Have you watched the ‘Harry and Meghan’ docuseries on Netflix yet?
In true Parita and Vishnu fashion, we watched the first three (of six) episodes this past weekend. Unsurprising for me, since the Royal Family is so intriguing to me. Surprisingly, my husband was more into it than I expected. AND it made for some interesting conversations.
Ok, first and foremost, the first three episodes don’t really reveal anything major that hasn’t been shared already. The surprising things are actually in the details of the stories that Meghan and Harry share, and that’s we’ve taken away so far.
For example, William and Harry were essentially born into a contractual relationship with the British media. Essentially, the media and the British people feel like they are owed details of their lives, and if they don’t get them, the media starts to dig and fabricate (to sell their stories and make money of course). How crazy!
Something that made me emotional was hearing Harry talk about his mother’s death and then seeing a video clip of the family members doing a walkabout after Princess Diana’s death. In it, William and Harry are smiling while shaking people’s hands. WTF?! That’s what was expected of them, and no one questioned it.
And of course, the obvious hated and racism toward Meghan and her family was just crazy. They share some more personal details around all that, and it just blows your mind that people can be so cruel. Famous or not, no one deserves to be talked about that way.
Now for some things that made me roll my eyes a little…
For one, when Meghan talks about meeting the Royal Family, she acts if they would be like any other family. Ummm…no. I get some things surprising her, like the outward formality and distance carrying through to the inside. But not knowing that meeting the Queen would be a very formal experience….??? Maybe the way she talks about it is exaggerated, but come on!
Also, like a lot of people have said, Harry and Meghan supposedly wanted out of the public eye because they wanted privacy and protection, for themselves and their kids. Makes total sense, especially given their experience with the media and supposedly the family itself. But then to go and create a documentary talking about not getting that privacy feels…a little contradictory.
When I brought this up to Vishnu, he said something that made me change my lens a little. The media has made so much money telling their story however they please. Now it’s Meghan and Harry’s turn to make some money from THEIR story and tell it from THEIR perspective.
Some will argue that it’s all a part of being in the spotlight. The price you pay. But at some point, everyone has to draw the line.
Ok, that’s all I’ll say for now. Maybe I’ll share some more final thoughts once the rest of the episodes (3 more I believe) are released!
Happy watching (if you choose)!
