Emily in Paris Season 4, Part 2 Review: Splitting a light-hearted series like this one starring Lily Collins into two parts premiering in two months didn’t make much sense at first. The two parts are narratively similar, but also quite different. Emily is torn between two men, two cultures, two moods in both parts, but the Last five episodes The scale and magnitude of her dilemma increases. She is caught not only between two men, two cities and two countries, but also between work and life, growth and stability, past and future.
(Also read – Emily in Paris actor Lucien Laviscount explains why Alfie keeps getting his heart broken: ‘Everyone is finding out’)
Tying up loose ends
Thankfully, creator Darren Star picks up where he left off in Part 1. The narrative isn’t as fixated on the love triangle between Emily, Gabriel, and Camille, as a lot of the developments happen on that front in the first episode. Tying up those loose ends takes an entire episode, but it doesn’t feel boring thanks to the visual palette. Paris at Christmastime looks like a dreamland, even without snowfall. Emily skating with Gabriel on thin ice is not only foreshadowing, but also the warm sweater-clad hug we needed as an early Christmas present and a familiar start to the world we’ve consumed for four seasons.
Some old characters give way to new ones: there’s Genevieve, Sylvie’s American niece-in-law, hired at the Agence Grateu as a potential threat to Emily. Will she turn Emily into the Emily of The Devil Wears Prada and project herself as the Anne Hathaway to Sylvie’s Meryl Streep? But, like the rest of her life, her professional rival also infiltrates her personal life, linking up beyond working hours with Gabriel. Then there’s Marcello (Eugenio Franceshini), the “Italian stallion” she bumps into when Gabriel once abandons her. These two new characters revolutionize Emily’s ecosystem, which is no longer limited to Paris alone. Enter: Rome.
Roman festival
It’s clear that when you introduce a new country in a series called Emily in Paris, you’re bound to take an unexpected detour. The dull-coloured Vespas roaming quaint backstreets dotted with open cafes and centuries-old monuments are a much-needed contrast to the bustling streets of Paris, populated by crowded cafes and hairpin turns. Emily also feels that Paris is more orderly, which complements her inherent capacity for planning and organisation. But Rome is probably what she needs to grow up in – to become ruined by time, but to hold on to a certain grace and lived-in wisdom. Now that she’s been kissed in front of the Eiffel Tower, perhaps it’s time to sit back and admire the cracks in the Colosseum.
The difference lies not only in topography, but also in cultures. A casual workplace discussion between Emily and her colleagues leads to a debate over which country has better coffee. Emily proclaims that she is a Starbucks girl because she likes to garnish her macchiato with caramel. Her French coworkers judge her and then argue that Italian espresso is strong, while French latte is subtle so that it pairs well with food. The debate is synonymous with Emily’s dilemma: whether to stick to the subtle pleasures of her life in Paris or demand more drama in Rome. Like her, Gabriel is a workaholic, but Marcello is an ambitious businessman with a slow lifestyle – a lifestyle that fascinates Emily.
Work-life balance
Emily’s conflicts now transcend men and also revolve around the blurred lines between her work and life. Mixing both into a cocktail and downing it in one gulp gave her the rush she needed to conquer France amidst the culture shock. But now that she’s accomplished what she needed to accomplish in one country, is it time for her to move again? Or has she simply found her footing in France and should continue milking it for all it’s worth? Jumping from country to country isn’t really her idea of growth, but does it make sense to do so if where she’s headed allows her to maintain a healthy work-life balance? She doesn’t want to become her boss, who hasn’t blurred, but rather erased, the lines between life and work since starting her company. But will she be happy with the slow-paced life that seduces her?
Emily is working on learning the language as much as she has assimilated the culture of the place. After Gabriel claims that the communication gap between them has to do with his linguistic limitation as much as his closed-minded attitude, she makes sure to download an Italian course on Duolingo while courting Marcello. She wants them to speak the same language, whether it be literal, love, or life. Becoming Emily in Rome is practically like a change in her DNA, and the show’s as well. Like the city that wasn’t built in a day, the show is also very promising because it refuses to settle and remains a thriving and engaging work in progress.
Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 is now streaming on Netflix India.
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