Oh, Emily Cooper, your life is a never-ending loop of chaos and couture. Season 4 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris was another roller coaster of unbelievable plotlines and guilty-pleasure messes in the City of Light. Surprisingly, that’s all well and good from a series standpoint. Seriously, it’s Emily in Paris! By the fourth season, we’ve all come to expect the soap opera flair and outlandish easy success that comes to Emily’s life in Paris. However, the fourth season exposed many cracks in the foundation of the show’s structure and flow, which unfortunately, made this a messy season to watch (and not in a good way).
Unfinished tales from Paris
The biggest issue for Emily in Paris Season 4 came to be in how it addressed its plots. Between Emily’s love triangle(s), Mindy’s music woes, Camille’s faux baby, and Sylvie’s exposé to name a few, a lot was happening. In a 10-episode season, the series tried to shove too many plotlines into its already short runtime and episodes. And when it did approach the arcs, they would be quickly resolved or dropped to jump into the next story. For instance, by the time we finally got to Emily and Gabriel’s romance, it was time to start a new romance (we’ll get to this soon!). Emily in Paris Season 4 would’ve benefitted from having some breathing room and building out their main focuses.
Splitting the season into two main parts hurt the show this time around. Part 1 of the fourth season felt vastly different than Part 2; at times, they came across as two different seasons. The pacing seemed like Emily in Paris wanted to go in a certain direction, but they didn’t want to wait for the time to naturally get there. The plots that were focused on either got dropped completely (e.g. Eurovision and band flirtation) or a new direction came into the picture (e.g., Italy). You would be surprised to remember that Alfie tried to pursue Emily again because that plotline got dropped before Part 2. When all was said and done, he already moved on and so did Emily. A consistent trope that kept coming up was that it didn’t feel like anything was important or had stakes – things were going to happen because they were going to happen.
Steps in the right direction
That’s not to say Emily in Paris Season 4 didn’t have its positives or improvements. The fashion stood out once again as an important staple of the series. The high-end ensembles and couture pieces looked so fabulous and chic! There is great respect from the series for their fashion choices and for showcasing these stunning looks, especially from Emily and Mindy. And Sylvie exuded sophistication and glamor in every beautiful ensemble the show paired with her.
Speaking of the characters, there was growth in their development by the season’s end. Not everyone changed for the positive, but for those who had been on the show for a while now, the growth was appreciated. In particular, Emily felt much more confident in both her career and her love life. Sure, she hit some huge hurdles and made a mess (like with Alfie), but she prioritized herself and her happiness. She chose who she wanted to love and how she propelled her career instead of being a clueless passenger. I blame most of her recent dating troubles with Gabriel on him because he also wasn’t communicating properly and supporting Emily. His putting the majority blame on her wasn’t accurate.
Mindy choosing herself and her aspirations by the season’s end was a refreshing moment. Her relationship with Nico had become very toxic this season; he was giving off major red flags whenever he discussed her career. Nico wanted someone who would play along with his public image, but Mindy had her dreams to follow. Eurovision was a huge opportunity that not everyone can get! Between siding with his creepy father and not helping Mindy with her financial issues for Eurovision, he was never going to be the partner Mindy needed in her life. I loved when she finally broke up with him and cut him out of her life.
The same goes for Sylvie and the decisions she made throughout Emily in Paris Season 4. Firstly, speaking the truth in the article against Louis was a huge growing moment for her. She finally came to terms with the past and took down a predator who couldn’t hurt anyone else in the future. Secondly, she took on her relationship woes head-on and took back her power by putting herself in the driver’s seat. And finally, Sylvie has shown a greater appreciation for Emily and the impact Emily has had on her life. No one could’ve imagined this much change in their relationship since the first season! It’s a beautiful sight to see what she could do in a few episodes.
A little despair with their flair
On the other hand, Emily in Paris Season 4 did a lot of damage to the character of Camille. Has she become a cartoonish villain or did her entire character development get thrown out the window? In the span of a season, she manipulated her loved ones, faked a baby, pined for an ex she cheated on, and planned to start a family with her new partner to name a few plotlines. Don’t get me wrong, I like Camille; she was one of my favorite characters going into the season. It’s a shame that she suffered from the plotline issues mentioned above because her story and writing went all over the place. She felt more like a dramatic plot device than an actual character.
Emily and Gabriel’s romance (or lack thereof) was another frustrating point. Are they endgame or just the “will they, won’t they?” trope? We finally had them together after definitively breaking Emily up from Alfie, but they couldn’t even last a few episodes before another drama tore them apart. These romance storylines are fun at first, but they need to feel like they have a shot at being a real couple. Emily had a valid reason for breaking up with Gabriel; the mountain/Camille situation was a big red flag. However, the inconsistency in their romance hurt the season, and the shift to Marcello just seemed like a way to move the plot to Italy.
Also, the introduction of Geneviève (Sylvie’s stepdaughter) brought us a confusing and frustrating villain. In the span of a few episodes, she both buddied up to Emily and tried to get with her (now) ex-boyfriend, Gabriel. Geneviève lying to Emily about what Gabriel said in French was so manipulative. This was exceptionally cruel when we remembered that Emily was so kind to her and tried to train her/give her opportunities. What was Geneviève’s agenda in all this? As of now, she just seems like that friend you can’t trust because they’ll always go for what they want and see no boundaries.
The fourth season of Emily in Paris had its fair share of highs and lows. Characters continued to grow and move on from difficult situations, but the plotlines felt like roller coasters at times. The inconsistency threw the pacing for a loop, and too many plotlines ended abruptly without any significant resolve. Seriously! The Eurovision plotline ended in a simple conversation after it had been featured for so long – its ending deserved so much more. There is a hopeful note that next season will build off the changes that shifted the narrative to Italy. Let’s cross our fingers that everything gets reined in a bit more in future seasons.
Emily in Paris Season 4 is available to stream now on Netflix.
