Emily is back at trying to fix the world with one terrible decision after another. The American influencer in Paris continues to struggle with friendship and love in ‘Emily In Paris’ Season 2. While the first season received its share of criticism for showing Parisians as snobbish and lazy, in season 2, Emily has somewhat learnt the Parisian way. However, some things remain the same, such as her workaholic nature and her struggle with the language. While the co-workers of Emily have accepted her, the French employees are shown to continue with their general rejection of the American lifestyle. ‘Emily In Paris’ Season 2 also explores the life of Emily’s first friend in Paris, Mindy, but at the same time, it fails to add layers to most other characters, such as Camille and Gabriel.
The American in Paris story started with Emily joining a French marketing firm to bring in an American perspective after an American firm took over the French one. While her co-workers rejected her, Emily found comfort in Mindy, the wealthy Chinese who fled the country after an embarrassing performance in a reality show. Along with it, a friendship between Gabriel, a French chef, and Emily grew as they lived in the same building. Things got complicated when Emily spent a night with Gabriel knowing he would leave the city to start a restaurant in Normandy. As it turned out, Gabriel continued to live in Paris as he found an investor; this left Emily in a regrettable situation knowing Gabriel was her friend, Camille’s boyfriend/ex-boyfriend.
‘Emily In Paris’ Season 2 picks up from where the first season left with Emily deciding to fix the problem she created. Emily continues to be a character straight out of a 90s American rom-com, always tiringly happy and basing life choices according to her morale meter. While every other person advises her to live life the Parisian way and make a few mistakes in the foreign country, Emily continues to look at the world in black and white. Her idea of fixing problems results in a lot more trouble and complications.
As a way to ‘do the right thing’, Emily decides to stop seeing Gabriel and thinks of ways to bring the ex-lovers back together. She does everything she can to keep the night a secret from Camille and suffers from tremendous guilt. What is funny is how Emily covers her tracks not to disclose her romance with the chef but forgets to hide a critical element that Camille talked about numerous times. The pan that Gabriel gifted Emily as a goodbye present had his initials inscribed on it. It was also something he could not do without in his kitchen. The fact that it was at Emily’s place triggered the suspicion. The drama begins as the secret is revealed.
The first season was full of clichés, with the French chef, the snobbish French professor and the heir to a fashion empire as Emily’s romantic interests. In ‘Emily In Paris’ Season 2, we see a lot less of that, though it is difficult to decipher how a woman who can afford fashionable clothing each day continues to live in a cramped-up space with no air conditioner.
Emily always had the right marketing strategy for each client and continues to do so in this season as well. Still, the other employees, especially Julian’s interest in excelling and saving the day, is newly added. Luc is humorous to watch, specifically when he discloses Sylvie’s coded message in the form of the food she brings to the office. The first few episodes might make you question every questionable decision Emily makes, but by the end of it, you will eventually get used to it. What continues to be disturbing about the character is the way she tries to not just take decisions for herself but also the others, not even considering their emotions and interests.
Lily Collins, as Emily is always fun to watch, she manages to keep the interest going. From absolute dislike to sharing advice, the steady growth of Sylvie and Emily’s relationship is admirable. In this season, we also manage to see Sylvie beyond the office hours and parties. Mindy is another character whose growth is incredible to watch. From the nanny to a singer, Mindy tries to make her dreams come true in Paris though the past continues to make it difficult. The love triangle between Emily, Gabriel and Camille is not dealt with maturely. We never get to understand what Gabriel felt or was going through. Camille is simply reduced to a vengeful ex-lover. This season also introduced Alfie, a British banker whom Emily met at her French class.
At times funny, ‘Emily In Paris’ Season 2 somehow fails to get the emotions right, making it difficult to immerse in Emily’s life in Paris completely. If you are someone who enjoys a feel-good watch where reality is far-fetched, then this series might be the right one to set your holiday mood.
Emily in Paris is a Romantic Dramedy Television Series created by Darren Star. Season 2 is streaming on Netflix.
