Editors’ Night: I wanted a less biased take on this tale of some of the US’s Royal Family, so I asked our resident Scottish royalist for his (alien) spin on this TV fairy tale.

Episode Six  ****

The less said about Naomi Watts’ portrayal of Jackie O in Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr  & Carolyn Bessette, the better, but let’s just say that after her passing, and the disappearance of the troublesome Daryl Hannah caricature (I blame the writers, not Dree Hemingway) I was able to luxuriate in this series without distraction.

The Kennedys were not consulted on any of the script, and of course, they have problems with this fictionalised account of their family, but this is not history – it is mythology. I don’t know how accurate Jessica Harper is in playing the formidable Ethel Kennedy, but she is certainly a convincing matriarch, while Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy comes across as practical and sympathetic.

But Ryan Murphy’s fairy tale love affair between America’s Prince Charming and Calvin Klein’s Cinderella is first and foremost a glamorous essay in nineties minimalism. God is in the details.

Although they don’t exactly look like their subjects, Sarah Pigeon and Paul Anthony Kelly come damn close to evoking the real thing and are both attractive and charismatic in their own way. Their on-screen chemistry provides us with many memorable moments, often accompanied by moody nineties song tracks. (I am thinking in particular of Annie Lennox’s No More I Love Yous, Sade’s No Ordinary Love and Pulp’s Common People).

Pigeon’s flirtatious hair flicks and sexy walk are now legendary, while Kelly’s buff frat boy innocence chimes well with what we know of JFK Jr. Their antics have spawned a myriad copycat TikToks and look-alike competitions.

What made them the perfect photogenic nineties couple was their simple modern style. Over and above their healthy, good looks, they managed to appear effortlessly chic whether in evening dress, office clothes or sportswear. Pigeon and Kelly carry this off perfectly.

Carolyn was working for Calvin Klein at a period when he was a happily married heterosexual. Here he is subtly portrayed by Alessandro Nivola as an OCD employer, whose demands included black paper clips- not staples – and precise product displays arranged to the exact centimetre. English architect John Pawson went on to design his flagship store on Madison Avenue, and the set designers have drawn on his work for inspiration. But is the inclusion of a classical male torso in Klein’s office a hint as to where Calvin’s future interests would lead?

John’s apartment shares this stark monochromatic design philosophy, even down to the ubiquitous glass block walls. From what we know, however, John’s TriBeCa loft, although huge and industrial, was much more lived in with comfortable furniture, Persian rugs, and plants. Notably, his all-white kitchen was replaced by the stainless steel version, which we see in the show.

In a series obsessed with design and fashion, it is the wedding dress that provides most of the drama in Episode 6. Not only has Carolyn decided to quit Calvin Klein, but she has also handed over the creation of her dress to a young, unknown Narciso Rodriguez. Rightfully, Calvin feels betrayed, especially as he had introduced the couple. Caroline sashays out of the office for the last time to the Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs.

As well as the dress drama, Constance Zimmer, who plays Carolyn’s mother, should be praised for her touching scene at the Wedding Rehearsal Dinner. After an emotional speech, she excuses herself from the table only to be followed and comforted by John.

The next afternoon, during preparations for the intimate ceremony on Georgia’s Cumberland Island, the Rodriguez zipper-less white silk slip can’t be pulled over her head without ruining her hair and makeup. Narciso spends two hours unstitching the garment and sewing Carolyn into it, leaving the waiting guests sweltering without air conditioning in the tiny chapel. It is dark by the time she arrives, and as the church has no electricity, the ceremony proceeds by candlelight, rendering the occasion even more romantic.

Like the wedding guests, I am waiting impatiently…for the next episode of this nostalgic Hulu series, which drops this Friday on Disney +