‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4 Serves More of the Same Soapy Drama and Stereotypes

Alci Rengifo

Another summer winds down with the return of “Emily in Paris.” Fans of this soapy Netflix series have missed following its brightly-styled Emily as she navigates her daily dramas and Parisian dream job with a flashbulb smile, all while grappling with the horrendous dilemma of being desired by two attractive and successful men in one of the world’s great cities. In going with one of its current trends, Netflix has split the fourth season into two parts, with the first five episodes being released on Aug. 15, and on Sept. 15 fans will get the rest. The following that this series has developed is so devoted, it is virtually critic proof. 

In season four, the story stays simple with a few notable twists. Emily (Lily Collins) is dealing with the fallout from last season, when a not-so-secret revelation destabilized the spontaneous wedding of chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Camille (Camille Razat). Now Camille, who is allegedly pregnant with Gabriel’s soon-to-be child, has disappeared. Emily’s official boyfriend in season three, Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), is not too happy. Timothée (Victor Meutelet), Camille’s brother (and Emily’s hookup from season one), even makes a TikTok tell-all calling out Emily as a monster, oh my. The timing is awful, considering Grateau has now made Emily and Alfie the faces of their latest marketing campaign celebrating true love for client Ami. Their faces are now plastered on billboards all over Paris. Meanwhile, Mindy (Ashley Park) has made it into Eurovision. 

If you have seen one Emily you have seen them all. For fans, this series hasn’t lost any of what makes it appealing to its particular audience. There are no major changes in tone or goals, heaven forbid. Millennials and Gen Z alike who watch this show will probably like the idea that in its fantasy, you can juggle a high-stakes job with polyamorous antics. Emily attends meetings at work, gritting her teeth at the new ad campaign, while rushing to the gym where Alfie boxes to try and sort things out. Then she is off to Gabriel’s restaurant to talk things out with him. Alfie’s situation is resolved rather quickly, especially since he hates seeing those billboards of him and Emily in front of the gym, and Emily will clearly fall back into the arms of the chef. What about Camille? There is some suspense when she goes missing. It is assumed she might be with her own true love, Sofia (Melia Kreiling), in Greece. This turns out not to be the case. Mindy has more pressing problems, like trying to afford going on Eurovision. 

As all this proceeds, you still get plenty of fashion do’s and don’ts from the show’s wardrobe department. The soundtrack throws in a few treats, like a French cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” during a sexy masked ball. Where the writers try to give this series some depth is in a storyline involving Emily’s boss, Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu). She is trying to keep her husband Laurent’s upcoming Parisian beach club a success, but this requires having to deal with a luxury fashion big wig from her past who is now being investigated for sexual harassment. It is a sly way for the series to deal with #MeToo without getting too edgy. “Emily in Paris” doesn’t linger too much on these story angles. Its real spirit is found in scenes like the masked ball Emily throws for client Antoine’s new perfume launch, where she walks through lushly-lit spaces with Gabriel, hushing the kind of things no one ever says in real life. 

What is the point of “Emily in Paris”? It is meant to be enjoyed for what it is. That is probably the point. To the team’s credit, they do end part one with a rather heartbreaking twist made even more cruel by the way Gabriel hugs both Camille and Emily in the closing shot, proclaiming he is the luckiest man ever. He thinks he has a baby on the way with Camille and finally has the relationship he longed for with Emily. What has this French hunk done to be so blessed by the gods? The writers throw a strong wrench into this and fans won’t know the fallout until part two. For now, if you want more stereotyped takes on Parisian and French culture served with Lily Collins as its main course, bon appétit.

“Emily in Paris” season four part one begins streaming Aug. 15 on Netflix.