EMILY IN PARIS – Season 4, Part 1. French Chaos [REVIEW]

The time that millions of fans around the world have been waiting for has finally arrived. The fourth season of Emily in Paris debuted on Netflix on the morning of August 15th, though not in its entirety, as we still have to wait another month for the true grand finale of the story about the American conquering the French fashion world. For now, we have 5 episodes at our disposal, which, after the emotional ending of the previous season, promised an absolute French revolution. Instead, we got classic, banal solutions that once again entangle Emily and her indecisive lovers in a teenage-like love triangle. Or perhaps I should add more angles to this figure, including Gabriel’s ex-fiancée, her lover, Emily’s ex-boyfriend, and of course, the soon-to-arrive baby?

Season 4 could have given us many opportunities to reflect on the tacky and cliché choices of the characters from the previous seasons. However, for Emily, Gabriel, and the other members of the Paris team, time seems to have stood still, and the mistakes they made in the first season continue to haunt them endlessly.

After a long break, Emily in Paris returns with new adventures, picking up directly after the dramatic events of the season three finale. Camille’s (Camille Razat) brutal speech during her wedding ceremony with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) stirred up quite the mess in the lives of our Parisian characters. Emily’s boyfriend, Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), understandably felt rejected and deceived, while the titular character is once again faced with a choice (obvious to the viewers, though for some inexplicable reason still unclear to her) – who will she ultimately choose as her partner? The concept of continuous manipulation, switching sides, and giving hope to one or the other lover is harmful and toxic. However, for Emily (Lily Collins), this has been her daily bread ever since moving to the city of love. Once again, just like before, she learns nothing from her mistakes, and instead tries to please everyone around her, causing even more chaos. Besides the romantic entanglements, we also return to the daily life at Sylvie’s (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) Agence Grateau, though the creators don’t even bother to give this plot much attention.

The final season is mainly stretched-out, artificially built tension – who will Emily choose? What will happen to Gabriel’s relationship with Camille? How will this trio reconcile their desires with the inevitable arrival of Camille’s baby?

For fans of Emily and Gabriel’s relationship, the new season will certainly be a delight and offer almost fairytale-like entertainment. The sugary, exaggerated elements of Emily in Paris have never had much to do with reality, starting from the impressive outfits worn by supposedly broke expats to conflicts that could be easily resolved with a simple conversation, and of course, the love games straight out of middle school flirtations. Emily, completely spoiled and naive, tries to prove that her romantic problems are at the center of the universe – who cares about serious business contracts when everything can be solved with a 5-second advertising slogan or a quick phone call to a friend of a friend?

Emily in Paris is meant to distract us from real-life problems and whisk us away to a place where we can feel sophisticated, get a taste of French culture, and enjoy beautiful scenery while humorously watching the grotesque twists and turns in the characters’ relationships. As a 100% guilty pleasure, Darren Star’s series excels. However, after three previous seasons in which we haven’t seen even a hint of character growth, we’re not sure if we can swallow another overly decorated dessert, no matter how refined it may be.

What’s most disappointing is that in the first part of the final season, very little actually happens. Aside from quickly addressing the bombshell dropped in the last minutes of the previous season, there are many completely pointless scenes that add nothing to the plot other than reminding us of a character’s existence or briefly wrapping up their storyline. That said, departing slightly from the stereotypes especially present in the first season, the creators do touch on topics such as sexual harassment and the position of women in the fashion business, with Sylvie unexpectedly becoming the lead in this storyline. It’s a step in the right direction, but I fear it won’t be properly developed in the next part, which premieres on September 12th. Honestly, it’s hard to expect anything substantial from the remaining episodes, given the fairly predictable and not particularly exciting developments that conclude episode 5. We’re sure to see more plot twists since, before we get to the desired happy ending, we have to worry a bit alongside Emily. However, don’t expect season 4 of Emily in Paris to stand out from the previous ones in any way that elevates it.

If the lighthearted atmosphere, perfect for watching with friends, appeals to you, go ahead and quickly turn on Netflix and indulge in this guilty pleasure. I must admit that watching Emily’s adventures is a sort of experiment for me—something completely different from my usual movie and TV choices, yet hypnotizing and relaxing after a hard day. Of course, we don’t view Darren Star’s series through an artistic lens, unless we’re talking about the outstanding creativity of the costume designers. It’s a fairytale, fiction, a world as far removed from reality as possible. And perhaps it’s this very element that most attracts viewers from all corners of the globe. We get excited by following new intrigues and romantic twists, even though we’ve seen them a thousand times before and can easily predict their outcomes. We are dazzled by the exclusive Parisian world, even though we know it has little to do with the real one.

Still, Emily, who in season 4 pretends to have learned anything from the previous months, falls into the same traps and has the same complaints about the universe, without even attempting any self-reflection.

Emily in Paris will once again gather millions of viewers, dazzle with Instagram-worthy shots, and will most likely prompt Netflix to quickly start work on season five. But will it change its narrative in any way and decide to let go of cheap, soap-opera tactics? After the first part of the season, it’s hard to believe. Still, I’m holding out hope for the creators and, most of all, for the main character. I hope that the rest of season five will redeem the wasted potential of the freshly released episodes.