Watching the Kennedy Family in Love Story Is A Wild Cringy Ride

I’ve been watching Love Story, the Netflix miniseries depicting the relationship of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Bessette-Kennedy, and instead of feeling swept up in romance, I find myself scratching my head and talking back to the television. It’s a dramatic show, clearly aiming for heartbreak, but it also raises some questions about the people in the story.  I have a few thoughts and questions, so let’s jump right in.

Did Jackie Kennedy actually sound like that? And was she really that much of a bitch? That scene where she pretended to be sick and refused to have dinner with her family because Daryl Hannah was there? Why did she do Daryl so dirty? On a side note, I like Naomi Watts, but the never-ending dialogue, droning on and on (“When I was but a doe-eyed debutante…”) and the dancing to Camelot was ridiculous.

Speaking of bitches, Ethel was top tier. I know we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but my god, what an insufferable old shrew and a horror to be around. Caroline was denied a cup of coffee because she had not “signed up” for breakfast, and Ethel couldn’t be bothered to call one of her many servants to fetch her some? Is coffee such a big ask? And then there’s the way John never bothered to mention the “breakfast board” to Caroline. As a person who cannot function without caffeine, someone telling me I cannot have any because I didn’t “sign up” for it would have me screaming for the hills.

Am I the only one who thinks John Jr. was inconsiderate, couldn’t think beyond his own needs, or at the very least, a complete ditz?? Like the way he “forgot” to mention the breakfast board before he left to hang out with his hoodlum cousins or the way he brought Caroline (girlfriend) to Caroline's (sister’s) birthday party without telling Caroline (sister) he was bringing a plus one to a sit-down dinner, and without telling Caroline (girlfriend) it was a birthday party, and she should bring a gift, leaving both Carolines feeling embarrassed and annoyed. Rude!

I don’t know about you, but you couldn’t pay me enough to be around a family like that. If the show is even half accurate, Caroline wasn’t being welcomed; she was being sized up, tested, and quietly humiliated, all under the guise of “that’s just how this family is.” The vibe wasn’t iconic or mysterious—it was icy, hostile, and exhausting. Fame or not, hard pass.

Honestly, each episode of Love Story leaves me feeling equal parts fascinated and horrified. I suppose the glamour and tragedy are meant to sweep us away, but I spend most of the time side-eyeing or wincing at the weird-o interactions, wondering why anyone would willingly marry into that family. Caroline may have been a Kennedy by marriage, but it sure didn’t look like she got any special treatment—just tests, cold stares, and a lot of unnecessary drama. Fame, fortune, or not, I’ll take my quiet, caffeinated, low-drama life over that any day.

So, have you watched Love Story yet? What are your thoughts?