Emily in Paris is a Netflix series that follows Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), an American working at a French business in Paris. The show, which started in 2020, is now on its fourth season which included two parts. Season four introduces new characters, new settings, and new opportunities for Emily. I highly recommend watching this fun, quirky series with friends!
At this point forward there will be spoilers for seasons one-three, so if you haven’t yet watched Emily in Paris, I recommend you do so. Once you’ve finished, come back and finish my review!
When the show first aired, there were plenty of negative reviews about the bad writing and acting in the series, and viewers have now accepted that the real reason they watch Emily in Paris is for the amazing outfits, beautiful scenery, and twisting plot. The new two part season picked up right after a dramatic twist at the end of season three with Camille (Camille Razat), Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), and Emily’s love triangle leaving watchers wondering what would happen now that Camille is pregnant. Throughout this soap opera’s new season, the relationship complexities and dysfunctions thankfully continue. Emily’s amazing boyfriend, Alfie (Lucien Lavisocount), rightfully felt like a second choice and broke things off with her. This scene was heartbreaking for watchers, me included, to watch. I loved Alfie and Emily together; they were an iconic duo. Post breakup, Emily and Gabriel got together, despite the extremely complex pre-existing relationships he already had, instantly wrapping Emily in his and Camille’s family and baby situation. This left her, and viewers, feeling overwhelmed, like a backup option in Gabriel’s life. Throughout the first half of the season, the suspense of what Emily would choose to do left on the edge of my seat. Viewers thankfully watched Emily dramatically end things with Gabriel on top of a ski mountain in the middle of the season, claiming that their relationship was too complicated and lacked communication. In typical Emily Cooper fashion, she rebounded quickly and found an Italian man. Her new boyfriend, Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), happened to be an old friend of her roommate’s, Mindy (Ashley Park), boyfriend. As their relationship progresses but the long distances prove to be challenging, Emily travels to Rome to visit Marcello, potentially leaving behind the reason viewers watch the show: Paris.
Emily’s new boyfriend is not the only change that the new season had to offer. Suddenly, Emily is not the only American at Agence Grateau; Sylvie’s (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieau) step daughter, Genevieve (Thalia Besson) enters the picture to hopefully bring back some of the energy from seasons one and two. The difference though is that Emily didn’t speak a word of French upon her arrival to Paris, and Geneive is fluent. This raises multiple challenges when Genevieve starts stirring the pot in the office.
Despite the new changes, all of the characters from previous seasons are still on the show, complex as ever. At the end of season three Gabriel and Camille were expected to have a baby, but a dramatic twist when Camille reveals that her pregnancy was a false positive, leaves their relationship strained, viewers and Gabriel frustrated she kept the information from him. Tense relationships seem to be an occurring issue in the series, and Sylvie and her husband’s is no exception. Sylvie and her husband, Laurent G (Arnaud Binard), who have an open marriage despite Sylvie’s wishes, seem to be experiencing communication errors, and Sylvie’s jealousy grows when Genevieve reveals all the women her dad sees. To be honest, there aren’t many healthy relationships in the show, which is partially why it’s so entertaining to watch. The stressful relationship ups and downs across the character’s relationships aid to the suspense of the show even though the acting isn’t good. Mindy and her boyfriend since last season, Nico (Paul Forman), decided to end things after Nico was unsupportive of her singing competition she and her band were planning to participate in later that year, publically putting it down. This left viewers wondering if Mindy would fight for Nico, get back together with one of her exes, or find a new boyfriend.
This season was by far my favorite; the gripping episodes kept me on the edge of my seat for all 10 episodes and I am so excited for the next season. The renewal of season five was announced on September 16, after all of the positive responses from season four, the show’s creator Darren Star said. As of October 1 there is no release date for the new season, but hints have been dropped that Emily will be spending time in both Paris and Rome.
Indresh Chandel 