9 surprise takeaways from the Harry & Meghan documentary
January 24, 2023
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When I watched the Harry & Meghan documentary, I wasn’t prepared for these surprise takeaways:
He was the one who wanted out,
not Meghan. She has been positioned in the press as stealing him away from his country and his role but nothing could be further than the truth.
Harry is a super-articulate, grown man
and not the dimwit he’s been made out to be.
This couple is very much in love and likable.
Which you’d never know if you read the press coverage.
The royal family is 100% run by the institution of the monarchy who will go to any lengths to protect itself
from what it deems threats. The institution holds the power.
Meghan’s father sold himself to the tabloids,
who took advantage of a man with little money and no sense. The pain of that for her must be unimaginable. I also doubt his convenient “heart attack” that was never mentioned again.
Tyler Perry is a really good man.
Really good man. Admirable.
The judgment. All of it. But specifically:
√. The number of women who claim they “refuse to watch” the documentary and say so with thin-lipped disapproval, without having seen a bit of it. They know, they think, not realizing they’ve been manipulated by the tabloid coverage.
√. The number of women asking, “but how much did they make from it?” as if that were a bad thing, when we live in a capitalist society, the entertainment industry deals in big numbers and top talent makes big money. This is likely to be Netflix’ most-watched show, ever, something they badly needed at this time in their history.
The number of women asking why they needed to do a documentary about it, as if there were any other way to drown out the powerful royal institution which is throwing everything and the kitchen sink at them. Why shouldn’t they tell their story in any way that gets it out?
Did I say the judgment? and the number of racist microaggressions in the tabloid press coverage, like the trope of the angry black woman?
But on the positive side…
The number of women, who like me, may have had a somewhat negative opinion and then pivoted to a more positive one after viewing.
We are such a judgmental society. So much thin-lipped judgment from people who have not taken the time to inform themselves. My biggest surprise takeaway was my overwhelming feeling of compassion for this young couple, who had no place to turn to tell their story, no one who would believe them. Until they did their deal with Netflix. Which, by the way, I think they fully deserve.
We have such a complicated relationship with money in this country. As if being paid for telling your story is something bad. Or automatically takes away from its credibility. Even though we’re a capitalist economy! It’s mind-boggling.
Watch the documentary. Keep an open mind. Watch for surprise takeaways. And what the reaction to this documentary says about society.
I haven’t seen it. No judgement, no bias, just not really interested. Probably because all of the negative comments, from those who have seen it and those who haven’t, makes me want to just stay away.
I have it in my queue to watch and have Spare as an audible download. Haven’t gotten to that yet, either. But I’m glad people are watching the series and beginning to realize that they aren’t the problem.
I switched to Audible from the book and it was great. He is an excellent narrator and it added so much to hear him narrate his own book. I had to get used to the ghostwriter’s style. I didn’t like it in the book, but it read aloud better than on the page.
I felt the same way, prepared to dislike them, but ultimately after viewing, like them very much. I wish them well. The negative, hateful press reactions, especially in the UK, just feeds into the reason they left to begin with. Who could blame them?
I don’t have Netflix but I am on the NYC public library’s ebook reserve list for Prince Harry’s memoir (it’s a long list, too, despite the NYC public library’s having over 500 e books available for loan) and I very much want to read it. I normally don’t get much into the lives of celebrities but this is something very different. Only time will tell if Harry and Meghan can be the vehicle of much needed change. They will hopefully, at least, provide better lives for their two children than if they had stayed in the “Firm”.
I have been wanting to write my take on it but I assumed there would be many, many negative comments. It does not appear that she manipulated him. They were in it together and he clearly loves her and his new little family. I just got his book. Have you read it?
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I haven’t seen it. No judgement, no bias, just not really interested. Probably because all of the negative comments, from those who have seen it and those who haven’t, makes me want to just stay away.
I can see that being the case.
I have it in my queue to watch and have Spare as an audible download. Haven’t gotten to that yet, either. But I’m glad people are watching the series and beginning to realize that they aren’t the problem.
I switched to Audible from the book and it was great. He is an excellent narrator and it added so much to hear him narrate his own book. I had to get used to the ghostwriter’s style. I didn’t like it in the book, but it read aloud better than on the page.
I felt the same way, prepared to dislike them, but ultimately after viewing, like them very much. I wish them well. The negative, hateful press reactions, especially in the UK, just feeds into the reason they left to begin with. Who could blame them?
It shows us how easy it is to believe the tabloid press. Insidious lies.
I don’t have Netflix but I am on the NYC public library’s ebook reserve list for Prince Harry’s memoir (it’s a long list, too, despite the NYC public library’s having over 500 e books available for loan) and I very much want to read it. I normally don’t get much into the lives of celebrities but this is something very different. Only time will tell if Harry and Meghan can be the vehicle of much needed change. They will hopefully, at least, provide better lives for their two children than if they had stayed in the “Firm”.
You’re right, alana, it is something very different. I am glad they went on record.
I have been wanting to write my take on it but I assumed there would be many, many negative comments. It does not appear that she manipulated him. They were in it together and he clearly loves her and his new little family. I just got his book. Have you read it?
I did the audio book, which Harry narrated and was just excellent. I see it like you do. He was firmly in charge of himself and those decisions.
He sure was, absolutely!