Emily in Paris season 1 took the world by storm when it was released in 2020, but the newest season is mediocre and feeble in its plotline. Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) is still trying to navigate Paris, working for Savoir and trying to adapt to the ‘Frenchness’ of the city. Beside this, she suddenly finds herself in a love triangle with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and his girlfriend, Camille (Camille Razat). The situation felt like a forced plot entry when a British expat from London, Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), is introduced in the series.
I would like to believe that this series did try hard to grasp the attention of people and maintain the originality of the show. However, for me, this series has become more like a no-brainer guilty pleasure rather than something I am actually interested in watching . One of the biggest downfalls was how the creators unapologetically romanticised Paris. They asked the audience to look at Paris through rose-coloured glasses, and it just didn’t work for me. In this season, the stereotypical portrayal of characters was also taken up a notch with the introduction of Alfie, the suave British banker. By including terms like ‘bevvies’ and other British slang, the show was jam-packed with British stereotypes.
Throughout the entire show, Paris has been represented as magical and an the pinnacle of good taste and fashion. The good elements of the city can and should be shown, however, the continued portrayal of an unrealistic image for two whole seasons just does not seem worth it. Portraying Paris as a mecca of fashion and culture but filled with ‘rude’ people is definitely not the way to go if you’re trying to make a comedy-drama successful. After a certain point, Emily in Paris does become quite tacky and ‘ringarde’ – corny, as we say – because viewers have nothing new to look forward to. The plot-line feels stretched and outdated, the conflicts between characters repetitive and without solutions – looking at you Emily and Gabriel. The show feels like a trip to merciless escapism and not in a good way.
The series paints Paris as a dreamland, and pushes the audience to believe that Emily is having the time of her life, with few-added complications. Nevertheless, this series has been a guilty pleasure for audiences across the world. Emily is a relatable character for Gen-Z. Let’s see how she fares in season 3.
2/5