A fashionable wardrobe, an endless pool of French admirers, and living a stone’s throw away from the Eiffel Tower— Emily Cooper is living what, for many of us, is the dream life. Since the release of its first season in October 2020, Emily in Paris has become a hit on Netflix, with now three seasons to show for it. The plot lines have never been of particularly high-stakes, nor did the show ever promise thought-provoking or groundbreaking content; but nonetheless, fans just eat it up. Understandably so, because in a world of constant bad news and unprecedented difficulties for the average working individual, Emily in Paris provides something that a lot of modern programming doesn’t : cheeky, lighthearted plot lines with reliable outcomes that make the viewer want to actually unwind as they watch. Emily in Paris is a show to relax with a glass of wine to, and to indulge in getting lost in a fantasy. It's a guilty pleasure for sure, but one we don’t actually feel very guilty at all for enjoying.
What It’s All About
Emily in Paris follows the life and career of Emily Cooper, a young American marketing executive who is unexpectedly assigned to work at a French agency in lieu of her pregnant boss. Emily didn’t see herself living and working in Paris, and she has a complete life in Chicago — including a boyfriend. Of course, this boyfriend is no good, and the relationship quickly crumbles when she moves to Europe. She’s outgrown him, and will soon be evolving in a number of ways.
She doesn’t have to mourn her relationship for too long before she catches the eye of her handsome neighbor and chef, Gabriel. To her dismay, Gabriel is already dating Camille, but this does not stop the sparks from flying when the star-crossed pair are together. Along with her friend Mindy, Emily adjusts to life abroad as she juggles her professional and romantic lives. Though the romance between Emily and Gabriel is the central and prolonged plot line of the show, subplots arise pertaining to Emily’s marketing work and the personal lives of her co-workers and friends.
Initial Critical Reception and Analysis
Emily in Paris opened to generally unfavorable reviews. The show was considered by many critics as well as some audiences as superficial and gimmicky, with the characters presenting as rather one-dimensional. The success of the show has not quelled these negative takes, with the New York Post reviewing season three with the headline, “Emily in Paris is Now Too Boring to Even Hate Watch”. Almost every aspect of the show gets a good deal of hate, be it the clothes, the writing, the acting, or the representation of life in Paris. In fact, the latter point was one of the show’s greatest criticisms, with the French community noticing a rather stereotypical and cliché characterization of French people.
Upon frank analysis of the show, it is true that Emily in Paris doesn’t do much to give facets to their characters. Emily is a workaholic with boundaries in her romantic life that become tested when she meets Gabriel. Gabriel is… well, a chef. We don’t know that much about him except that he likes cooking. Even his season three fantasy about starting a family in the countryside revolves around starting a restaurant there. Mindy is an effervescent rich girl living out her humble truth, Sylvie is a tough love glamazon living like a rock star, Alfie is… learning French? It’s quite possible that Camille, of all people, may be the most interesting character with her sexual explorations, secret lives, schemes, insecurity, and devotion to the ones she loves.
As for the depiction of French culture, you can’t say the French critics aren’t right. Then again, there are numerous French people involved in the making of the show. There may be more to Paris than late starts to the work day and midday café stops, but those things can also be true. Among Japanese tourists, there is a term called “Paris Syndrome”. It describes the extreme responses that some Japanese tourists experienced on account of how disappointing they found Paris, including hallucinations, delusions, and tachycardia. It sounds exaggerated, but it’s a legitimate and well-documented phenomenon. The Paris we see through Emily Cooper’s eyes is one that will never make you swoon or keel over with disappointment. It's the best things about Paris and the fantasies it evokes, all wrapped up with a neat little bow for people who want to watch beautiful people fall in love in a beautiful setting. Lucas Bravo, who plays Gabriel, said the following:
“At some point, if you want to tell a story about Paris, you have to choose an angle. You have to choose a vision. French critics, they didn’t understand the fact that it’s just one vision. They’re like, ‘Oh, this is not what Paris is.’ Of course. Paris is many things.”
Why It Is a Hit
Ultimately, people watch Emily in Paris because it makes them feel good. In real life, most people do not get serendipitously relocated to France where they catch the eye of multiple gorgeous men while living in a desired neighborhood and having a seemingly unlimited closet. It’s a comfort to end the day watching someone live that out without some sort of horrifying twist or cruel ending. It is escapism in its truest form, allowing the viewers to enjoy something faithfully without the rug being pulled from under them. This does not mean that the show runners should ignore critics altogether and take no advice on how to improve their issues.
One of the most important issues to remedy is representation, and the efforts to do so are evident as the seasons progress. Likewise, we see more organic moments of the French characters only speaking French to each other, which makes the entire thing feel more true. All in all, the writers and cast have something special on their hands, but it doesn’t mean its full proof. So long as they stick to the formula that has engaged audiences while keeping the content fresh, the show is sure to continue to have a loyal fan base.