend. It’s so refreshing; it actually sort of choked me up. We need more of her energy in our current social and political climate.
I learned things I’ve wanted to learn for a long time
There are many things I’ve always wanted to learn how to do, but out of pure laziness or intimidation, I’ve never pursued them. But thanks to With Love, Meghan, I actually did learn some of those things, like flower arranging, making kimchi from scratch, salt-baking fish, and a lot of others! After finishing the series, I feel more inspired than ever to try new things. We’re in this sort of technology detox era, and a lot of us are trying to return to “old-school” hobbies, myself included. For a while now, I’ve been thinking about learning new skills, like sewing and speaking a foreign language, and pursuing new hobbies, like playing the drums. Meghan has bolstered that drive in me even further, proving her show to be a sincerely enriching experience.
“After watching With Love, Meghan, I feel extremely inspired to be more thoughtful and intentional with my friends and family and to make life’s smallest moments a special experience for myself and others.”
I feel inspired to channel her energy and mindset in my life
After watching With Love, Meghan, I feel extremely inspired to be more thoughtful and intentional with my friends and family and to make life’s smallest moments a special experience for myself and others. While the series has really cozy vibes and is entertaining in itself, the anecdotes Meghan shares elevate the entire show. She’s very talented at showing and explaining how to do things in a gentle, approachable way. She assures viewers they can replicate what she’s doing by grabbing supplies at a grocery store or flea market—putting a lot of intention into telling people how to do what she does on a budget and demystifying things that are perceived as difficult or complicated. Again, she’s just SO real. It’s easy to forget she was born and raised in Los Angeles and had a very normal upbringing, but she’s still very humble to this day, despite everything.
The royal family fumbled the bag catastrophically
There were so many moments when I was watching the show and just started ranting to my husband about how I will never understand how so many people hate Meghan, and how the royal family made their biggest mistake in not only letting her get away, but metaphorically kicking her out of the palace and slamming the door in her face. It’s impossible to watch and listen to her and believe she’s anything other than the warm, genuine, graceful woman she is. I just know the monarchy is spiraling for the 847th time since Meghan and Harry fled the U.K., and honestly, it’s nothing but what they deserve. As Adele once passionately belted, “You could have had it all…”
Should you watch With Love, Meghan?
If you made it this far and aren’t sure where I land on this show, let me make it clear. With Love, Meghan is absolutely worth the watch. Unfortunately, Meghan will be criticized no matter what move she makes, so don’t let the detractors sway you. It’s no secret that things in the world are bleak right now, to say the least, and watching this show isn’t about ignoring what’s happening around us. What you get from Meghan’s show is a brief, cozy, entertaining escape from it all. Not only is watching an excuse to briefly disappear into an idealistic life, it’s a reminder that we have the power to make magical moments for ourselves and our loved ones. Right now, we all desperately need those feelings of joy and connection.
