The highly anticipated second half of Emily in Paris, Season 4, dropped earlier this week. For those who’ve not yet watched, this review understandably will contain plenty of spoilers. With this main question hovering over the season, we have to ask ourselves: Did the season progress the story in any real way?
In a word, maybe? For all intents and purposes, We must remember that this show is a soap opera geared towards stunning European visuals, constant relationship drama, and sex. It’s not supposed to be a thought-provoking series with hard-to-answer questions and the aim of a timeless classic. Emily in Paris is a fun show to unplug with, where you can take in all its flaws without critically analyzing it.
This season opens with Emily (Lily Collins) slated to return home to Chicago for the holidays. Armed with a grip of ugly Christmas sweaters, the awkwardness surrounding herself, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), Camille (Camille Razat), and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) is still quite present. Her flight was canceled due to inclement weather, thus paving the way for Emily to join Camille, Gabriel, and her family for a holiday in the French Alps. All the while, Camille’s mother is planting seeds to try and get Gabriel and Camille back together with some not-so-subtle tactics.
Skeptical about hitting the slopes, Emily is marooned atop a mountain while a presumed-to-be pregnant Camille and Gabriel race down. Emily is suddenly saved by Italian ski patroller Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini). Of course, this introduction sets the scene for future interactions between the protagonist and her new love interest. Disgruntled by being left on the mountain, coupled with the inevitability that Camille would always be hanging around, Emily has a total meltdown — breaking up with Gabriel and leaving abruptly for Paris. Upon returning, she runs into Alfie — learning that he’s moved on and is now dating someone else. Rarely do you see Collins break down and cry during this series, but she showed some real range once Alfie walks away from her as snow drops on Christmas Day.
As fate would have it, Mindy’s (Ashley Park) villainous boyfriend Nico (Paul Forman) is friends with the aforementioned Italian man. Marcello’s family produces some of the most famous cashmere products in the world. Of course, knowing this, Emily will once again walk the fine line of business and pleasure as Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) angles to get that precious account away from Nico’s company. All the while, Sylvie is forced to get her stepdaughter Genevieve (Thalia Besson) a job after her husband learns of her whereabouts via an old relationship with an ex-flame.
Initially pegged as a bright, perky American like Emily, we soon learn that Genevieve has ulterior motives…namely trying to hook up with Gabriel without taking Emily’s feelings into account.
Without going into all of the details, the story eventually takes us to the beautiful city of Rome. A love triangle initially featuring Alfie has been replaced by Marcello. The story for this season is a bit predictable and over-the-top dramatic. Still, the visuals remain stunning, and it harbors the fun that the prior three seasons brought to the table. We just hope we continue to see more of the Luc-Julien dynamic. Both Bruno Gouery and Samuel Arnold have tremendous chemistry with one another. It also makes sense to slightly shift things to another city as a means to not have the story become stale even with the innate beauty of Paris.
