Five Bright Spots—And One Very Bad Baddie—In Part Two of Harry & Meghan

Well: We got our bombshells.

If—among many adorable selfies—the first half of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan leaned heavily on the morally bankrupt behaviour of the British tabloids, this second batch of episodes recalibrates the baddie. And it’s William. (I mean, it’s still the morally bankrupt tabloids, but woof: William.) William and his press office engaged in “a dirty game” of leaking and planting stories about the Sussexes, Harry alleges, in order to distract from negative attention he was receiving. (It’s left unsaid what sort of coverage William hoped to obscure, but remember when we all learned how to pronounce “Cholmondeley” correctly?) William “screamed and shouted” at his brother during that tense Sandringham Summit in early 2020 to work out the details of Harry and Meghan’s departure. And then William released a so-called joint statement just a few hours later, squashing the rumour that he’d bullied the Sussexes out of the family.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Harry says now. “No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that.” It was, for him, the final insult. “There was no other option at this point. I said: ‘We need to get out of here.’” Within weeks, they had booked it out of Canada and were hunkered down in the L.A. house of Tyler Perry, fairy godfather to the couple and, it turns out, actual godfather to their daughter, Lili.

These last three episodes deliver a healthy dose of sun-dappled home movies, as well as—it must be said—a decent chunk of cringe. At one point, Meghan pulls out her phone and reads off her wedding speech, which ends in rhyming couplets; at another, there’s the strong suggestion that had Buckingham Palace kept Meghan in the fold, Barbados might not have become a republic and Jamaica wouldn’t be demanding reparations. (This is chased with a superbly shady smash cut to a photo of Kate and William in Kingston, shaking hands with children through a chain-link fence.)

But much of Harry & Meghan’s second half is genuinely difficult viewing: the discussion of Meghan’s suicidal ideation; Harry’s shame in not knowing how to protect her; the death threats; the coordinated online harassment; the circling paparazzi; the racist attacks. So let’s focus on a handful of bright spots from this series, and then, finally, turn our attention away. At least, you know, until Harry’s memoir drops in three-and-a-half weeks.

Bright spot #1: What’s that? A text from Beyoncé?

Sure, he might be a prince, but Harry’s reaction here—hands up, eyes wide, mouth fully agape—is the only way to respond to a missive from the actual queen.

Bright spot #2: Archie’s taste in literature

He has terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws. It’s The Gruffalo! A+ choice, kid.

Bright spot #3: Harry and Meghan’s wedding soundtrack

Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1000 Dances.” Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” Also A+ choices, kids.

Bright spot #4: Harry and Meghan’s duelling Oprah impressions

When Oprah dropped in for tea at Nottingham Cottage—the Sussexes’ first royal residence, designed in the 17th century by Christopher Wren—she was struck by the home’s low-slung ceilings and slight lean. “When she came in,” Harry says, “she sat down, she goes, ‘No one would ever beLIEVE IT!’” “No one would ever beLIEVE IT!” Meghan tries. They both do a pretty decent job of Oprah’s cadence, but Harry takes it by a hair.

Bright spot #5: Guy’s triumphant return

When last we saw Meghan’s rescue beagle, he was sporting leopard-print casts on both his front legs. We’re pleased to report that Guy made a full recovery—there he is, surveying the grounds of Tyler Perry’s mansion; watching the Oprah interview on Harry’s lap; meeting Gloria Steinem for a backyard chat. No one would ever beLIEVE IT!