Episode Guide
Episode 1 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 2 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 3 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 4 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 5 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 6 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 7 – | Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 8 – | Review Score – 2/5 Episode 9 – | Review Score – 2/5 Episode 10 – | Review Score – 2/5
Emily Cooper, a marketing executive from Chicago who relocates to Paris to represent her firm Savoir, is the centerpiece of Netflix’s romantic drama series. The second season featured a romantic premise between Emily Cooper and Alfie. Emily chooses to stay with Alfie because of the agreement she makes with Camille, even though her passion for Gabriel has not completely faded away. The talented marketing executive decides that it’s time to establish a strong bond with Alfie after learning that Camille and Gabriel have reconciled. The third season focuses on a new chapter in the main character and supporting characters’ lives. The evolution of Emily and Alfie’s relationship is explored in more detail. Emily’s decision to stay in Paris is revealed at the beginning of the season. Additionally, Emily is going through a crisis over having to tell Madeline that she has chosen to work for Sylvie while Madeline is pregnant. Despite the show’s lighthearted and dramatic premise, Emily is shown working at both of the competing companies at the same time, which seems too unrealistic. The professional side of things too is challenging to understand in the show, in part since everybody Emily meets ends up getting hired in some way by the French premium marketing agency, regardless of whether they’re an accountant, a musician, or even the parents of a companion. Furthermore, this season contains several fairy tale elements while attempting to deal with very practical problems. For instance, even after Emily loses her job in a foreign city, she does not appear to be fazed. Additionally, after losing the Savoir job – her apartment that is given to her by them – is not taken back. Furthermore, this element is not addressed at all, and it appears as though the apartment is hers now, which is pretty strange. Another aspect that seems overly romantic and fairytale-like is the sequence where Emily presents the musical piece that Benoit wrote for Mindy and the guests spontaneously start dancing and feeling it. In the new season of Emily in Paris, the handsome Chef Gabriel says, “Everyone likes watching a story about two people trying to fight off their natural attraction to each other”. It appears that this is the show’s core premise in some fashion. Throughout the entirety of this season, their mutual attraction practically drips. It feels like the storyline is being dragged a little too much, with the writers attempting to postpone bringing Emily and Gabriel together to keep viewers interested, but in the process the storyline feels like it’s beating around the bush. Additionally, almost every aspect of almost all the characters’ lives permeates with infuriating indecision in their romantic relationships, jobs, and, in the case of Emily and Camille, even their friendships. Any connection or relationship on the show appears unconvincing because the characters never keep their word, especially in this season. For instance, Mindy and Benoit seemed to be a good match, but it only took one dispute between the two for Mindy to switch her love from Benoit to Nicholas (confirming Benoit’s initial concerns). Sylvie is another character with a weak relationship. In the span of a single episode, Sylvie had an intimate moment with her husband Laurent after telling Erik that he is the only man in her life. At this point in the show, every other character is involved in an affair, leaving their significant other for someone else, and this aspect has been normalized far too much. The drama pushes and normalizes the idea that loving two people is not wrong, as we’ve seen throughout this season. While it’s great to have a show that shows the opposing viewpoint, there’s only one here, and it’s a morally questionable viewpoint. Moreover, the show’s characters don’t seem to suffer any repercussions for their actions. We see Camille break her pact with Emily, and Emily just lets it slide. Furthermore, Camille doesn’t appear to have any remorse, which is rather odd. Although Emily and Camille have both betrayed each other on different occasions, Camille goes on to tell Emily, “I’m loyal to you”, which just doesn’t add up. The show does not allow for tension to build, rest, and then be resolved. Every roadblock to the protagonist and the side characters appears to be resolved quickly, resulting in less tension. Additionally, the show somehow doesn’t make logical sense and is overly cheerful when it does not have to be. The outfits worn by the characters in the show and especially in this season are vivid and dreamy that, like its predecessor Sex and the City, you simply cannot get enough of it. But the costume design is only one part of this show that actually stands out and works. This season is not an exception to the show’s heavy usage of stereotypes. As a contrast to Sylvie’s chilly French elegance, Madeline certainly seems to be receiving the extreme “obnoxious American” touch this season. Another example is the way Sylvie at first appears to find Janine respectful and finds it surprising that she follows Emily. However, after meeting Janine, Sylvie exhibits disappointment when she learns that she’s Australian and not French. It’s getting tiresome how frequently this show engages in excessive and pointless stereotyping. Emily has a history of lying to and deceiving men while harboring feelings for Gabriel. This season is no exception. This wouldn’t be an issue if Emily was portrayed as a grey figure. On the contrary, she is portrayed as a virtuous character while doing it, which sends the wrong message and ends up normalizing it. There are many unanswered questions in the finale that will likely be resolved in the upcoming season, assuming there is one. The circumstances surrounding Emily’s relationship with Gabriel and Alfie, Mindy’s relationship with Nicholas and Benoit, and Sylvie’s relationship with Laurent are still to be explored, and given how popular this show is it wouldn’t be surprising to find it renewed for another season.
