Somewhere between a DIY guide to make the perfect party favours and a heart-to-heart with an old friend you've just reconnected with on Instagram, With Love, Meghan finds itself straddling a peculiar line - one where humble intentions meet an extravagant reality.
The show could easily be dismissed as just another cozy corner of the celebrity lifestyle genre, where high-end kitchens meet wistful chatter about simple joys.
But it's hard to dismiss the earnestness that Meghan Markle pours into this Netflix venture. It's as though she's crafting a culinary scrapbook - meaningful yet, at times, painfully predictable vignettes, where the highlight of the episode might just be a perfectly arranged bouquet of lavender or a honeycomb, all the while trying to position herself as the world's most relatable royal-turned-hostess.
At its core, With Love, Meghan is an eight-part exploration of the Duchess of Sussex's newfound passion for creating beautiful moments.
Gone is the world of royal protocol and tabloid drama; instead, the show invites us into the serene, albeit meticulously crafted, world of Meghan's personal life.
Set against the backdrop of a luxurious farmhouse just a few miles from the Sussexes' Montecito home, each episode showcases Meghan as she hosts friends and experts for charmingly simple activities.
From learning the art of making beeswax candles to creating a flower-strewn frittata, the show dances between the domestic and the aspirational, never venturing too far into either territory.
Meghan does not try to teach us anything grand, nor does she claim expertise in any field - except perhaps in the subtle art of showing off a very luxurious lifestyle dressed up in approachable, "you-can-do-this-too" packaging.
The show opens with an image that will probably haunt Meghan's critics: her proudly telling the camera about her beekeeping adventures, explaining how she's now responsible for the 70,000 bees she's housing on her property.
Though it's clear that the actual maintenance of the hive is outsourced to a professional, Meghan relishes in the idea that these bees will help pollinate the landscape, smiling contentedly about her "good vibes for good hives."
In fact, With Love, Meghan seems more like an extended metaphor for her life post-royalty - a place where she's now fully in control of her narrative, even if the details seem carefully curated.
Each episode is a patchwork of artful vignettes, with Meghan guiding viewers through seemingly everyday tasks that are anything but, like making rainbow fruit platters or curating a dinner party with a level of detail that only someone with a seemingly infinite budget could achieve.
Meghan's appeal, for all the earnestness, does not lie in the accessibility of her endeavours but in the beauty of their execution.
The interactions with her guests - Mindy Kaling, Alice Waters, Roy Choi, and others - add layers of authenticity to what might otherwise feel like an isolated, too-perfect life. There's an odd charm in watching Meghan gush over Alice Waters, as if she's just met a childhood idol.
These moments, while occasionally awkward, reveal a side to Meghan that's often obscured behind the headlines: someone who is deeply appreciative of the people she admires and wants to learn from them.
But even in these sincere moments, there's a peculiar sense of restraint. There's a sense that Meghan is continually holding something back, carefully curating her image, all the while reminding viewers that she's just like them - a mother, a wife, a hostess -interested in making life a little more beautiful through small, thoughtful gestures.
And yet, for all the warm hospitality and carefully composed floral arrangements, With Love, Meghan often falters in its ambition to portray Meghan as both the aspirational figure and the relatable human.
The show vacillates between moments of genuine connection and others that feel contrived or exaggerated for the camera. When Meghan, for example, decides to make her own version of dumplings with Tatcha founder Vicky Tsai, it's a far cry from a simple, authentic cooking experience.
The effort is there, certainly, but the moment somehow lacks the immediacy of real intimacy, instead feeling more like a commercial for an idealised version of domesticity.
The same holds true for her portrayal of family life. Meghan mentions her children, but they rarely make an appearance, leaving the series with an oddly sterile vibe, as though the primary function of the show is to showcase the luxury of her world without truly inviting us into it.
It's also hard to ignore the subtle tensions that persist throughout With Love, Meghan. While the show is framed as a celebration of the ordinary - the joy of making something by hand, the satisfaction of a homemade meal - it's impossible to overlook the stark contrast between the idyllic world Meghan shares with her friends and the realities of everyday life for the vast majority of her audience.
One can't help but chuckle at the absurdity of seeing Meghan, who can casually mention picking lavender from her garden, present something as simple as a homemade cake decorated with her celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin, only for the segment to devolve into a whimsical moment of confusion as they both try to bake without any real knowledge of what they're doing.
The contradiction is almost laughable, yet it highlights Meghan's consistent attempt to bridge the gap between opulence and authenticity - an effort that, at times, seems to strain against the very luxuries she's showcasing.
There's a quiet desperation underlying With Love, Meghan, an urgency to be loved, to be accepted, to be seen as genuine and warm despite the high walls of wealth and fame.
The show, for all its charm and sincerity, can feel like a direct response to the scrutiny Meghan has faced in the public eye. She's not just offering up home recipes and lifestyle tips; she's making an emotional plea, sharing pieces of her life in an attempt to control the narrative in a way that feels both relatable and painfully performative.
It's a fascinating tension: Meghan's desire to be loved, to be adored for who she truly is, trapped within a framework that's constantly polished, rehearsed, and ever so careful.
In the end, With Love, Meghan succeeds in giving viewers a glimpse into a life that feels, at times, fantastical and otherworldly, but also deeply human in its earnestness.
For those who come to it expecting more than just a look at the duchess's daily life, they may be left wanting. Yet for others, it will offer a much-needed escape into a world where the smallest gestures - be it a plate of carefully arranged hummus or a homemade balloon arch - are transformed into acts of love and care.
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Meghan Markle, Roy Choi, Alice Waters, Mindy Kaling, Prince Harry
