The Regime episode five sees Kate Winslet’s chancellor staging a cringeworthy Christmas special, which calls to mind a 2006 Christmas favorite.

The Regime episode five has just given audiences a good reminder to check out a classic Christmas movie starring Kate Winslet. The Regime is Winslet’s third HBO miniseries, though sadly, it lacks the acclaim that greeted previous shows like Mare of Easttown. The series revolves around Winslet’s Chancellor Elena Vernham, who leads The Regime’s unnamed country. Vernham’s poor decisions and misplaced faith in soldier-turned-advisor Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts) see that her own people (and the international community) turn against her over the course of a year.

The Regime’s cast and behind-the-scenes talent give the satire some bite, but it still lacks the razor-sharp wit of something like HBO’s Succession. Of course, Winslet is front and center, and it’s a credit to her star power that she makes what should be a detestable character oddly likable. Episode one saw Vernham deliver a cringe-inducing cover of “If You Leave Me Now,” while The Regime episode five has Winslet’s chancellor singing “Santa Baby” during her annual Christmas special.

Kate Winslet’s The Holiday Is Perfect To Watch After The Regime’s Christmas Episode

The Holiday is a perfect antidote to “All Ye Faithful’s” darkness

The Regime’s “All Ye Faithful” is a dark outing, with the chancellor ignoring the reality that the Westgate resistance are inching ever closer. Instead of making plans to win back the people, Elena hides away in her palace and is intent on having a quiet Christmas instead. The chancellor’s Christmas special is as gaudy and awful as anticipated, and her “Santa Baby” cover is so poor it inspires her cabinet to start plotting a coup. Needless to say, The Regime episode five isn’t very Christmasy, but Winslet’s 2006 rom-com The Holiday is the perfect way to follow it up.

This Nancy Meyers comedy cast Winslet and Cameron Diaz as two women from opposite sides of the Atlantic who decide to house swap to get over failed relationships. The Holiday is a custom-built, feel-good rom-com machine, featuring a great supporting cast (including Eli Wallach, Kathryn Hahn, and an uncredited Dustin Hoffman) and a suitably snowy atmosphere. Winslet’s romance with Jack Black’s character is surprisingly sweet too, but tonally, The Holiday couldn’t be further apart from The Regime.

Kate Winslet’s Christmas Episode In The Regime Is More Ironic After Hugh Grant’s Cameo

The Regime’s Christmas special might be a Richard Curtis tribute

The Regime episode 4 introduced (and then swiftly killed off) Hugh Grant as former chancellor Keplinger, who was overthrown by Winslet’s Vernham years prior. Grant’s cameo was a welcome addition to the HBO satire, though his brief screentime meant he and Winslet only had one scene together. Elena’s Christmas special also feels spiritually in line with Grant’s beloved Christmas favorite Love Actually, chiefly with Billy Mack’s (Bill Nighy) performance of “Christmas is All Around.”

There’s a decided lack of taste in both Billy and Elena’s yuletide performances, and the tongue-in-cheek nature of The Regime’s “Santa Baby” sequence feels like an intentional nod to Love Actually. Had Grant’s Keplinger lived for another episode, it would be easy to imagine him stewing in his cell watching Elena’s show with disgust. It also would have made the crossroads of nostalgic Christmas favorites like The Holiday or Love Actually within the show all the more obvious.

The Regime was smart to evoke these feel-good comedies since they contrast so heavily with episode five’s story. The chancellor would love to have a fairytale holiday celebration, and it literally takes the resistance knocking at her front gate to burst that bubble. There is a big difference between how Elena feels the world should work, and how it actually functions. With her “Santa Baby” cover, Elena wants to disappear inside a fantasy like the aforementioned Christmas movies, but her world soon comes crumbling down.

Kate Winslet & Hugh Grant Would Be Great For A New Christmas Movie After The Regime

A Christmas movie reunion between Winslet and Grant sounds delightful

Kate Winslet Christmas Movies
Role
Rotten Tomatoes Rating
Box Office Gross

Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001)
Belle (Voice)
13%
$266,475

The Holiday (2006)
Iris Simpkins
50%
$205.8 million

Collateral Beauty (2016)
Claire Wilson
13%
$88.6 million

Buttons: A Christmas Tale (2018)
Narrator (Voice)
N/A
$151,983

Despite only having a single scene together – where they played characters who detest one another – The Regime’s fourth episode showed Winslet and Grant still share incredible chemistry. Grant’s early exit is a wasted opportunity since the Vernham/Keplinger rivalry felt like a storyline that should have been explored further. That said, “All Ye Faithful” invoking Love Actually and The Holiday suggests Winslet and Grant should unite for a new Christmas movie.

Sequels to either Love Actually or The Holiday sound unlikely, with both Meyers and Winslet ruling out talk of The Holiday 2 back in 2022 (via People). After a run of rom-coms during the ’90s and ’00s, Grant has largely stepped away from the genre in recent years too, including passing on Bridget Jones’s Baby. Still, it would be a shame to wait another 30 years for Grant and Winslet to work on their next project after The Regime, and a new Christmas film – rom-com or otherwise – sounds like an ideal reunion.