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Emily in Paris

I knew right away that Emily in Paris was the kind of show that was going to make me … angry.

It’s partially due to the way our main character, Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), barges into France with no knowledge of French. It’s also the way she writes captions fawning over immaculate Parisian views that are completely blocked by her own head. It’s also because of the uncalled-for Episode 1 diss on deep dish pizza (seriously, what gives)?! Yet I continue to keep watching obsessively, yelling at my TV as my roommate’s cat looks completely embarrassed for me.

And watch I did. Before I knew it, I’d watched eight straight episodes (I watched the first two episodes the day before and needed some time to cool off and process before continuing) of Netflix Original comedy-drama series Emily in Paris. That’s 223 straight minutes immersed in Emily’s world that I’ll never get back, and yet I don’t regret watching it at all. In fact, you can be sure I’ll be the first in line to angrily tune in for the show’s second season, if and when it comes out.

Lily Collins and Lucas Bravo in Emily in Paris — Photo: Netflix

I think that a lot of my anger stems from confusion and frustration revolving around Emily, just as a character (beware, spoilers and ranting ahead). Sweet Chicago gal Emily Cooper preaches kindness and professionalism, and yet by the end of the 10-episode season she’s hooking up with her nice and friendly new French friend Camille’s boyfriend, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and SEVENTEEN YEAR-OLD brother, and her own older client.

Emily doesn’t speak French before moving to Paris. Why? Well, in the context of the show, she didn’t expect to get the job and therefore she didn’t have time to prepare. I can buy that. But then how did she get the promotion in the first place? She seems kind of green in her marketing experience, although evidently she makes up for her inexperience with sheer enthusiasm, Midwestern charm, and having a Masters in Communications.

She’s somehow an “influencer” with only 20,000 followers (for context, an Instagram account called DILFs of Disneyland has 419k followers, and Disneyland isn’t even OPEN right now!!). Worst of all… SHE SENT BACK A NICE FRENCH MEAL THAT SHE ORDERED AND DIDN’T EVEN TRY IT FIRST! I don’t care how into her Gabriel is, if he was a true French chef I feel like he would have cut things off right then and there and never talked to her again.

Here are the things I know for sure about Emily’s personality after watching the first season of the show:

She is nice (or at least, she thinks she is).
Men hit on her often, and these men all kinda look the same (brown hair and blue eyes, literally for all of them. Is this just the look of the Standard Man in Paris?).
She has a Masters in Communications.
She likes jogging and social media.
One time she wore a bucket hat and had the audacity to get indignant that someone referred to her as “Bucket Hat” (if you wear a bucket hat in public, this becomes your personality and defining feature. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules, but this is an incontrovertible truth).

Lily Collins and Samuel Arnold in Emily in Paris — Photo: Netflix

But hey, it’s not just Emily who grinds my gears, okay? Every character is a bit vexing in their own way. Make no mistake, her French chef neighbor, Gabriel, is extremely good looking, but he also kind of gaslights Emily by flirting with her even though he has a girlfriend who honestly seems pretty perfect and supportive, and then once Emily finds out he has a girlfriend, he continues to overtly flirt with her (often with his girlfriend RIGHT! FRICKING! THERE!) while claiming it’s innocent or just her overreacting.

And then there’s Emily new bestie, Mindy (Ashley Park), who at first I was totally rooting for: She’s a young woman who didn’t want to succumb to the weight of her family’s expectations — to take over her father, the “Zipper King of China’s” family business — and instead is making her own way working as a nanny for a year in order to achieve her dream of living in Paris. But the more we learn about Mindy, the more I, at least, couldn’t help but wonder what she was running from in the first place? Her parents seem to love her a lot and are offering her a home and steady gig, and her friends back in China care enough about her to come all the way to Paris to visit her and make her face her past trauma revolving around singing in public. They’re good friends and yet Mindy hasn’t talked about them ONCE. Not cool, man!

Also every character makes sexual jokes and innuendos, like way too many, and every single episode. They really hit you over the head them.

I mean, really.

But listen, I wouldn’t have watched the whole show if it wasn’t compelling and if there weren’t things to like, too. I mean, how could you not love or be wooed by the stunning views of Paris and the mouth-watering shots of various French foods and pastries?! (Watch this show and try not to crave a croissant, I dare you.) The fashion is, for the most part, extremely chic and eye-catching, especially the bevy of adorable coats in Emily’s wardrobe.

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Also, there’s something extremely comforting and nostalgic about watching this show, as it transports us to a past, or even alternate reality, without COVID-19, where we could be in crowds and travel and meet new people or spend quality time with friends safely and without fear, and also where the bright color palette practically forcibly injects serotonin into our brains. Even though the show and its characters can work you up, it’s nice to take a break from our world and step into their own, and I think that’s what kept pulling me in. When I felt mad at the characters, I was invested in their lives and choices, I wanted to see why they said or did what they did and how it would play out. I couldn’t stop watching until it was over and even then, I was immediately ready for more.

So bring it on, Emily in Paris. I’m ready for Season 2, I’m ready for Emily, Gabriel, Mindy, Julien (Samuel Arnold) and the multitude of brown-haired blue-eyed background men to make me mad, and you can bet your beret that I’ll be binging the whole thing straight through.

Watch Emily in Paris on Netflix