We’re midway through this first drop of Emily in Paris episodes and I feel really confident walking away from this episode being mad. Now, before you judge me for that, being mad over a show isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it is a good thing. This time it is. It means that I am invested.
And I am really invested.
Lets speak freely – we know that Emily in Paris is sometimes over the top, but that’s the joy of the show. Being over the top has made us all fall in love with these characters. Being over the top has made me feel emotions for the show and I am good with that. I love that I love this show so much that I am walking away feeling feels.
We’ll get to why I am mad, because hey, that’s what happens when you’re reviewing. You get there. And if you read our Emily in Paris reviews, you know that I write A LOT for a thirty minute episode. Sorry, not sorry.
We’re hitting episode three and we open with Emily going for a run. Makes me remember the first episode – like of season one – and I feel like maybe it’s a sign that we’re in for a new beginning. Maybe, just maybe, this show is resetting itself and Emily is going to be living a different life. She sees that Paris is full of hot men and possibilities.
And I love that.
I know that I am supposed to be invested in Emily and Gabriel, and there have been times where I have been. But I just am not anymore. I am not sure that I can get past all of the drama of Gabriels life and the fact that I feel like he has a sense of entitlement. I am invested in Emily and Alfie, but also with that, I am like he needs time, so live your life Emily.
Gabriel needs a shower and goes to Emily and Mindys apartment to ask to use the shower. Mindy doesn’t tell Emily that he’s there and so, when Emily gets home, she finds herself pouring her heart out to Mindy about her run. She doesn’t know that Gabriel is in the shower and he doesn’t make it known until she says that she’s not with Alfie.
This is the moment where I start getting mad. Why? Because once again for Gabriel, it’s about Gabriel. He only makes it known that he’s there when it’s convenient for him. He justifies his living situation, when it’s convenient for him. Gabriel really doesn’t think and it’s just like dude, get over yourself. He feels very selfish this season and I hate it.
It’s when Emily sees Alfie at work and he questions why a masquerade ball works for the launch of Heartbreak (the perfume) that I know that this episode is going to be more about Emily’s relationships. Alfie’s questioning Emily, in my opinion, because he wants to show he’s over her. But he’s not. We all know that he’s not.
However, for the first time I can tell what Emily’s feeling. When he questions Emily, she’s able to respond that a masquerade ball fits the bill because you’re able to be something that you are not. And hey, I loved when she said that it was a place for people to be someone who isn’t heartbroken.
We all need that in our lives. That escape.
CAMILE COMES TO THE OFFICE
When the meeting with Antoine and Alfie is over, Alfie is leaving. It’s his first time seeing Camile since everything happened. If we’re being honest, I was expecting a trade of barbs, but both of them are just filled with forgiveness.
Alfie expresses his insecurities around Gabriel and Emily. You can see the joy in his eyes when Camile reminds him that they’ve had all this time to be together, but they haven’t been.
If you ever needed that reassurance that we’re about to hit an episode where the love triangle comes into play, we’re at that moment. Yes, I firmly believe that to be our reality. I may not like this moment, because I don’t think Emily is in a headspace to be making choices about her life.
However, knowing Emily, that doesn’t matter. She’s going to follow her heart or mind or whatever. It’s just going to piss me off because her decisions are never smart when she’s not thinking them through.
THAT STUPID STAR
Now, Gabriel is all about getting that Michelin star. I’ve known enough chefs in my life to know and understand why that is a really big deal. It’s just that the silence of it all should remain paramount and so I don’t like the whole idea that he knows that an inspector has been at the restaurant.
When he’s walking and runs into Luc, who apparently lives on a houseboat, and stops to thank him – I had to laugh. I love so much that Luc would be the one to live on a houseboat. I love that he’s just unapologetically himself.
It’s when Gabriel brings up the star and we see that Marianne is there, I knew that something was going to happen. You see, Luc and Marianne are very dramatic. She says she can’t be with him. I say good riddens, but that lucky we aren’t.
One thing that I do love about Gabriel is his work ethic. He has a strong one. I feel like that is one thing that I can admire about him, but I also see how it gets in the way.
He was invited to the ball and sees Emily on her way out. He tries to talk about feelings and she tells him that the only way that she thinks that they would work out is if they were different people.
Lord this man is going to take that as an invitation.
THE BALL
Alfie decides that he’s going to try with Emily and tell her his feelings. I am applauding this. I think that his insecurities keep getting the best of him and I think it hinders him. I also think that it is what makes me realize he loves her so much.
Gabriel also shows up and pretends to be someone else. It makes sense since she said that she thought that they would only work if they were different people. So he decides to show up and thinks that role play is the answer.
Those two don’t get it.
What I had to laugh at – sadly – was that when Alfie gets the courage to convey his feelings, he kisses the wrong girl. The lady from Baccarat was wearing the same outfit as Emily. He seems to just leave then and that’s kinda frustrating.
For me, what was most special about the ball was Julien and Sylvie making up. They are family and family is so important. He just wanted to know he was loved and taken care of. She just wanted loyalty. But I think that she knows that she’ll always have that from Julien.
As with most things, it’s complicated.
MAKING CHOICES
You have to love Mindy, because she makes she to be honest, no matter what. She has every reason to keep her mouth shut but it’s her honesty that makes her a good friend.
When she arrives at the ball, Emily and her are outside, talking. When Emily tells her that the ball is bringing out true feelings, Mindy tells her to make a choice, but not overthink it.
Emily not overthinking something isn’t going to lead to a great place. The thing is, we need Emily to overthink things. It’s her overthinking things that is part of her personality and part of her charm. It saves her from making wrong choices (yes, I know she still does a lot of the wrong choice thing).
And she definitely makes the wrong choice and chooses Gabriel. I know that the show wants us to invest in Gabriel and Emily, but for me that ship has sailed. I can’t condone it. I don’t think that these two are forever. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Right now, but he’s not forever.
If he was forever he would have made the choice to be with her a long time ago and been honest about it. Instead, he made tried to have his cake and eat it too.
MISTAKES
When Mindy left the ball, because Nicolas needed her, I didn’t think twice. I thought that it would be a great moment to see the two together.
And it was.
Nicolas believes that the article about his Dad and what Sylvie has accused him of his lies. He’s distraught and he needs Mindy, which I thought was a lot to put on her. Also not fair.
Mindy tells him that she will be there for him and by his side as long as he’s on the side of whats right. I do think for Nicolas that’s going to be a hard thing to figure out, because it’s family. Also, what people consider right varies from person to person. I don’t think that this will be easy for her.
I also don’t think that Emily is realizing the mistakes she’s making by opening the door to Gabriel. The past should stay the past for a reason.
SYLVIE CONFRONTS THE PAST
As the ball is coming to a close, we see what choices that Sylvie has made. Confronting your past isn’t easy – especially when you feel ashamed of the past. I do believe that Sylvie does feel ashamed and she shouldn’t. She is amazing, strong, loyal, and vulnerable.
Lets be honest – we have all known that the de Leon dude has invested in Laurent’s club, because he hoped that it would keep Sylvie quiet. Her knowing that it is still happening made her want to make sure it stops. It’s as if she finally realized that she didn’t do anything wrong and that being sexually harassed isn’t okay on any level.
It’s as if for a moment, Sylvie lets her guard down to allow herself to heal and to protect others. Her participating in the story on Louis de Leon was something that she needed to do for herself. She sends the article to her husband and asks his forgiveness.
When the article comes out and everyone is looking at her, she deals with it. She holds her head up high, and personally, I applauded her. I stood up and applauded her.
Sylvie is a shero.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Who was f**ing in the carriage?
- Antoine getting sprayed in the face taking pics with the influencers… well, I kinda loved that cause he deserves to suffer.
- The masquerade ball looks fun.
The first five episodes of Emily in Paris, season four are airing now on Netflix.
