I’m about to take a leaf out of Emily’s book and pretend to take credit for things that had absolutely nothing to do with me. In my review of Part 1, I said, “I hope, like so many of Emily’s campaigns, she manages to save it in some ridiculous manner at the last minute in Part 2.” On Geek Girl Riot, I also suggested that Emily in Paris needs a holiday special to fix the issues in Part 1. Voilà, madames et monsieurs, Netflix did as I said…well, sorta. You’re welcome.
In Part 2 of Season 4, Emily (Lily Collins) winds up spending the holidays in a picturesque town in the Alps with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo)…who’s there with Camille (Camille Razat) and her family. Emily’s idea of Christmas is straight out of a Hallmark movie, complete with ugly sweaters and cheesy wishes. You can imagine how the overwhelmingly stereotypical French characters receive this. Anyway, festive faux pas aside, Camille does what she can to mess things up for Emily. I gotta say, I can’t blame Camille for entering her Reputation era. Emily would be my villain origin story too.
It only takes one bad snow day to send Emily zigzagging back into being the peppy wild card we’re used to, throwing herself into both work and play. Between Gabriel, Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), and the charming Italian newcomer Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), how can Emily possibly choose? Especially when she gets whisked away to a gorgeous rendezvous in Rome that’s plucked straight out of a travel influencer’s TikTok. I must tip my hat to the showrunners for not only scoring four seasons in Paris but now getting a lovely vacay in Rome too. Kudos to them.
Back in the office, Emily also meets a younger version of herself in the new girl, Genevieve (Thalia Besson)…but she soon comes to realize she might just be the villain. Not Emily, of course, even though she has done all the same things that Genevieve is doing. No no, that would require some self-reflection on Emily’s part. The new girl is the villain…right?
With that said, the real reason I still watch Emily in Paris is for the rest of the Paris crew—and they make Part 2 glitter like a slightly off-kilter disco ball. Mindy (Ashley Park) is offered an opportunity to earn the rest of the money she needs for Eurovision—but she’s not sure if she can handle it, giving her one of the most entertaining storylines yet. Now that they’ve been reunited, Julien (Samuel Arnold) and Luc (Bruno Gouery) are inseparable, bouncing off each other with zeal and jokes galore. Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), meanwhile, is the star of the show. She’s got style, she’s got #BossBabe vibes, she’s got a whole damn parade of one-liners. Get it, girl!
If Season 4 Part 1 was a poor imitation of a 90s sitcom without the laugh track, Part 2 is an attempt at an early 00s rom-com, complete with makeover montages, groan-worthy innuendos, and ski trip mishaps. It comes off a little dated but it brings Emily in Paris back down to the delightfully unhinged series we all know and love to hate.
There’s not a whole lot of plot but the show is at its best when it fully embraces the fact it has nothing more to offer than outrageous outfits and unhinged daydreams (I think the show lost the plot ages ago, but I digress). You’ll be left giggling as situations go from bad to WTF within moments, while the characters play colorful caricatures of themselves. What can I say, Emily in Paris has a certain je ne sais quoi—I just don’t think anyone in this show knows quite what that means.
