US critics were more compelled by the second instalment of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ new Netflix series, noting that the couple “show no signs of surrender”.
Major US media outlets described the final three episodes of the tell-all documentary as “more forceful” and said that Harry and Meghan did not “pull their punches”.
The final three episodes of the explosive series began streaming on Thursday, and saw Harry make damaging claims against his brother, the Prince of Wales.
The duke said that following a tense Sandringham summit, Kensington Palace had “lied to protect my brother”, when it issued a joint statement in both their names without his permission denying a story that William had bullied him out of the royal family.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that viewers had felt “underwhelmed, perhaps even disappointed at a substantial lack of explosive content following the first three instalments”.
“They show no signs of surrender as episodes four through six plunge the Firm deeper into reputational bedlam, the current heir to the throne at its center,” a THR article read.
CNN correspondents Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorhouse said the gloves were “well and truly off for the Sussexes” and that the response from the Royal Family was needed to avoid the series becoming “part of the national memory”.
Helen Lewis of The Atlantic described the latest episodes as “cringeworthy” but “more tragic than the first three” as they raised doubts as to whether the rift between the brothers could ever be repaired.
“Harry & Meghan is a perfect blend of love story and quest for vengeance, and moment-to-moment it is extremely compelling,” she wrote.
“But its lacunae mean that if you know anything about the royal soap opera, then from the minute you stop watching, awkward questions begin to bubble into your mind.
“The relentlessly one-sided narrative makes you feel manipulated.”
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