It’s one of the most successful Netflix shows ever, and it’s back for the first part of its fourth season. Of course, we’re talking about Emily In Paris, and there’s enough drama and hullabaloo to shake a stick at.
The drama of Season 3
To jog your memory, season 3 ended with some bombshell revelations. Camille called off her wedding with Gabriel and announced that she was pregnant all in one night, Alfie called it time on his relationship with Emily after finding out she still has feelings for Gabriel, Gabriel was close to getting a Michelin star for his restaurant with the help of Luc and his girlfriend, Pierre Cadault – the brand – is now run by his rival Gregory Dupree, Sylvie is now cozying back up with her husband, oh and Mindy and her ex-boyfriend have been selected to be the French act at Eurovision (are you keeping track? Good!). It’s safe to say Emily In Paris is a show with so many spinning plates that it’s hard to keep up with it all, but it remains appointment TV even if it is a guilty pleasure.
The Unknown Power of Emily In Paris
Now listen, I’m pretty new to the Emily In Paris hype train. For years, I had scoffed at the mere thought of switching it on and seeing why 58 million households worldwide tuned in to the American fish-out-of-water tale. In hindsight, I was probably being a bit pompous about it, and now I definitely think I should have taken the sugar-infused plunge along with the rest of the world all those years ago.
Why do I say this? Well, dear reader, I watched all three seasons in the space of a week. Is it the pinnacle of TV drama? No. Did I particularly enjoy myself all of the time? Not really. Could I lay out every last plot thread and explain it? I doubt it. Is the fashion incomprehensibly ugly? Of course. Did I cringe out of my skin on more than a handful of occasions? You know I did. So please tell me why I simply Could. Not. Put. It. Down? It will probably be one of those unexplained phenomena that a bunch of psychologists will release a research paper about in a decade or so. But after it all, I was firmly seated for what season 4 had to offer.
The Ménage à trois comes to a head.
That’s us all caught up then and raring to dive into Emily In Paris, Season 4 Part 1 (Netflix, if you’re reading this, can we just go back to full season drops. Thank you!). The soap opera antics begin immediately as Emily (Lily Collins) tries to win back the favor of Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) after their hot-air balloon romance is picked as the face of the marketing campaign for one of Agence Grateau’s clients. Camille (Camille Razat) has gone missing and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) is still trying to get his restaurant a Michelin star.
These are just the general trappings of the show chugging along as they have been for the past few seasons, or the overarching stories, as we should call them here. The will they won’t they romance between Emily and Gabriel reaches a boiling point that long-time fans of the two characters should be quite pleased with (Team Gabriel, am I right?!). These core storylines are the foundation of the show; without them, everything else would topple into a hot mess, but thankfully, having something consistent to latch onto makes it easier to carry on watching.
Season 4 treads a new path for Emily In Paris
New storylines enter the fray, however, and some are more compelling than others. A lot of these side stories tend to be like candy floss. Light and fluffy, easily digestible, and sweet while you’re consuming it. But it looks as though season 4 might be trying to head down a more serious path, the likes the show hasn’t fully explored before. In season 3, we were introduced to the luxury goods company JVMA.
With that we were introduced to a few new characters, namely Nicolas De Leon (Paul Forman) – Mindy’s (Ashley Park) new love interest – and his father Louis De Leon (Pierre Deny), who is the CEO of JVMA. In the first episode of the season, it’s hinted that Nicolas’ father is a bit of a creep after he makes some concerning comments about the clothes Mindy is wearing. Further suspicions arise when Mindy is at JVMA headquarters, and some of the women who work there warn her of some of Louis’ predatory behavior.
Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) is also embroiled in the potential scandal as she was a former employee of Louis De Leon. It’s interesting that the writing team is taking on this kind of storyline, although it makes sense considering the world the show inhabits. Especially considering how accustomed we have become to stories like that in the real-world spaces that Emily In Paris bases itself on. It remains to be seen whether or not they’ll stick the landing, as it’s only Part 1 of 2, and it does feel a bit out of range for a show like this. But if they do it right, it could be one of the show’s most interesting and important storylines.
Emily In Paris season 4 retains its silly beating heart though. The comedy is stupid, the laughs are aplenty, and the fashion is as egregious as you’d hope (you’ll never convince me Emily wears anything remotely good). The signature miscommunication, which all the characters seem to be so good at, stays welcome as a jumping pad for all the drama as well. In essence, Emily In Paris is as good as it’s ever been and probably as good as it’ll ever be. But to slightly misquote the TikTok viral sensation Al: spectacular, gimme 14 more (seasons) of them right now.
Emily in Paris, Season 4 – Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch it, at Netflix.
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