Bonjour, Emily In Paris season 4! It’s no secret that you probably aren’t watching Emily In Paris hoping for a quality, moving melodrama. I regard it a cheesy yet entertaining watch, setting my expectations low. However, the French love cheese and so do I (occasionally). This season, released August 15th, brought some ups and downs that make for enjoyably wasting away a weekend afternoon.
Starting off, the season’s part one release is only five episodes. The second part is set to be released on September 12th. The major plot lines of season four concern Camille’s pregnancy, Emily’s love life between Gabriel and Alfie, Sylvie speaking out against an old boss and Mindy with her boyfriend Nicolas. There are some half-baked attempts at good writing interspersed within the season but a few plots were fatally embarrassing.
One of the fault lines throughout the show is that much of the conflict in the season is resolved in anticlimactic or unrealistic ways. The plot line about Camille’s pregnancy causes huge interpersonal changes between characters. Camille takes on a lady lover and then breaks up, she moves next door to Gabriel and Emily prepares for possibly dating a dad. All to find out, she’s not pregnant, it was just a false positive. Well, I guess that’s it then? The same thing happens when we find out that Luc’s girlfriend, Marianne, is not a real Michelin reviewer and thus Gabriel may not be getting his Michelin star. A major change to many characters’ lives is thoughtfully ended with ‘it was never even real.’
Besides the writing, there are some great aspects of Emily In Paris, particularly the costumes. Costume designer Marilyn Fitoussi continuously impresses us with her fabulous award-nominated creations. Having costume design experience, I greatly respect the lengths she goes to pull off a great look. She embraces boldness with each character but stays true to their respective style. A few of my favorite looks are Emily’s masquerade look, Mindy’s JVMA look, Caudalt’s phallic pants and Gabriel’s crocodile sweater. The accessory choices are great, including a Vivienne Westwood bag, sailor hats and ornate jewelry. The costumes are why I come back each season and I’m excited to see more in part two.
Part one of season four packed a lot of drama into five episodes, and despite some flaws, I will be awaiting part two. Its absurdity can get carried away sometimes, but it also adds a level of excitement when done correctly. If you take Emily in Paris for what it is, not too serious, then you’ll have a fun time.
