Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan was a television spell; what worked well and what failed
The CBS special with the Sussexes was the highest rated sex reveal party ever (she's a girl!) And a reminder that Winfrey is still the queen of interviews.
When Harry and Meghan met Oprah, millions of people felt a lot of different things, especially that we all miss Oprah Winfrey so much and her great celebrity interviews.
Depending on the lens chosen to follow Winfrey's conversation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this Sunday, CBS's two-hour “Oprah with Meghan and Harry” special had many alternative and, some, contradictory meanings.
For some, it was a surprisingly candid conversation about how this specific couple, hoping to modernize the House of Windsor through diversity and a new hybrid of duty and independence, was instead punished with racism - I think no one will be able to beat the image of Meghan pregnant, saying that at least one family member had expressed concern about her son's skin color anytime soon.
Others - those familiar with the life of Harry's mother, Princess Diana, and / or Peter Morgan's series "The Crown" - saw confirmation of what they already thought: the British monarchy is, at the moment, an institution. Endangered and vampire, who survives by feeding on the souls of its members in the name of service in exchange for the frenzied love of millions and the chance to hunt deer in Balmoral.
Others, of course, saw three deities from the celebrity universe pretending to feed the idea of a "rescue" as they wallowed in their privileges and occupied two hours of television that would have been better reserved for reruns of "The Puppy Bowl" or anything else. Even as a deadly pandemic continues to claim the lives of thousands on a daily basis, these critical voices observe, this trinity of wealth and influence has congregated in the refuge of a Montecito farm - whose exact address was not revealed -, exquisitely built and with a patio, to discuss how difficult life can be when you have to pay for your own safety. Honestly, it would have been impossible if it weren't for a very large inheritance. And the generous offers from Netflix and Spotify.
Hands down, it was the world's highest rated baby gender reveal party (she's a girl!) And a reminder that Oprah Winfrey knows how to make great television. So good that more than 17 million Americans remembered what it was like to reschedule a show they were interested in watching live, and sat for two hours watching the screen.
Even more miraculously, millions on the west coast did just that after their peers on the east side, who had seen it three hours earlier, revealed the juiciest thing on social media.
All for Oprah to guide Meghan and Harry through their version of the events that led them to abandon (or be stripped of) their royal status, as well as all the institutionalized money and benefits that go with it, to start a new life in Montecito.
This is, of course, what Oprah does best. The testimony and display of her complicated personal narrative is the foundation of her empire and the reason why her daily talk show was long the primary destination for anyone seeking to explain, clarify, publicize, or apologize. . Barbara Walters may have invented the “let's talk about personal stuff” celebrity interview, but Oprah popularized and perfected it. From a soccer mom with self-esteem issues to a star with addiction issues, Oprah was there for them. She wanted to hear his version of events, and although she was quick to point out contradictions or, in some cases, remember that there were people who could be harmed, she also felt empathy, especially with the damage caused by the silence of shame. Oprah was, more than anything, a tireless breaker of that silence; in her public worldview, nothing is improved by her refusal to admit or acknowledge a challenge or flaw.
In her prime, Oprah created stories that millions could relate to, acting as the world's therapist, rabbi, mother, and best friend. At worst, she trusted untrustworthy subjects or did too many makeovers.
But in the 10 years since Oprah ended her daily show, the world has truly seen her at her best. As with her 2013 interview with disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, "Oprah with Meghan and Harry" reminded everyone that she is still the High Priestess of the celebrity confessional.
And also that we really need to get that celebrity confessional back.
When Oprah decided to go behind the camera, creating OWN and many other production roles, she took an element of the cultural narrative with her. The other great interviewers - Walters, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric - had already mostly fled the stage. Even Jay Leno and David Letterman, who once helped stars like Hugh Grant, Kanye West, and Michael Richards through their most difficult times, are no longer on TV on a daily basis.
More and more stars, including Harry and Meghan, make their statements, tell their stories, apologize, have disputes and make confessions on social media, but even the best and most sincere statement or video lacks the nuance and humanity of an in-person interview, in part because that kind of packaged messaging doesn't allow for real-time reactions that can guide the ongoing conversation.
Oprah is the master of real-time reaction, guiding the ongoing conversation.
As many pointed out Sunday night, one of Winfrey's greatest strengths as an interviewer is her ability to actively listen, be present in the moment rather than stubbornly broaching predetermined topics or waving her way through a list of pre-written questions. So when Harry mentioned that he was talking to his father, Prince Charles, "until he stopped taking my calls," Oprah didn't leave that topic - or us - hanging. She used that revelation to prompt Harry to talk about her relationship with her father and her brother.
When Meghan spoke of her declining mental health while she was pregnant with Archie, Winfrey pressed her multiple times on how serious she had been to her feeling of "not wanting to live anymore" and what steps she should have taken. to help herself. "Couldn't you go somewhere?" Winfrey asked, serving as a stand-in for any onlookers skeptical about a royal being deprived of mental health care.
"No," Meghan replied. “I couldn't call an Uber to the palace… I mean, you have to understand also that when I joined that family, it was the last time I saw my passport, my driver's license, my keys. All of that is delivered. [It was the last time I saw them] until we got here. "
People can tell, as Harry and Meghan repeatedly did, that members of the royal family are "trapped," but those details (the passport, license, and keys) and the way they were offered in an almost exasperated explanation Winfrey was given a visceral meaning to the word in a way that can only happen in an interview. Or, to be more specific, a first-class interview. Winfrey can ask big questions, but she also understands the nature of silence better than anyone, possibly in history.
In fact, the most fascinating aspect of her conversation with Harry and Meghan was the palpable tension surrounding many of the answers and some of the questions. Certainly certain areas of investigation were anticipated, and some of the responses, particularly Meghan's initial insistence that she knew nothing of the difficulties involved with real life, seemed a bit rehearsed.
But many of Winfrey's subsequent questions, particularly about the royal family's treatment of the couple, were met with moments of silence that almost vibrated with the careful choice of words that followed. Moments that highlighted how extraordinary it was for Harry and Meghan to even try to speak frankly, no matter how often they accomplished that goal.
The couple could have continued with their statements on social media, or with the Netflix agreement and offered their version of events through a well-produced video. Last year, Meghan wrote a moving account of her miscarriage for the New York Times; Together, they could have written something similar about her decision - and the decisions they made for them - regarding her status change.
But by maintaining that kind of control, they would have lost the potential for emotional truthfulness. The power of the television interview, although absolutely enhanced through camera work and editing, lies in the interaction, in the moments that precede a response and those that follow it.
Winfrey's interview was far from pure journalism: some key questions were left unanswered. What exactly did Harry, who once wore a Nazi uniform to a costume party, mean when he said that he had to work to learn about racism? Did Meghan never think about getting divorced instead of thinking about killing herself? How could they continue to praise the queen while continually criticizing the institution she heads? What is Fergie, who was mentioned twice, really like?
Perhaps most importantly, none of them spoke about the key issue: If the royal family is afraid of the media, part of that fear stems from an ongoing attempt by certain quarters to end the monarchy. So what, exactly, do the couple think about that issue?
But it wasn't that kind of interview. Former actress Meghan Markle is an American woman who, by dint of her marriage, has been the target of relentlessly hateful and often blatantly racist press (remember when the Daily Mail claimed that she was "(almost) straight out of Compton"). ).
Despite the California sun, the glow of Meghan's second trimester and the rejuvenating eyesight of Winfrey doing what she does best, “Oprah with Meghan and Harry” was two hours of television spell. After Meghan spoke of the constant intrusion from the tabloids and her lack of internal support, which pushed her into suicidal thoughts, no one needed Harry to explain why she feared that "history would repeat itself."
The specter of his mother, Diana, 'the people's princess' - literally haunted to death even after her divorce from Prince Charles - loomed over the interview, evoking the obvious question: How many young women should be driven to near-suicide before Britain decides to end its monarchy or stop throwing its most vulnerable members to the wolves?
