makes interesting reading about another recent NF project that seems to confirm that this seems to be their new business model
So here’s a twist…maybe the Netflix execs were in on the joke the whole time…
Netflix had to know that they over paid for this documentary and they needed to do something to juice it up beyond just retelling the Oprah interview across what would inevitably be a 6 hour snooze fest.
Here’s my theory: I am thinking that Netflix was very much aware that they were delivering a lopsided and largely inaccurate documentary, but I think that that was actually very intentional and all part of a very devious plan. I am thinking that they played along with H&M, feigning that the documentary was promoting H&M as H&M had wanted to be promoted (highlighting how their “glorious love story” triumphed despite the media and the evil RF), when in fact, Netflix was in on the joke the whole time. Maybe it was their plan all along or maybe Netflix recognized H&M’s true colors mid-contract negotiation or mid-production and saw an opportunity to change the underlying theme of the documentary, who knows, but somewhere along the line my theory is that Netflix decided that the documentary would masquerade as a pro-H&M series when in fact it would actually deliberately reveal H&M’s narcissism, entitlement, perpetual victimhood, propensity to stretch the truth (or flat out lie), etc.. I am thinking the hard part for Netflix was to thread the needle between getting H&M to believe that Netflix was on their side, presenting their story through their voices, while they were actually intentionally exposing their character through those same voices, without them even realizing it. Based on the backlash H&M received after the documentary was released, it appears that Netflix succeeded.
Why??? I think Netflix recognized that public opinion about the couple (beyond the UK) was starting to shift downward. I think Netflix saw that they could exploit H&M’s narcissism to create a much more compelling personal expose about the couple beneath the thin veil of the “advertised” story (to expose the evilness of the media and the RF). At the end of the day, it’s business. It’s ratings. It’s money. Netflix is not in the business to serve as part of H&M’s PR team. But apparently H&M didn’t realize that until it was too late.
The minute Netflix released the trailer that included footage from a variety of events that had nothing to do with H&M, my suspicions were raised. Regardless of who initially pulled that file footage to include it in the trailer (H&M? The Netflix production team? The marketing team?), it wasn’t an accident. Even if H&M discreetly did it, thinking they were being clever and could elicit extra sympathy from the viewers by including more impactful footage, I find it almost impossible to believe that the highly seasoned Netflix production team wouldn’t have edited the trailer a dozen or more times and vetted everything in it, ad nausea, before it aired. This isn’t an Indy film, it’s a multi million dollar production from the well-oiled machine that is Netflix. They HAD to know those clips were from other events. On the other hand, if people from Netflix were responsible for pulling the clips themselves, that makes their inclusion all the more devious…deliberately compounding the growing sense that H&M had a history of blurring the truth. Netflix had to know that the trailer would be scrutinized by people across the globe and it was inevitable that the deception would be uncovered. My theory is that was all part of the plan. It is not like there was just one unrelated clip that someone inadvertently dropped in by accident, but clip after clip after unrelated and/or deceptive clip...it was so blatant, the only conclusion I could make was that it was intentional and Netflix actually wanted to make sure that they were caught. Netflix wanted the misrepresentation to become public fodder and it did. Why, you ask? Think of all of the buzz that those deceptive clips created before the documentary had even dropped. People were angry about it. The documentary received free press across countless and widespread media outlets because of it. And presumably, people who otherwise might not have noticed or cared about the documentary suddenly wanted to tune in to see just how ridiculous and untrue the whole production might be. The seed had been planted, compliments of the Netflix trailer.
It seemed like that trailer marked the beginning of the big reveal of the “true“ H&M…the narcissistic, spoiled, unscrupulous H&M. And thus the trailer served as the beginning of their decline in popularity in the US and elsewhere (and reconfirmed their already ground level approval ratings in the UK).
My theory was only further cemented in my mind after the documentary was released and H&M’s narcissism, propensity to lie, and other undesirable traits were on full display. There were numerous contradictions in the film that were easily detected by even the most casual of observers, never mind those who follow the RF more fervently. And did Netflix really not recognize that Meghan imitating her royal curtsy, all while laughing, would be perceived as offensive and disrespectful by so many viewers? Not a chance. Again, it was all part of the plan. I am thinking the Netflix team was likely salivating over the footage and had to be elated when H&M were too dim to recognize the inevitable backlash that clip would receive and greenlighted it’s inclusion.
in short, my theory is that Netflix was “playing nice” with H&M all along, pretending to be on their side, when in fact they were setting them up to fail the whole time. Netflix used the documentary to showcase H&M’s true character….all in the name of ratings. And now the couple is left with shattered reputations and their popularity in free fall. Welcome to Hollywood, Harry.
