With Love, Meghan: The Complete Series

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Mentions of "Joy": 21

Mentions of Flower Sprinkles: 7

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 17

Gushing Praise for Markle: Infinite

"One steps out with actresses. One doesn't marry them".

This is allegedly what His Royal Highness Prince Philip told his grandson Prince Henry of Wales when Harry declared his wish to marry American actress Meghan Markle. The Duke of Edinburgh, no stranger to whispers about his own alleged stepping out, was equally blunt when it came to what he thought of the American divorcee about to marry into the House of Windsor. He is alleged to have nicknamed the future Duchess of Sussex "DOW" or "D.O.W." as in "Duchess of Windsor". 

Say what you will about Wallis Simpson. She might have literally cavorted with Nazis; Wallis may have loathed her in-laws. She may have been greedy. However, Her Grace would never have reduced herself to publicly baking cookies or expressed confusion over the word "slurry" for streaming audiences regardless of how much money had been offered her. Wallis Windsor (using Meghan's methodology) may have danced with Hitler, but at least she never appeared on television trapsing about barefoot in her kitchen nor wearing pajamas in public.

Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and her better half, known as either "Aitch" or "my husband", opted to step down as working Royals to pursue financial independence away from the British House of Windsor. What did that entail? It entailed among other things the King's daughter-in-law openly wondering why a crêpe felt more special than a pancake, the suggestion of a secret pre-marriage child and waxing rhapsodic about the joys of edible flower sprinkles.

In short, it entailed With Love, Meghan. 

I do not know if "woefully misguided" is the best term to describe With Love, Meghan. Other terms that come to mind are "ego trip", "vanity project" and "television sludge". Boring and bizarre, With Love, Meghan never makes a case for its very existence. 

With Love, Meghan has a set pattern. Mrs. Sussex will tell the production crew who is coming and what she plans to have them do with her. Usually, she will prepare something ahead of their arrival. She will also almost always present her guest star a gift. Sometimes the gift will be when they arrive. Sometimes it will be when they depart. Once they do arrive, the guest(s) will share in the joyful work. On occasion, Meghan will share some deep thought that sounds inane. Her guest(s) will almost always tell her how wonderful she is or how wonderful it is to be with her or how wonderful it is to be doing whatever it is that they are doing. Once the specific task is completed, Meghan and her guest(s) will marvel at how joyful everything has been. The Carolina shag soundtrack aims at keeping the cool, upbeat vibe that With Love, Meghan aims at.  

Officially, With Love, Meghan has two seasons. I am in the minority in holding that it has one season split into two parts. There will be no second/third season. 

With Love, Meghan consists of sixteen episodes and a holiday special that make the Star Wars Holiday Special look like Citizen Kane in comparison. At least the Star Wars Holiday Special had Bea Arthur singing a tender ballad to aliens in rubber masks. I doubt anyone wants Meghan Markle, or Sussex, or Mountbatten-Windsor, or Saxe-Coburg & Gotha to belt out a coquettish song-and-dance to a Wookie. However, I would not put it past her to do so if she were paid enough.

There are many, oh but many, issues when it comes to With Love, Meghan. I will start with perhaps a curious one: her total lack of engagement. Mrs. Sussex trained as an actress. I have long thought that this is why she never looks at us the viewer. If one endures any With Love, Meghan episode, you will see that the only people that she actually looks at are the production crew. Most often than not, it is director Michael Steed. She'll call him by name from time to time. She might even throw shade at him. 

However, because she talks only to Steed, Markle fails to connect with her viewers. All television hosts from Martha Stewart to Bob Vila, from Liberace to Bob Ross, will look directly into the camera. That direct eye contact creates intimacy between host and viewer. We, the viewing audience, are the metaphorical guests. Looking at us in the eye welcomes us, invites us, encourages us to partake in the activities.

Markle flat-out refuses to do so. She will look at others and speak to others. She will not look and speak to us. When she fails to speak or look at us, she is perhaps subconsciously, perhaps not, creating a barrier between herself and viewer. Markle never creates intimacy between herself and the viewer. It keeps us at a distance. That makes it hard to impossible to care about anything that she does or says. It is the most curious and damnable thing. Meghan wants us to be there. Meghan wants us to see her as pleasant, relatable, relaxed. Meghan wants us to look upon her as a kind guide to positive living.

Yet she will never look at us. Her insistence on keeping viewers at a distance has a terrible result. It suggests that she actually does not want us there, unless it is to take instructions from her. By not looking at us, the viewer ends up feeling excluded and unwelcomed. It is the exact opposite of what I figure With Love, Meghan is aiming for. It sends a clear message from Meghan, with animosity: I, Meghan Sussex, am here to teach you because you are so beneath me. 

I am absolutely astonished that no one, Steed in particular, ever directed her to look directly into the camera. Markle not doing so was deadly because it again suggested a total lack of intimacy. No amount of Carolina shag music, of edible flower sprinkles or proclamations of "JOY!" make up for a hostess who is so thoroughly disengaged with her audience. In some episodes, it almost appeared as though Markle was not even talking to her own guests. She was more addressing them, telling them what they were going to do. I figure that the guests had previously agreed to make whatever craft or meal that Markle was going to have them do. However, that too suggested that the guests were there not as actual friends or acquaintances but as students.  

It is curious that when Prince Edward, now Duke of Edinburgh, hosted his own documentary series Crown and Country, he had no problem looking directly into the camera. He understood that the host has to engage the viewer directly. That engagement is done through direct visual contact. I cannot emphasis just what a bad decision it was to have Meghan Markle never look at us.

Another issue is on lifestyle content. With Love, Meghan proclaimed that it "reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-to's and candid conversations with friends, new and old". Yet the how-to's do not seem very practical or even sensible. I go back to Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. Meghan wants viewers to prepare Santa Barbara Sea Urchin for a party. She wants viewers to swamp their guests with gifts. She expresses astonishment at air pumps for balloons. She creates a children's party without having any children present. 

I struggle with the idea that giving a child a parting party bag of seeds and trowels is practical on any level. What child is going to go to a child's birthday party to grow vegetables and eat sea urchin? Granted, she did not propose serving sea urchin at the children's party. However, it is not beyond the realm of imagination for her to make such a deranged suggestion. Children, at least the ones that I know, like cake and toys at birthday parties. They do not want spades as a party gift bag, unless they can use them as swords. Meghan Markle comes across as very controlling and tightly-wound. I can imagine that any children unfortunate enough to attend a Markle-organized birthday party for Prince Archie or Princess Lilibet would feel very constricted and restricted. 

They would not be allowed to run around and roughhouse. They would not be allowed to throw the gift bag seeds at each other. They would not be allowed to pop the ballons. I am not surprised that there were no children at the children's party that Meghan created. They would not behave like elegant, sophisticated adults. Even young Sheldon Cooper would think Meghan Markle was excessive in her formality.

As for conversations with friends, old and new, With Love, Meghan never had that. There was never any sense of relaxation or joy when Meghan was with anyone. Everyone, rather, seemed to be there to praise the Hostess with the Mostess. The winner in that department is Vicky Tsai from Elevating the Everyday, though Love is in the Details' Delfina Figueras gave Tsai a good run for her money. Meghan rarely sat down and chatted with her guests. We did not learn much about people like Tsai or Figueras or Heather Dorak. 

Dorak is an interesting case. She is supposed to be one of Markle's oldest and dearest friends. However, I do not recall hearing much from her in A Weekend Away. Instead, we heard a lot from and about Meghan Markle. Mrs. Sussex does have some chefs attend to her. However, they hardly count as guests because they did not come to be served but to serve. We did not learn much about people like Roy Choi or Clare Smyth as people. We did see that when another chef, Ramon Velasquez, corrected Markle's food handling, the Duchess of Sussex could barely contain her rage. 

It is a curious thing that I was unaware that Will Guidara was married to Christine Tosi. Guidara was Meghan's guest on Holiday Celebration. Tosi had been Meghan's guest on A Sweet and Savory Adventure. It is in how little Meghan either mentioned or seemed to care about either of them that Tosi's connection to Guidara was learned on Holiday Celebration despite Tosi having been a With Love, Meghan guest before. 

Conversations are meant to be relaxing and joyful. Given how visibly angry Markle was at Mindy Kaling when she dared call her "Meghan Markle" instead of "Meghan Sussex", I cannot imagine that it was fun, relaxing afternoon. 

Perhaps the worst element in and of With Love, Meghan is that the show is simply boring. Meghan Markle is a dreadful hostess. One senses that she is forcing herself to speak softly. I think that she thinks that this is the tone of voice one should have for television. To my ears, her soft tone comes across as controlled and manufactured. Like her inability or refusal to look directly at us, it keeps us at a distance. The various dishes presented are far too esoteric for my tastes. Crudites and gougères are things that I think most people have never heard of, let alone want to make or serve.

Not that the elements of elegant living are less opaque to oddball. I have gone decades without hearing about such things as water marbling or lavender towels. I do not know why anyone would want to do such things. Perhaps for work, but not for fun.

Over and over again, I kept seeing Meghan Markle as like a crazed summer camp leader in charge of arts & crafts. Making s'mores. Making Christmas crackers. Making mugs. Making beeswax candles. These are all things that I can imagine those at Camp Anawanna having to do. Seeing adults do them seems very, well, frankly loony. I do not think that the guests were having fun or joy participating in this psychotic Girl Scout Jamboree. 

As a side note, think of "camp" in any way you wish.

With Love, Meghan is something that I found totally schizophrenic. It wants to be joyful but comes across as dull. It wants to be relaxed but comes across as tense. It wants to be relatable but comes across as aloof. It wants to be warm but comes across as cold and brittle. 

Perhaps in the end, With Love, Meghan reflects, unintentionally, how Meghan Markle actually is.

Queen Mary once admonished a member of the royal family for complaining about their duties. "You are a member of the British Royal Family. We are never tired and we all love hospitals", the Empress of India scolded the miscreant. Her Majesty was communicating that as Royals they had to put duty above self. They never show physical exhaustion and participate in the most mundane activities. If they had to pull a cord to unveil a plaque declaring something open, they did. If they had to meet hundreds of people who worked as sanitation workers, they did. 

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Aitch opted not to. They were convinced that their star power alone would draw people to their rival Court. My sense is that Meghan thought people would flock to see her show how she lived a life of grace and elegance. After all, she is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Instead, we saw in With Love, Meghan a fading star rush around barefoot or in pajamas while gushing about the joys of edible flower sprinkles. Queen Mary famously refused to ever receive the Duchess of Windsor, a pledge that she kept to her dying day. Queen Mary referred to Wallis Simpson as "an adventuress". Who would have thought that The Adventuress would be the embodiment of royal decorum compared to The Starlet.

History repeating itself?

Average Episode: 3.4

With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Original Airdate: December 3, 2025

Special Guests: Will Guidara, Lindsay Jill Roth, Kelly Zajfen, Naomi Osaka and Tom Colicchio, with special appearance by Ruth Lane and His Royal Highness Harry, Duke of Sussex

Mentions of "Joy": 1

Mentions of Edible Flower Sprinkles: No

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 2

Gushing Praise for Markle: "Today is the first time I've felt the Christmas spirit this year".

Christmas for people means one of at least two things. Some see it as the commemoration and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Others, more secular minded, still see it as a time of family gatherings and feasting. For Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Christmas is a time for crafting. It is a time to invite strangers into her rented home/studio to cosplay as happy families. It is a time to make a dish comprised of ingredients that your spouse hates. Christmas was never as deadly dull as it is under Mrs. Sussex's watchful eyes in With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration.

The Yuletide season is not safe from the clutches of Meghan Sussex as she gifts us with a seemingly endless parade of activities. One almost imagines that it is nearly impossible to catalog everything that Mrs. Saxe-Coburg & Gotha has her myriads of guests do. I will, however, do my best to catalog all the fun and I presume joyful activities. Some activities are with others while other activities are by her lonesome. 

Meghan visits Lane Farms where owner Ruth Lane shows her around until Meghan finds the perfect Christmas tree. Next, we are guided to making an Advent calendar, where she can "just embrace the special touches that bring you joy". 

From there, we await her first guest, restauranteur and author Will Guidara. He wrote the book Unreasonable Hospitality, which oddly is not the title of Meghan Markle's autobiography. Guidara is the husband of Christina Tosi, whom we've encountered in A Sweet and Savory Adventure. Mrs. Guidara will pop in via video call a little later. 

Mrs. Sussex will prepare gougères and what she calls "reindeer chow" for him to take home to the missus. She does warn us, however, of the importance of food. "If you don't like pepper, this is not your dish. If you don't like cheese, this is not your dish. If you don't like goodness, this is not your dish", the Duchess Hostess with the Mostess opines. "If you're a fan of all those things, this is probably your dish".

Once Guidara arrives, we can go on to learn how to make Christmas crackers. Lest there be any confusion, these crackers are not for eating. They are for decorating, as this is a British tradition of a paper-wrapped tube with confetti and various treats. Guidara checks in with Tosi who is excited for these gifts. He makes some for his kids. Meghan makes four: one for Guidara to pop open and one each for per her inscriptions "Archie", "Lili" and "My Love".

Next, we welcome "author and friend" Lindsay Jill Roth and welcome back "founder and friend" Kelly Zajfen for a pajama party. Why is the King's daughter-in-law dressed in her pjs? Well, Lindsay's family has a Christmas tradition of dressing up in matching pajamas. Therefore, our three gal-pals have to do likewise.

We are not even halfway done, folks. 

Meghan has already made a festive cinnamon star and quiche cups for their brunch. She even made some baked pears for them before we get to the big stuff. They will make holiday wreaths. Meghan tells them that this is not a competition. To be fair, they did not behave as though it was. 

Wreaths done, we can move on to Tips and Tricks for Festive Wrapping. We learn that stuffed bears do not require a gift bag. After throttling a poor teddy bear who deserved better, the Duchess of Sussex showed us how to wrap it without a bag. "Another anomaly for people at the holidays is how on earth you wrap a wine bottle", the Duchess helpfully and joyfully tells us. 

Anomaly, per the Cambridge dictionary, is "a person or thing that is different from what is usual, or not in agreement with something else and therefore not satisfactory". Granted, I don't drink, so I would not think of giving nor receiving wine for Christmas. However, is not knowing how to wrap a wine bottle truly "a thing that is different from what is usual"?  

While we ponder on the anomaly of giftwrapping a wine bottle, we can rest assured that Meghan has got you covered, so to speak. We have the Japanese art of furoshiki to help us keep the wine bottle a surprise for your guest. 

One person who might have a furoshiki wine bottle gifted to her is professional tennis player Nancy Osaka. Meghan has been thoughtful and loving enough to make a crudité platter wreath for Osaka, whom she has never met before. Osaka, pleasant if a bit puzzled by all this, will join the joyful Sparkle of Markle for plate decorating. "LET'S GO CRAFT!", Meghan says, making it sound less like a joyful activity and more like a threat. Osaka makes a plate for her new daughter Shai. Meghan does plates and mugs for her children. 

We journey briefly into Easy and Elegant Hand-Painted Cookies, which can be both a fun family activity and a nice quiet-time craft for adults. Finally, we go to our last guest, chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio. His book, Think Like a Chef, was life-altering for her generation's Wallis Simpson. He will make beet salad and cod, while Meghan will make some gumbo. There is also some gin cocktail that Meghan has prepared earlier.

Reminiscences of their Italian and black backgrounds will pepper the conversation (no pun intended). It is 51 minutes into this 58-minute With Love, Meghan special that at long last, "Aitch" appears. Meghan introduces Colicchio to "my husband" (which is how she introduces him in Holiday Celebration). Everyone can have a laugh about how the beet salad (which Mr. Sussex would call "beetroot") has every ingredient that he hates: beets, black olives, fennel, pickled vegetables. Aitch calls it the "anti-salad". However, he at least has Mother Doria's gumbo, which is better than the gumbo that Meghan made. "Thank you for coming", Mrs. Sussex tells the man known as "my husband". However, Harry does pop up at the end, where Meghan hosts a holiday get-together with the With Love, Meghan crew. She serves champagne and everyone can love it. 

I have to endure a tradition at Christmas with the extended family of one of my relative's spouses. This tradition is where all the guests have to do a "year in review" to perfect strangers and people I see at the most twice a year (Christmas and Thanksgiving). You are expected to share all the good and bad of that year, all the things you did, all the places you went to, along with your impressions of all that and anything else that you can recall about everything and everyone of the year. Every speaker, even a guest that you bring, has to participate. Every reflection concludes with a toast after every single speaker ends their oration. I spent many years getting annual updates about one family's dog. One year, I had to listen to someone talk about their dead son for ten and a half minutes. Another year, I endured three young women go on for over an hour and a half about the One Direction concert that they went to. I confess that despite going almost every year for more than ten to fifteen years, I have yet to learn most of these people's names. 

Somehow, in some awful way, those annual struggle sessions are more enjoyable than With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. 

I always ask at least one question whenever I see a film or television show: who is the target audience? Who do the creators have in mind when they create a movie or television show? Something like Netflix's Elway is geared towards sports fans who do not even have to be Denver Broncos fans. Selena: The Series is targeted at a Hispanic, specifically Mexican American audience that still adores the late Queen of Tejano music. The Crown has in mind people who love soap operas and/or historical pieces on the Royal Family.

Therefore, who is the target audience for both With Love, Meghan and With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration? Who does Mrs. Sussex want to appeal to into watching segments on Easy and Elegant Hand-Painted Cookies and Tips & Tricks for Festive Wrapping? As she went on about the gougères, which she called "gorgeous little puffed delights", I had one question.

What the hell are gougères? 

I had never heard of such things. The esoteric nature of Markle's holiday treats is already a difficult thing to endure. It is her diseased, deranged, delusional concepts of elegant entertaining and "joy" that is almost gobsmacking when one sits through Holiday Celebration. She does not entertain her guests. She has them performing her ideas of fun. Making crafts is fun to her. Cooking rather grandiose meals is fun to her. As I watched the Guidara segment on Christmas crackers, I pictured that this is something that an elementary school teacher would have the students do. Will Guidara is approximately 47 years old. Is this sort of thing genuinely fun for him? 

Making Christmas crackers might be something that he and Christina Tosi could find enjoyable if doing it with their children. Seeing people in their forties doing child-like crafts seems more than off-putting. It seems insane. 

Come to think of it, her diseased, deranged, delusional concepts of elegant entertaining and "joy" plague the entirety of With Love, Meghan, but that is for another time.

So much of Holiday Celebration seems anything but celebratory or joyful. It seems more like work, a chore, an endless to-do checklist rather than enjoy any time with family or friends. As much as Markle may think that it is more personal to wrap a teddy bear in wrapping paper than it is putting it in a gift bag, I think most people would prefer the ease and simplicity of a gift bag than to spend time forcing the teddy bear into nice paper. 

I figure that yes, I am not the target audience for With Love, Meghan. However, I cannot conceive of what I presume is this show's target audience (wealthy women) wanting to decorate plates. No matter how personal those plates may be, it still sounds like something from the mind of a psychotic summer camp counselor. I almost expected Markle to have Osaka glue macaroni on the plates.

Going through the guest list, Holiday Celebration has a very curious assortment. Will Guidara seemed to be the most willing to do something other than what he is good at. Why have a chef cook something when you can have him make Christmas crackers? He seemed one of the more sensible people to interact with Markle. He also, intentionally or not, threw some shade her way. 

"One thing that is super-important to me about hosting at home. This is where I think people get it wrong. I think that sometimes people are working so hard to impress the people that they're inviting over that they forget about the actual reason that people are there, which is to connect and spend time with the people that have invited them". William Guidara may believe that. He expresses a rational sentiment. However, that actually undercuts Holiday Celebration's raison d'etre. The whole point of Holiday Celebration is to impress your guests. I cannot imagine inviting people over to make wreaths. I cannot imagine that they would find such things "joyful". 

One thing that I cannot and will not do is appear in public in my pajamas. Unless I was fleeing a fire or an earthquake, the idea of appearing in public while in my nightclothes is tawdry. I do not care if it is someone else's annual tradition. Meghan, I think, wanted to show how casual, relaxed and friendly she is by dressing in her pj's because her friend does. Nothing doing. It looks silly. Kelly Zajfen might as well be the Kato Kaelin of Montecito given how much time she appears to spend with Markle. This is I think Zajfen's third appearance on With Love, Meghan. That would make her the all-time record holder for guest appearances. Meghan's makeup artist Daniel Martin comes in at two, though he has a case of being tied with Zajfen as the most featured guest. Zajfen's second appearance in Feels Like Home was pretty much a "blink and you miss it" moment. Martin's two appearances in Hello, Honey! and A Sweet and Savory Adventure at least featured him for more than a walk-on appearance. Lindsay Jill Roth was just there.

Nancy Osaka looked as if she wished she were anywhere else but there. She was pleasant but looked almost puzzled by this woman. Osaka also gave perhaps the most revealing answer when it came to what Christmas meant to her. Osaka talked about how Christmas gave her a chance to be with family, which she does not see often due to her career as a tennis pro. 

This, more than likely unintentionally, drew attention to how Markle had no family in Holiday Celebration. We certainly were not about to see the-now Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie. We did not see Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, make even a cursory appearance. There was absolutely no chance that her father, Thomas Markle, was going to pop down the chimney like Santa Claus. "My husband" popped in almost at the very end. Meghan, still unable to speak the Montecito curse, introduced him to a pleasant Colicchio as "my husband". When she said, "Thank you for coming" at the end of the Colicchio segment, I did laugh. It sounded as if he did her a favor by popping in. For all her "my husband" talk, she did not seem to think of him as her life partner. He seemed more like another guest star come to adore her. 

No mention of Aitch's family was made. Not even Princess Eugenie could be manifested into popping in for gougères or gumbo. 

Markle ends Holiday Celebration by having her With Love, Meghan crew for champagne. Perhaps that is the type of family bonds that Meghan Markle can have: people who are there because they need to be there, not necessarily because they want to be there.

I think of all that Meghan Markle, or Mountbatten-Windsor, or Sussex, or Saxe-Coburg & Gotha gave up when she opted to forgo opening hospitals in Tower Hamlets to trapse about on television in her pajamas. Rather than cut ribbons and unveil plaques, Meghan decided that it would be better and more enriching (in every way possible) to spread "JOY" and edible flower sprinkles on all that she surveys. 

With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration is the television coal in your stocking. You do not learn anything. There is no joy to be found. There is no center, except to the center of attention for Meghan Markle. It is tedious watching. It is boring. It is sometimes embarrassing for all concerned. It is sometimes genuinely sad to watch. 

When it comes to the House of Windsor, I think we can say that Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is an anomaly. 

Do They Know It's Christmas if there are no
edible flower sprinkles?

0/10

Next: The Complete Series

With Love, Meghan Episode Sixteen: A High Tide Raises All Boats

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: A HIGH TIDE RAISES ALL BOATS

Original Airdate: August 26, 2025

Special Guest: Jose Andres

Mentions of "Joy": 0

Mentions of Flower Sprinkles: No

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 0

Gushing Praise for Markle: "You have a great accent".

As we close out Season Two or Season One Part Two of With Love, Meghan, one thing stays with me about the season (and probably the series) finale A High Tide Raises All Boats.

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. 

What is it about Santa Barbara Sea Urchin that stays with me? I think it is that anyone thinks that Santa Barbara Sea Urchin is the perfect dinner treat for a very special occasion. I think it is the concept of Santa Barbara Sea Urchin being a realistic dish for people that is one of A High Tide Raises All Boats' many oddities. 

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin will be one of the myriads of dishes that Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will present to the With Love, Meghan crew as we close out the series. This will be a "thank you" soiree for all the work that the With Love, Meghan crew has done over these past two seasons.

In other words, a wrap party. 

Despite having been a working actress for over twenty years, Meghan Markle cannot bring herself to call this get-together a wrap party. In any case, Markle has to get so many things together. First stop is the Jonata Winery, where Jonata /Hilt Estate winemaker Matt Dees will present the Duchess with a variety of wines. They will also wax rhapsodic about the winemaking process, which is nature running its course.

After that, Meghan finally greets galloping gourmet Jose Andres. Andres goes around the world, bringing food and presumably "joy" through his World Central Kitchen. He also brings gifts for the Duchess Hostess with the Mostess: a massive chunk of blue cheese and Iberian ham. 

There will be lobster, paella and uni served for the crew. The uni is the edible part of the sea urchin. And this is where the Santa Barbara Sea Urchin comes in.

Meghan has gone down to Santa Barbara to get the sea urchin from commercial fisherwoman Stephanie Muty. Muty shows Meghan how she harvests the urchin. Both Meghan and Andres (who knows Stephanie) are bullish on how Muty is into sustainable fishing. Muty also shows Markle how to open up the sea urchin and pull out the Aristotle's lantern. This process does make Markle a touch squeamish. 

She is more squeamish when Andres refers to the urchin's "gonads". Mrs. Saxe-Coburg & Gotha pretty much loses it when Andres cuts open the live lobsters and chops its head off. Still there is food to prepare for the crew. Everyone invited, including Stephanie Muty, loves the food and the avuncular Andres. With that, A High Tide Rises All Boats celebrates everyone and everything With Love, Meghan related, presumably joyfully.

A High Tide Raises All Boats ends with the song that has the refrain "Don't let it be the last time". I find this to be a very strange way to end With Love, Meghan's second (or first) season. Is Her Royal Highness making a subconscious acknowledgment that this foray into lifestyle influencing is coming to a close? As with Spice Up Your Life, my mind wandered into how With Love, Meghan could have been better had Mrs. Sussex opted to go a different route. Having her as our semi-royal guide through various California wineries might have, dare I say, been interesting. 

Then again, had that been the case, it would have put the focus on both the wineries and winemakers like Matt Dees. That would diminish Markle, which would be impossible for Mrs. Sussex. People come to see and listen to her, not to her guests. At least in Markle's mind. 

Dees comes across as someone who is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and actually pleasant. None of those attributes can be ascribed to Markle. In perhaps the worst comparison I can make, Meghan Markle reminds me of Joseph Stalin. After Lenin's death, Soviet propaganda was careful to not feature Lenin alongside films glorifying Uncle Joe. "You cannot have two Suns in the sky", I believe Soviet filmmakers were told. Granted, this might be apocryphal. However, the maxim of not having two suns in the sky fits the titled lady of With Love, Meghan.

Markle can, on occasion, let someone else take charge. Many times, on With Love, Meghan, the Duchess will have professionals run things. She more often than not protests on how this will be her first time doing XYZ. I find it rather schizophrenic: how she can be learning something for the first time while also being a regal entertaining doyenne. 

This is my first encounter with Jose Andres, though I have heard of him. He comes across as a cooking Robin Williams, with a rapid-fire delivery and manic manner. It is curious that unlike past chefs on With Love, Meghan, Andres seemed more willing to adore his "lady". This is more than Spanish courtliness. When Meghan was repeating what she had learned about sea urchins, Andres behaved as though Markle was relating fascinating and new information to him. 

"Oh my god. You took a class in biology, in marine biology", Andres gushes to the Duchess. Sheepishly, Meghan replies, "I just talked to Stephanie". Andres was exceedingly complimentary to Markle. Past chefs featured on With Love, Meghan have been pleasant to cooly tolerant of Markle. Andres, however, was quite delighted to be with her and even learn from her. I doubt anyone ranging from Ramon Velazquez to Clare Smyth would have called her his "young Jedi".  

As a side note, while I'm not well-versed in Star Wars lore, shouldn't Markle have been his "young padawan"? Yet, I digress.

Back to the Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. I go back to a question that I had long ago. Who exactly is the target audience for With Love, Meghan? Who is going to go and buy Santa Barbara Sea Urchin? Who is going to actually prepare such an esoteric dish for a get-together? Granted, I do not care for seafood. 

I also have never heard of a "uni" except as part of a Golden Girls joke involving Sophia Petrillo's vajayjay. Still, is serving uni and whatever concoctions Andres literally whipped up something that the average consumer would serve?

After seeing A High Tide Raises All Boats, I was left thoroughly unimpressed with Jose Andres. He seems very frenetic and exuberant. He is also unsentimental about cutting up live lobsters. A big personality, however, did not translate as someone that I would want to learn to cook from. 

One aspect of A High Tide Raises All Boats did puzzle me. The Duchess of Sussex presents this as a "thank you" party for the With Love, Meghan production crew. Had she called it a "wrap party", which is what it was, I do not think viewers would have batted an eye. Instead, I think that by presenting it as a "thank you" party, it suggested generosity and "joy" rather than the end of her production. 

I will not attempt to read the minds of the With Love, Meghan crew. I trust that they enjoyed their time working with the Duchess of Sussex and did their best to bring about a good program. They cannot be faulted for With Love, Meghan being terribly boring and uninformative about entertaining. At least we learned that the mysterious "Aitch", also known as "my husband", does not like lobster. 

Perhaps that is why Aitch did not appear in A High Tide Raises All Boats. There was nothing that Prince Harry could eat. 

Not even Meghan Markle's uni. 

Could he know the whereabouts of Hawthorn Markle? 

1/10

Next Episode: Holiday Celebration

With Love, Meghan Episode Fifteen: A Weekend Away

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: A WEEKEND AWAY

Original Airdate: August 26, 2025

Special Guest: Heather Dorak

Mentions of "Joy": 1

Mentions of Flower Sprinkles: No

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 1

Gushing Praise for Markle: "You make that look so easy. I love you. See, I'm so inspired by you".

Meghan Sussex is fond of puns. We've been treated to Just for the Halibut. We've been treated to Spice Up Your Life (possibly to have been originally titled Herb Your Enthusiasm). We've been treated to It's Way Past Our Bread-Time. However, we get no such puns for A Weekend Away, the fifteenth and penultimate With Love, Meghan episode. A Weekend Away sounds more like a furlough for Aitch than an enjoyable romp with Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Shockingly boring and revelatory of Meghan Markle's monstrous ego, A Weekend Away should have those suffering through this series turn to their nearest mixologist for relief. 

Meghan Saxe-Coburg & Gotha is doing something out of the ordinary for her Sussex Squad. Rather than be the Duchess hostess with the mostess, she is allowing herself a quick getaway with longtime gal pal Heather Dorak. Dorak, Meghan's former Pilates instructor, is coming in from Texas. They have traveled to many places together. Their children and husbands are friends. However, this is strictly a girl's trip. Before leaving her rented Montecito home/studio, Meghan gives us tips on packing (heavy things in the bottom first). She also tells us how she dresses monochromatically "not because I think it's the most stylish thing in the world, (but) because it's really easy". She even shows us a baseball cap that she made for "my husband's" 40th birthday. 

It took a few moments to figure out that "PH40" stood for "Prince Harry 40". It is unfortunate that "PH40" could also stand for a high-powered foam machine or acid reflux medication. Prince Harry somehow continues living out The Blue Angel, with him being Professor Unrath. I'm going to put this "PH40" faux-pas as unintentional. However, the idea that the then-sixth in line to the British throne was walking around with an acid reflux medication advertised on his head leaves me shaking my head.  

Somehow, I find this gift a perfectly impersonal one. It's something that one might expect to find at a Windsor gift shop discount bin. I am also slightly puzzled why His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Sussex would be given a baseball cap given that he is British. That Meghan gave this to all of Aitch's friends that attended his 40th birthday party makes it all the more, shall we say, curious. Yet, I digress.

Now driving to Malibu, Meghan meets up with Heather. First stop is the Malibu Potteries for crafting. Malibu Potteries owner Rivers Redclay guides our girlfriends to making mugs and plates. 

As a side note, "Rivers Redclay" is either the best name possible for a pottery maker/owner or the wildest nom de plume for a potter in all human history. 

Megs gives us My Guide to Shower Soothers, which will be great for baths. We then hit the bars to learn how to mix drinks under the tutelage of Payman Bahmani-Bailey. He teaches Meghan and Heather how to make a 50/50 martini and a Hedy Lamarrgarita, named after Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr. Bahmani-Bailey, a former lawyer-turned-mixologist, is impressed that Markle knows who Hedy Lamarr is. He is not impressed with Suits, but more on that later.

With the mixing done, the girls head back to their resort. Here, Meghan gifts Heather the thumbprint cookies that she made for her and her family out of love. In a post-credit section, we see the results of their pottery-making sent to Meghan. It looks like Heather's mug has a little crack underneath. No worries, it will make for a perfect candleholder. 

I am old enough to remember the catchphrase "Calgon, take me away". That, I imagine, is what a weekend getaway should be: a time for rest, relaxation, possibly reflection. None of that, however, is what Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex plans for A Weekend Away. Instead, it is more and more activity. I know of people who seem to constantly need to have something to do. They cannot function without some kind of work, even on a short trip. 

Mrs. Saxe-Coburg & Gotha seems to be that type. Granted, there may be people who think that a weekend excursion means learning how to mix drinks and make pots. I am not that type of person. I am also not the type of person who would agree to partake in such matters. My trips are to explore new places, not learn how to mix drinks.

Heather Dorak is unique among the many With Love, Meghan guests. She is not famous. She has no television program or major business to speak of. She is as close to a regular person as will be featured on the show. That, however, means that Dorak does not get any kind of shout-out. If one looks at the IMDB for A Weekend Away, you see only one person listed as "top cast": Meghan Markle. To be fair, Dorak is listed in the A Sweet and Savory Adventure IMDB entry, but that one seems to have everyone who appeared on Season Two/One Part Two. 

A Weekend Away is perhaps the dullest and most pointless With Love, Meghan episode that one is likely to see. She packs, advising us that "a little preparedness goes a long way". She makes thumbprint cookies. She plays with clay with someone that she travels often with. She makes cocktails. That pretty much sums up A Weekend Away. At about 29 minutes this is I think the shortest With Love, Meghan episode of this second set. Part of me sees how that happened. How long can one stay mixing drinks and mixing clay? 

A Weekend Getaway is dull and pointless. However, it has one of the best With Love, Meghan moments in the form of Payman Bahmani-Bailey. The exchange between Bahmani-Bailey and Markle will go down in history as the ultimate in ego-deflating. 

Meghan attempts to curry favor with our mixologist by asking him, "How did you get into mixology?". I concede that such a question is perfectly logical. "That's a very good question", Bahmani-Bailey begins. "So, I was a lawyer in New York, and..." before he can continue telling us his journey, Meghan Markle has to immediately jump in to make it about herself.

"Did you watch Suits?", she asks enthusiastically. Bahmani-Bailey, perhaps a bit puzzled and/or peeved at the sudden interruption, cuts this off gently. 

"No, no. I don't watch basic cable", he tells Her Royal Highness. "I like shows with curse words and stuff", he tells Markle as she responds to his smackdown by laughing hysterically. 

This exchange may have set Markle to fits of laughter. My sense is that she was going for praise only to see it blow up spectacularly in her face. One is flabbergasted at Markle's massive ego. It brings to mind that old joke "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV". Would it have been so terrible to let Bahmani-Bailey finish his own story before even asking such a self-centered question? Just because Bahmani-Bailey was once a lawyer does not mean that he would naturally gravitate to legal dramas, let alone specifically to hers. 

It is surprising that Markle, as executive producer of With Love, Meghan, opted to keep this moment in A Weekend Away. At first, I thought that she needed a way to give Bahmani-Bailey's story to us. I then thought that perhaps this was a way to "humanize" Mrs. Sussex, to show that she could laugh at herself. Now, however, I think she was just dumb to show us how someone flat-out did not care who she was prior to her second marriage. 

Payman Bahmani-Bailey came across looking like someone who should have his own show. "I like to say cooking is an art, baking is science and mixology is like alchemy", he tells them after the subject of baking comes up. He is pleasant, efficient and most important, able to clamp down on silliness. He reminds me of Ramon Velazquez, who also managed to put Meghan Sussex in her place. I do not think that Bahmani-Bailey, like Velazquez, had any negative or harsh intentions in mind. Both of them just wanted to work and show off their passions. They did not want to be sideshows to others.

Unlike Velazquez, however, Bahmani-Bailey at least gave Markle a touch of gushing praise. When he brought up Hedy Lamarr, Markle notes that she was "probably one of the foremost people in terms of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). She was brilliant". Lamarr was more than just a beautiful woman (though she was most certainly that). "It's good because most don't know what I'm talking about, but you know what it is," Bahmani-Bailey tells her before they dive into the Hedy Lamarrgarita. 

This exchange is the only good thing in A Weekend Away. We don't learn much if anything about Heather Dorak. She started out as Markle's Pilates instructor. Why did Markle not opt to let her show us some Pilates? Why opt for pottery making? We really did not hear much from Dorak, except to gush over Markle. Rivers Redclay was pleasant, but she stayed mostly in the background. It was nice to see Payman Bahmani-Bailey mix drinks, I suppose. For full disclosure, I do not drink, so that segment held no interest for me.

I do travel, but I think I pack rather well.

A Weekend Away was nothing. It was not interesting. It was not informative. It was just there. A Weekend Away is not good enough even for basic cable. 

1/10

Next Episode: A High Tide Raises All Boats

With Love, Meghan Episode Fourteen: Just for the Halibut

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: JUST FOR THE HALIBUT

Original Airdate: August 26, 2025

Special Guest: Claire Smyth

Mentions of "Joy": 0

Mentions of Edible Flower Sprinkles: Yes

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 2

Gushing Praise for Markle: "I just love all this stuff that you do. You just make everything so beautiful".

"Teacher's pet. I want to be Teacher's Pet. I want to be huddled, and cuddled, as close to you as I can get. (That's the lesson we're guessin' you're best in)". So sang Doris Day in the title song to her film Teacher's Pet. That song came to mind while watching Just for the Halibut, the fourteenth of sixteen With Love, Meghan episodes. I do not think that Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex actually wants to cuddle with her guest. However, as Just for the Halibut played on, I felt something that I have never felt before as we get close to closing out this lifestyle series. I felt genuine sorrow for Mrs. Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, watching her desperate efforts for approval go repeatedly rejected and ignored.

It is time for fish stories as Meghan Markle eagerly awaits her guest, chef Claire Smyth. Smyth catered Markle's wedding reception to her spouse, almost always referred to as "my husband" and occasionally known as "Aitch". She will make some juice for Smyth even if the Duchess Hostess with the Mostess has not juiced in 20 years. She will make a travel kit for Smyth, appreciating that the flight from London to Montecito is over twelve hours. "A carry-on size of love", Mrs. Sussex declares. In preparation for Smyth's arrival, we also get How to Make Salt and Vinegar Crisps.

"What is more satisfying than the smell of fried potatoes?", the Duchess of Sussex asks. I'm still trying to figure out why a crepe feels more special than a pancake, so I cannot answer that question. 

Now, Smyth is here to give us her Michelin-star culinary skills. The Norther Irish chef catered the Duke and Duchess' wedding reception and anniversary party. Smyth will prepare Parker House Rolls. She is also highly interested in the kind of fish that California has. Therefore, they go to the Santa Barbara Fish Market. Here, Brian Colgate guides them through the various items until they find a perfect halibut, which is the most plentiful fish in the area.

Meghan judges the weight of their selected halibut at 23 pounds, about the same weight as her daughter, Princess Lilibet. The actual weight of the halibut is 8 pounds exactly.

Once selected, Meghan and Clare return to check on the rolls and prepare the halibut. We get My Guide to Compound Butter, which will include Mrs. Sussex's beloved edible flower sprinkles. "Make a cinnamon sugar butter with pressed flowers. We know I like my edible flowers" she tells the camera crew. At last, the meal is finished, one that Clare and Meghan can enjoy; Meghan presents the chef with various gifts and we get a picture of a "surprise visit" from "my husband", whom no one knows what the Aitch his name is.

One of the delights in Just for the Halibut is how Meghan clearly cuts no ice with Clare Smyth. No matter how pleasing the Duchess tries to be, no matter how much enthusiasm and sugary sweetness she throws at her, Smyth is having none of it. The more that Meghan tries to butter up or put Clare down, the more Clare pushes against it.  Just for the Halibut is cringe watching, but in a positive way.  

Take this exchange between the chef and the Duchess. Smyth has instructed that the roll dough be covered. Meghan, attempting to be chatty and friendly (and maybe a little shady and superior), says, "What do you guys say? Aluminium instead of aluminum foil? Aluminium?" Smyth, clearly displeased that her British pronunciations are being mocked, replies, "Tin foil", visibly put off by Meghan's haughty manner. "Tin. Great," Mrs. Sussex replies in a surprisingly disappointed tone.

I think Markle expected Smyth to play along with Meghan's manner. However, Smyth is not amused by any of this. It seems that the whole "aluminium/aluminum/tin" exchange was a semi-subconscious way for Meghan to make fun of the differences in language. Smyth, I think, took it as this American attempting to show herself as superior. Smyth seemed quite put off by it and would not play along. It is odd that Just for the Halibut had a lot about British vs. American pronunciations. We had "aluminium vs. aluminum". We had "herbs vs. 'erbs". I do not know why that was, but it was.

Clare Smyth gave as good as she got when she talked about the wedding reception catering. She remarked how she had to prepare fried chicken. Smyth, I think, found making the fried chicken a chore, a dish outside her palate. She mentioned that the fried chicken is now part of her off-menu at Smyth's restaurants. However, the impression Smyth left, intention or not, is that she found fried chicken an "American" dish that was wholly unsuitable for a British meal. 

Throughout Just for the Halibut, Meghan Markle grows more and more desperate to ingratiate herself to Clare Smyth. Throughout Just for the Halibut, Clare Smyth gently but firmly rejects the overtures. Smyth clearly loves cooking. The times that she expressed both joy and interest is when she is preparing or guiding the meal prep. Smyth was having a good time in the tour of the Santa Barbara Fish Market. It was not because she was with Meghan Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. It was because she genuinely wanted to learn about what types of fish California waters had to offer.

This segment inadvertently revealed Meghan Markle's stupidity. She holds this halibut and judges it to be 23 pounds. The fish ends up weighing 8 pounds. How can someone misjudge weight to such a degree? How does someone not know the difference between 8 pounds and 23 pounds? If you go to the gym, you can see a 5 pound and a 25-pound dumbbell. You would know that they would be different in terms of heaviness. Yet, somehow, in some way, Meghan Markle, who prides herself on her sociopolitical acumen and culinary craftsmanship, cannot distinguish between those two weights. 

Worse, she claims to think that the halibut is 23 pounds based on how the fish feels in comparison to her daughter. Does she then think that Princess Lilibet weights 23 pounds? Lili is four years old. I would imagine that a four-year-old would weigh more than 23 pounds. That Markle thinks Lili apparently weighs the equivalent of eight pounds is strange and alarming. How does someone wildly misjudge something like that?

Just for the Halibut contains some oddball comments and statements that would make those awake for it howl with laughter. As Her Royal Highness prepares this travel kit, she muses that it is "a carry-on size of love". In her growing desperation to keep a warm conversation going with Smyth, she waxes rhapsodic on bread. "But no one thinks about the level of focus and love that goes into a dinner roll", the Duchess of Sussex tells Smyth. 

I am simply astounded that such words of deep wisdom are expressed publicly. I am more astounded that Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, did not think that they sound odd to insipid. Does one really have a level of love when making dinner rolls? This might be news to my baker. Markle, when pushing down on the dough, remarks that the rolls are "squidgy". This turn of phrase brings to mind "Squidgygate", the infamous telephone recording of Aitch's late mother discussing her misery within the House of Windsor. In this case, I think it was an unintentional callback. It is, unfortunately, a very odd thing to say. I would imagine that we Americans would say "squishy" versus "squidgy". 

Just for the Halibut has a couple of moments where Meghan Markle does not appear pleased. There is the "aluminium/tin foil" slap-down. Another is in the My Guide to Compound Butter segment. She tells us that "my husband" mocks her for how she pronounces "herbs". Most Americans drop the "h" and say "erbs". The British pronounce it as "herbs" (Smyth and apparently Mr. Sussex do). "You're so American. 'Erbs. 'Erbs", her generation's Wallis Simpson tells her television crew (as Meghan never looks into the camera). Yes, it may be my own sense of things. However, there seemed to be a veiled sense of hostility in what she I think wanted to make sound as amusing. This "herbs/'erbs" difference came across in Markle's telling as almost a source of irritation. Somehow, it suggested, at least to me, that she thought that "my husband" was wrong to pick on her for how she pronounces a word.

It is, however, fine when Meghan Markle does it.

Just for the Halibut is best when Clare Smyth is our guide. Smyth has a clear love and passion and dare I say, "joy" for cooking. She takes it seriously and is a total professional. She came across as warm and engaging when in the kitchen. She also came across as barely tolerant of Her Royal Highness. Both those qualities elevated Just for the Halibut. The episodes where Markle is pushed off to the side, where the genuine cooks do their thing, are the ones that work. 

Markle is aware that her children pronounce the word as "zeh-bra" instead of "zee-bra". Markle, however, makes no mention of whether her children pronounce the word as "aluminium" or "aluminum". Meghan Markle drops the "h" in "herbs". "Aitch" has yet to drop Markle, not even for the halibut.

5/10

Next Episode: A Weekend Away

With Love, Meghan Episode Thirteen: Spice Up Your Life

WITH LOVE, MEGHAN: SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Original Airdate: August 26, 2025

Special Guests: Jay Shetty and Radhi Devlukia, with cameos from Jim Lind Arlon, Phil Asquith and Jamie Kern Lima 

Mentions of "Joy": 2

Mentions of Edible Flower Sprinkles: Yes

Passive-Aggressive Moments: 0

Gushing Praise for Markel: "We really feel like we've got memories to take away with us, which is really beautiful". 

"Colors of the world, Spice Up Your Life! Every boy and every girl, Spice Up Your Life! People of the world, Spice Up Your Life! AHH!" So sang the Spice Girls in Spice Up Your Life, which I think is a fun pop song from an unfairly bashed musical act. It might have been a Netflix meltdown if Meghan, Duchess of Sussex had shared the screen with Victoria, Lady Beckham on Spice Up Your Life, the thirteenth With Love, Meghan episode. Alas, we will not see them chew the fat here. Instead, we will get vegan and soap delights as well as questions on who exactly these people are. 

Mrs. Sussex is hosting "author and podcaster" Jay Shetty and his wife, "plant-based cook and author" Radhi Devlukia for crafts and food. Mr. and Mrs. Shetty are vegans, so Meghan Saxe-Coburg & Gotha has to cater to their specific food requirements. As such, it is the perfect time for a quick visit to the Ojai Olive Oil Company with "entrepreneur and friend" Jamie Kern Lima. Both grove manager Jim Lind Arlon and owner Phil Asquith guide our gal pals through the olive oil process. Once Meghan finishes marveling at the wonders of olive oil making, she welcomes Jay and Radhi. 

Some of that olive oil will be used for making soap. Radhi is delighted to be in the craft barn. Jay is less so, constantly belittling his skills at soap making. This Eeyore-like manner from the life coach continues into the kitchen. Radhi has no problem making meals for up to 40 people, which is something that amazes Meghan Markle.

One can only wonder what her reaction would be had she attended a state banquet at Windsor Castle which can have more than a 100 people. At the recent state dinner for President Donald Trump, there were 160 guests in attendance. More than likely, Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would have thrown her organic Norfolk chicken ballotine at the President and started screaming at him about how he's putting people in literal concentration camps and is literally the New/Worse Than Hitler. Yet, I digress.

Once the joy of handmade soap is done, Radhi Devlukia will guide the royal hand through potato & green bean curry and naan bread. Jay continues to put down his abilities to do anything. He is chided about this by Meghan and Radhi, the former pointing out that his whole podcast is about positivity. We get a tutorial on How to Make Coconut Macaroons from Meghan. "There's something very satisfying watching you do that", With Love, Meghan's director Michael Steed remarks off camera as she spreads her beloved edible flower sprinkles on said macaroons. They check in on the soap, which turned out great and will make for great, personal gifts. With the cooking done, out trio can enjoy the fruits of their labor, satisfied in all the joyful memories that they have made today.

I confess to having absolutely no idea who Jay Shetty is, let alone who his wife is. Actually, I'm going to walk that back just a touch. I am vaguely familiar with Shetty thanks to seeing the cover of his book Think Like a Monk, his admittedly pretty eyes but somewhat frightening grin staring back at me. Actually, both Shetty and Devlukia have very arresting eyes, yet I digress. Granted, I've no idea what a monk thinks like or why Shetty specifically has such insight into those matters. I also was unaware that monks of any faith were tatted up, but times have changed.

Spice Up Your Life is a showcase for Radhi Devlukia. She is a mistress of cooking and really of all that she surveys. Devlukia is confident in her cooking skills, able to wax rhapsodic about both the dishes and her family background. It almost makes one yearn for a With Love, Radhi. I wouldn't watch as I am a devout carnivore. Still, Spice Up Your Life does what With Love, Meghan occasionally stumbles onto: entertaining and educating viewers. You do still have to use the QR Code to get details on the dishes. However, Devlukia demonstrated a confidence and self-assurance that past professional chefs have done on With Love, Meghan. When professionals are allowed to take center stage, the results are positive.

Unfortunately, Spice Up Your Life is pretty much a disaster for Jay Shetty. His whole brand, per my understanding, is built on overcoming negativity and stopping overthinking. Yet, that is exactly what Shetty does throughout Spice Up Your Life. He looks lost, befuddled and persistently insists that everything that he does will turn out wrong. Shetty looks and sounds totally incompetent and sometimes bored throughout Spice Up Your Life. It does not help that he sounds like a less confident Eeyore during Spice Up Your Life. It got to a point where Meghan herself told him that he was doing the exact opposite of what his podcast was all about. In his light brown cardigan, he looked like a meek librarian suddenly thrust in front of a television crew and trying to not get noticed.

That did not stop him from unleashing one of the most oddball gushing praises for Her Royal Highness that With Love, Meghan has given us. "You've been so wonderful today. Honestly, this has been such a joy. We really feel like we've got memories to take away with us, which is really beautiful. Thank you so much. I mean that. Thank you. Such a sweet day to spend with you. Such a special day" (emphasis mine). I wonder if these declarations seemed a bit grandiose for our ex-monk. At least Shetty gave us a rare moment when Markle wasn't the one bringing up "joy". When you add "honestly" and "I mean that", my mind thinks that you are not sincere.

I have the sense that Spice Up Your Life was originally going to be titled Herb Your Enthusiasm. This is based on the chalkboard message that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wrote out in her grandiose handwriting. Whatever this With Love, Meghan episode was meant to be called, Spice Up Your Life hardly did that. It felt curiously disengaging and uninteresting, not to mention haphazard. 

We start with her visit to the Ojai Olive Oil Company fields. Meghan has her friend Jamie Kern Lima by her side, marveling at olive oil production. Unlike in the last go-round, we were told whom the Duchess was speaking to at the olive oil grove. Still, while Lima was there, she played no part in the overall part of Spice Up Your Life. Why was Lima accompanying Markle to the olive oil grove? What part did she have to play in any of this? Mrs. Sussex could not bring "her husband" to walk among the olive trees? Was she unable to even bring the mysterious Hawthorn Markle to join her? 

At this early point in Spice Up Your Life, I thought about how With Love, Meghan could have been good. Granted, a documentary about olive oil production could have made for dry viewing (no pun intended). However, a good hostess will make any subject interesting. Perhaps there is the problem. Meghan is not a good hostess. I think that she attempts to look interested in her guests. She might actually even be interested in her guests and what they say. She just struggles to truly engage her guests.

Markle certainly struggles to engage her viewers. She still will not look directly into the camera. If one looks at all other television show hosts, whether for chat or cooking shows, they will look at us. Markle never does. She will look at the camera crew. However, her inability or refusal to look directly at us always suggests that Markle really does not acknowledge her viewers. Worse, it suggests that she really does not want us to be there. This runs counter to With Love, Meghan's efforts to be warm and engaging. You cannot be a hostess if you refuse to acknowledge your guests. 

I sincerely doubt that With Love, Meghan will be renewed for a second/third series. Were it to be renewed, the best piece of direction that Steed could have given Her Royal Highness was "look directly into the camera". Markle simultaneously wants to welcome viewers in and keep them at a distance. It is very odd how she wants this "fly on the wall" manner when with guests but also wants to be teacher with her viewers. In the kitchen and craft barn, Markle can be chatty when with others, sometimes excessively so. When alone, such as in the How to Make Coconut Macaroons segment, she never looks at us. She will talk to Michael Steed or perhaps another crew member. However, she appears not to attempt to speak to her viewers.

It makes for curious television. Meghan Markle wants to be both friend and teacher with her viewers. She, however, cannot or will not engage with them, except perhaps to lecture them.

As for the overall program, Spice Up Your Life seems rather dull. Making hand soap seems such a strange thing to have your guests do. I should figure that Markle genuinely believes that having your guests participate in these joyful activities is wonderful. I personally would find it tedious, dull and uninteresting. It does not help that Meghan constantly tells us how much of an amateur she is. "This is my first time. We're learning this together", she tells Shetty and Devlukia when making the soap. That does not inspire confidence. It also becomes a bit schizophrenic, to be a guide on crafting while openly stating that you have no experience in what you are guiding others in doing. 

Perhaps that is why when With Love, Meghan features professional chefs like Roy Choi, Ramon Velasquez, Samin Nosrat and now Radhi Devlukia, the show does better. You know that they know what they are doing. More importantly, THEY know that they know what they are doing. You are in competent and confident hands. Meghan Markle consistently shows that she barely has any idea what she is doing. She persistently protests both her culinary acumen and her total lack of experience. It makes for torturous viewing. 

Spice Up Your Life is interesting in certain ways. It does not make a case for why carnivores should go vegetarian or vegan. It makes the case for how Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Jay Shetty have no business being considered experts on whatever they claim to have knowledge of. It showcases Radhi Devlukia as someone to watch. 

"We're not going for perfect. We're going for real", Meghan Markle states in Spice Up Your Life. Color Me Dubious that she is truthful on both counts.

To think, here is Meghan Markle, living her best life in Montecito with the mysterious "Aitch" by her side. To be preparing coconut macaroons with edible flower sprinkles must be a step up from having to wear tiaras and be served on golden plates. 

Why have this when you can have edible flower sprinkles? 

4/10

Next Episode: Just for the Halibut