Emily in Paris is back with its third season and that means we get to see yet again a bunch of episodes where Lily Collins’ Emily Cooper, a US girl navigating her work and personal life in the city of lights, gets it all in one smooth go, amid the “struggles” she faces in a society of new culture.
The third season begins right where the second ended. Emily is still trying to two-time by working for her US boss Madeline and French one Sylvie, who has just started her own marketing agency. By now, we also know that she is happy with London banker Alfie, while her former love interest (or rather what the show is rooting for) French chef Gabriel is back with his girlfriend Camille. But at the heart of it, is this season really offering anything new and unpredictable? The answer is a big resounding non.
Just like in the first two seasons, we see Emily springing up with marketing ideas that miraculously seem to work, when even her French colleagues, who understand the local taste and culture, fail to do so. I get that a stranger in town having a fresh perspective is indeed a fascinating idea, but that doesn’t really get translated into the way the scenes are staged. Rather, it only feels that either Emily is in the right place at the right time, or people are just kinder to her for no sake.
There isn’t any logic either when she works for two companies, albeit to their awareness, gives solutions to both of them, and draws no salary. But that does not let Emily from dressing tres chic every time she steps out of her ordinary apartment. Also, Emily is a character that is written without much attention given to her growth. That also applies to all the woman characters in the show in which all of them are driven by their career. There is Camille who is into museum works, Sylvie who is a strong-headed entrepreneur, and Mindy, a talented singer. But these characters get nothing special or rather fresh apart from just being furniture in Emily’s world. On the other side is Emily. She is still the “new girl in town” and the trope does not translate into anything that gives you hope to understand her, except in this season, Emily has bangs, which is probably the only new thing her character gets.
The lazy writing does not stop here. There isn’t sincerity or naturalness when the showrunners clearly want you to root for Emily and Gabriel. Instead, they opt to bring an inclining detour in the form of a Greek artist, who makes Camille rethink her choices. This twist is very much predictable, so much so that you ought to guess the track from the very first scene the artist has with Camille.
Emily in Paris seems like a glossy fashion magazine that is filled with good-looking people with high fashion choices, working in a world that has got matters of high stakes. But the show does very little in providing the reality in which these people are operating. With all the primary characters lacking depth and acting frivolous irrespective of the high profiles they deal with, the series is clearly watchable only for Lily Collins. Beyond the picturesque scenes, and costumes, Lily’s persona as Emily works some charm in keeping the viewers glued to the show. There isn’t any big revelation in Emily’s arc, but Lily manages to keep the allure going. Another good aspect of the show is how it never attempts to American-ise its local characters. There is never a scene that involves two French characters speak English, given it is an American show.
And as the season wraps up, Emily in Paris leaves you with an ‘unexpected’ cliffhanger — Emily finds herself between two men... again. While one of them has already made a choice, the other is stuck in a situation involving another woman. Will Emily be able to really navigate, when life throws her in actually tough situations? Well, that’s something we can only wait and watch in the fourth season.
Series: Emily in Paris
Creator: Darren Star
Cast: Lily Collins, Camille Razat, Lucan Bravo, Lucien Laviscount, and others
Streamer: Netflix
Rating: 2/5