Warning: Major spoilers for The Regime episode five "All Ye Faithful"

Summary

• Kate Winslet's 2006 rom-com "The Holiday" is the perfect light-hearted follow-up to The Regime's dark "All Ye Faithful" episode.
• Winslet's Chancellor Elena performs a terrible cover of "Santa Baby" during The Regime's fifth episode.
• Despite their short screen time, the chemistry between Winslet and Hugh Grant in The Regime episode four suggests they should reunite for a new Christmas movie.

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 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 episode five isn't very Christmasy, but Winslet's 2006 romantic comedy The Holiday is the perfect way to follow it up.

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 ing 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."

The Regime reunited Sense and Sensibility co-stars Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant nearly 30 years later.

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

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 ing 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.

The Regime's finale "Don't Yet Rejoice" airs Sunday, April 7th on HBO and Max.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers, People