With Love, Meghan Episode Two: Welcome to the Party

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: WELCOME TO THE PARTY

Original Airdate: March 4, 2025

Special Guest: Mindy Kaling

Mentions of "Joy": 1

Passive-Aggressive Moment: 1

Gushing Praise for Markle: "When I received that in the mail, a box of your preserves, it was probably one of the most glamourous moments in my life".

When I was a child, I was fortunate enough to have had a birthday party at McDonald's. Yes, I am that old. Being of Mexican descent, I had birthday parties that featured pinatas too. In all those halcyon days of childhood, I do not think that I would have ever conceived of having or attending a child's birthday party where I was given a gift bag consisting of gardening tools to take home and use. However, I never had a party, birthday or otherwise, organized by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Welcome to the Party, the second of eighteen episodes of her lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, is...well, a sight. Despite being a mother to two children, Welcome to Party made me question whether Mrs. Sussex (per her decree) is even remotely acquainted with children. 

Meghan is all a-flutter because, in her own words, her email pen pal Mindy Kaling is coming over to her rented home/studio. As both are new mothers, Meghan thinks that this is the perfect opportunity to show her gal pal how to create the perfect children's party. While they won't actually have children at the party set-up that they will make, Meghan will show Mindy how to make delicious kid-friendly sandwiches, a balloon arch, kids' party gift bags and a fruit rainbow, all keeping with a specific party theme. The select theme is a garden party. As such, the gift bags will consist of gardening tools and seeds. 

Mindy, now having arrived, loves how Meghan has prepared some frittata for her. Having first connected when Mindy appeared on Meghan's podcast Archetypes in September 2022, Mindy loves everything Meghan says and does. I counted at least four declarative "I love it" whenever Meghan said or did something, though I am sure that I missed more than a few more uses of that term. Mindy pretty much considers herself blessed to be in Mrs. Sussex's presence. "Your fashion is, like, one of my favorite things", Kaling says, making viewers fear that she will break out into song. 

Kaling continues to wax rhapsodic to Markle about Markle. She was thrilled to have received a box of Meghan's preserves. She was thrilled at the drinks that Meghan had prepared. All her party ideas were brilliant. All that praising, however, was for nought.

It is during their making of kids sandwiches that we get one of the most cringeworthy and perhaps infamous moments in the series. It may be called With Love, Meghan, but the Duchess shows little love when her guest remarks on the hostess' surname. While attempting to carry a conversation with Markle, Kaling asks what kind of fast food she liked. Meghan rattles off some, ending with Jack in the Box.

"I don't think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it", Kaling declares, apparently astounded that a Californian woman would have ever chowed down this particularly fast food. Sounding sheepish but coming across as defensive, Meghan is having none of it.

"It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I'm Sussex now," the Duchess starts. Turning to an apparently startled Kaling, Mrs. Sussex continues, "You have kids, and you go, "No, I share my name with my children". Kaling, coming across as slightly befuddled if not terrified, nods and says, "Yes". Mrs. Sussex concludes, "And that feels so...I... I didn't know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, "This is our family name, our little family name (emphasis hers)".  Kaling, looking as though someone just pulled a gun on her, replies, "Well, now I know, and I love it".

I imagine that there are hostage videos that are more comfortable to watch than this exchange between friends. Yet, I digress.

With the semantics of surnames now done with, Meghan goes back to show us how to make balloon arches and kids' gift bags. She helpfully informs the viewers that there are machines that will blow up balloons for you. That is less exhausting than blowing up balloons yourself one by one. Kids will love to play with the gardening tools and seeds in their parting gift bags. Children and adults will enjoy the fruit rainbow tray they can both make and eat together. They can even decorate edible ladybugs, which we learn are called "ladybirds" in the United Kingdom thanks to Meghan's unnamed and unseen husband. With that out of the way, the two girls can enjoy the fruits of their labor, a delightful children's tea party without any children in sight.

Welcome to the Party is the first time the viewer is treated to one of Meghan Sussex's favorite things: flower sprinkles. Edible flower sprinkles, which Mindy Kaling naturally loves, will I understand become a major part of With Love, Meghan. Joy, however, is not a major part of Welcome to the Party, as there was only one mention of it. I am not sure that I can even count it, for Mrs. Sussex says "joyful" rather than "joy". Unlike Mrs. Sussex, however, I don't feel the need to get lost in terminology. 

This episode may be titled Welcome to the Party, but Mrs. Sussex did not come across as welcoming. The entire "it's SUSSEX, not MARKLE" segment is the nadir of the episode. Having seen Welcome to the Party twice now, Markle's reaction does not come across as chatty or friendly or even corrective. It comes across as angry, defensive, a barely contained rage at still being referred to as "Meghan Markle". 

It should be remembered that as executive producer, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, approved of keeping that "you know I'm Sussex now" beatdown in Welcome to the Party. That could have been edited out and spared both Markle and Kaling public embarrassment. However, Markle decided that people should see how brittle she can be when not properly addressed. I'm just flabbergasted that Markle opted to keep that section in With Love, Meghan. Was her soft tirade correcting if not belittling her own guest about what she thinks is her surname also said with love, Meghan? 

It feels a fool's errand to try and sort out the issue of surnames. Prince Harry is from the House of Windsor, but Harry, I believe, would be "Henry Mountbatten-Windsor" and not "Harry Sussex". His and Meghan's son Archie is listed as "Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor" on his birth certificate. As such, Meghan is closer to being Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor than being Meghan Sussex. The now-Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (who are styled Prince and Princess being the grandchildren of the current monarch who are descended from the male line) would be "Prince Archie of Sussex" (emphasis mine) but their surnames, I think, would still be Mountbatten-Windsor.

It all seems rather tedious to downright silly to get lost in the weeds of what Meghan's actual literal last name is (I think it would be Mountbatten-Windsor). What seems sillier is how almost aggressive she is about something rather innocuous. Kaling clearly meant no harm with her "Meghan Markle" statement. On the contrary. Kaling was so sycophantic towards Markle, eh, Sussex, that it was almost embarrassing to watch. Kaling seems to be there mostly to admire Markle and her craftsmanship. The way Kaling reacted to everything Markle did, you would have thought that Kaling had never even heard of balloons and fruit, let alone that people arrange them in bright, colorful manners.

When Markle introduces Kaling to edible flower sprinkles, Kaling looks as if she has been given her first piece of chocolate cake in her entire life. "What, are you Tinker Bell?" she tells Markle when the Duchess starts spreading about her beloved flower sprinkles. I would not begrudge anyone who came upon this scene and assumed that both were drunk. 

Not that Markle came across as being a particularly good teacher or party planner during Welcome to the Party. During the How to Make a Balloon Arch segment, she remarks that it was hard for her to smile after blowing up balloons for Archie Sussex's birthday party. She then tells those watching that one can purchase these things called "balloon pumps" at a relatively low price which will fill up balloons for you. That she mentions that she blew air for Archie's balloon arch and that there are machines that will blow air for balloon for you frankly makes her come across as stupid. 

At my Mom's Celebration of Life party to commemorate what would have been her 80th birthday, I had a coworker whose family runs a side business of party decorating. She, humble woman from a humble background, had an air pump to create a beautiful balloon arch long before Meghan, Duchess of Sussex enlightened the world with her party planning expertise. Air pumps are not some new invention or esoteric creation. However, to Meghan Markle-Sussex, it was a whole new discovery. It makes for totally bizarre viewing. Did she really believe that no one knew about air pumps until she, Meghan Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, stumbled upon this and told the world such things existed?

It makes her look shockingly out of touch. The Making Kids' Party Gift Bags segment makes her look similarly out of touch, with the added element of making her look downright psychotic. I currently do not have any children. Based on the children whom I do know, none of them would want a gift bag consisting of gardening tools and seeds. Even if the gardening tools are made for children, that does not strike me as appealing to a toddler or elementary school-age child. I think even adults would be aghast at being given a party gift that had trowels, spades and seeds. Markle, I believe, stated that her children like to garden. That is good. I do, however, struggle with the idea that their playmates have that same green thumb. 

As a side note, seeing the photo of Archie's birthday party makes it look oh so sad. The sight of the sixth in line to the British throne, the grandson of the current monarch, at such a cheap-looking birthday party is a bit puzzling to me. That aforementioned McDonald's birthday party that I had looked more lavish in comparison.

As with Hello, Honey! from last time, Markle struggles to create that intimate atmosphere that any television host/hostess needs. She talks to the film crew. She addresses Kaling (I cannot go as far as saying that Markle actually talked to her). She just cannot engage the actual viewer. Again, I think her longtime training as an actress hinders her. Actors do not look into the camera unless they are deliberately breaking the fourth wall, almost always in a winking, humorous manner. Markle never looks the camera, and by extension the viewers, in the eye. She simultaneously wants to make us part of her endeavors and keep us apart. 

Whenever she tries to appear more relaxed, the end result is the opposite. She comes across as almost neurotic, unaware of how to behave. Put aside how I do not believe her claims that she makes breakfast for her family every morning. While making her last-minute frittata, she starts cooking some bacon. "My bacon brings all the boys to the yard", she sings uncomfortably, echoing Kelis' 2003 hit song Milkshake. That is already cringe-inducing. Shortly afterwards, she says "It's time for a parfait par-tay", seemingly pleased with her witticisms. 

One ends up feeling almost sadness at the sight and sound of it all. 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris made "joy" part of her Presidential campaign. Just as Harris could not get joy to help her win the election, Meghan Markle can't seem to find joy in making frittatas and edible flower sprinkles. While making those fun-shaped sandwiches, I believe, Meghan Markle-Sussex tells Mindy Kaling, "I can't guarantee that it will be perfect, but it will be joyful". Mindy Kaling does not appear to be finding any of this joyful. The viewer is not finding any of this joyful. I sense that even Meghan, Duchess of Sussex does not find Welcome to the Party joyful. 

Her statement ends up sounding more like a threat. 

1/10