Summary
- The fashion is still fabulous and Lily Collins shines, but Season 4 seems monotonous and lacks excitement.
- Supporting characters like Luc and Grégoire add tension, but too many story arcs can seem exaggerated and boring.
- The attempt to balance the usual lightness with heavy moments misses the mark, but this small change gives hope for a fresher approach in the future.
Oh, Emily. What should we do with you? Certainly nothing really new and exciting. We are talking about the new season of Emily in Paris, of course. The first half of the fourth season of the popular Darren Star (Melrose Place, Sex and the City) series has just been released – part 2 will be released on September 12th – and it’s the same as always with our dear Emily. It’s not entirely terrible, mind you. Who doesn’t love comfort that you can watch in one sitting, and this series delivers that. Why Netflix decided to split this series into two parts is odd, as it’s not worth a cliffhanger. Perhaps they realize that you can only watch so many episodes. Emily in Paris before you feel like everything is hollow and repetitive.
Season 4 is about Emily’s “new” adventures and we can relive her experiences. It’s just that none of the “new” experiences or characters are exciting enough to make us want more.. That’s a warning sign for a series that reportedly streamed in 58 million households in 2020. What we get is nonetheless cozy and huggable — and God knows, fashionable. And yet the series itself drops the ball on that front, occasionally shaking up its entire tone when it wants to be dramatic rather than light and fluffy.
Still a sensational event
Emily in Paris
2.5/5
Netflix’s Emily in Paris is a comedy series starring Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, a college graduate who travels from Chicago to Paris when she gets a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity that allows her to enjoy French culture and glamour while restructuring a local marketing firm. Created by Darren Star, creator of Beverly Hills 90210 and Sex and the City, Emily in Paris takes a wry look at the cultural differences between the United States and France.
- Release date
- October 2, 2020
- Seasons
- 4
- Directors
- Andrew Fleming
- Fashion is still sublime and Lilly Collins is still a delight.
- Bruno Gouery and Jeremy O. Harris are wonderful, entertaining supporting characters.
- The fourth season seems repetitive and falls into the same lame starting situations.
- Emily in Paris rightly tries to provide variety with surprising drama and maturity, but fails to do so well.
The original premise of the show, of course, was that we were getting a young woman from the Midwest hired by a Paris marketing firm in the hopes of offering a decidedly original American take on things. That was enough to raise eyebrows among seasoned viewers. Were we really supposed to believe that Parisians, as chic and smart as they are, needed an American take on things? Well, some of us took the bait, and millions of viewers either forgave or overlooked that storyline because, well, Paris. And Emily, sure…she’s a delight, thanks to Lily Collins.
Watch the first few episodes slowly – or take it easy – because the tension builds as the episodes progress. After taking time off with her boyfriend Alfie in the wake of the Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Camille (Camille Razat) wedding debacle in season 3, we find Emily balancing several rotating plates. Of course, she flirts with Gabriel, but then there’s Camille, who is pregnant with the man’s baby and has decided to keep it. The character is deliberately given no screen time at the beginning.
Emily finds herself in emotional danger because she and Alfie (heartthrob Lucien Laviscount) are suddenly the new faces for Grateau’s newest marketing clients. The plot thickens… ish. It’s so funny to see Emily’s reaction when she finds her and Alfie’s picture on Parisian billboards. Meanwhile, fan favorite extraordinaire Ashley Park continues to wow as Mindy, whose Eurovision story arc, with its seemingly simple challenges, adds some excitement. It feels like the writers put this story arc in to spice up the season. But there’s more.
Related
What you should know about Emily in Paris before season 4
The third season of “Emily in Paris” ended in December 2022, so there was plenty of time to forget all the important details.
Supporting characters stand out amidst overused storylines
Thematically, there are still many of these run-of-the-mill plot concepts in Emily in Paris. Emily gets involved and gets her coworkers worked up. Emily dresses so fabulously. Emily flirts. Emily solves something. Or not. And so it goes. Some storylines seem over the top. But Bruno Gouery is always a delight as Luc and whenever the man appears on screen, it’s a joy. Keep it up. We love hearing what Luc has to say; there’s a bit where he looks at what Emily did on TikTok that’s hilarious. Also watch out for Grégory Elliot Duprée, played so winningly by Jeremy O. Harris to add a little spark.
If you think the show will really impress you from episode 1, you might want to change your perspective. Once the episodes start airing, you’ll be tempted to stick with it (after all, you’ve been watching it for so long). But it feels like there are too many storylines to follow or care about.One of them involves Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), who is approached by a reporter about questionable working relationships. The way Sylvie ultimately responds feels odd, perhaps distancing herself from her own strengths as an independent woman.
Related
Emily in Paris: 10 More Projects Featuring the Cast You Should Watch Next
If you enjoyed this romantic dramedy show on Netflix, you’ll definitely like these other projects from the cast.
Emily in Paris falters in its attempt to create drama
However, there’s something special about this show in how it balances its free-spirited vibe with more serious themes, like the ingrained nature of sexism in French society or the challenges of grief. This is where the show stumbles. On the one hand, these are great topics to explore, but the way this show handles them misses the mark somewhat. Still, we’re tempted to buy into what’s being presented because it finally offers more than just a hint of something different.
If you’re here for the fashion showstoppers, you won’t be disappointed this season. Our dear Emily seems a little more sophisticated in her appearance. Or, dare we say, more mature? Emmy-nominated costume designer Marylin Fitoussi continues to deliver her A-game. If you can look past the occasional awkward balancing act between light and heavy and the all-too-familiar vibe of the season, Emily in Paris Season 4 certainly isn’t bad enough to turn off existing fans of the series. But if the second half isn’t better and more surprising, we might have to drop out. Emily in Paris Streams on Netflix. Watch it via the link below:
Watch on Netflix
