It’s been a week since the first half of season four of Emily in Paris dropped. How many times have you rewatched it? Well, I am not ashamed to say that I have rewatched it quite a few times, mostly because I think that it is the best season yet. There are so many questions that I have because of things that were left open with the first half of the season.
It’s just had to ask those questions, because there is one thing that I have learned watching this show – the writers always have a plan. That plan may be all over the place and make me feel like they’ve lost sight, but it is their plan.
If you’ve read the reviews from the first half of the season, you know that I am a baby and have personally taken offense to the fact that she’s with Gabriel right now. Emily deserves better and honestly, Gabriel is being completely selfish.
Sitting down to speak with Executive Producer & Director Andy Fleming, I was trying to be kind when I wanted to ask why they made that choice. It was after talking to Fleming, that I realized that it wasn’t fan service. It was a chance to see what the relationship would be like (that’s my takeaway).
Fleming has directed some epic episodes – including this season masquerade ball. We talked all about this season and fanservice.
Erin: I didn’t expect that it would start the way that it did so quickly after the wedding, and I was wondering– I feel like there wasn’t a character in the show that hasn’t been changed, and it really comes across in the first episode. Knowing how much fans love Emily in Paris, how does fan service play into character growth, shipping, storylines, et cetera.? Does what fans want play into how you decide to shoot or produce an episode?
Andy: We do discuss fans, but I think it’s for Darren, and I know for me, it’s like let’s please ourselves. Let’s excite ourselves. Let’s tell a story we would want to watch, cognizant of what the world– I think if you’re trying to do things for other people, it’s not going to turn out well. I think you really have to take risks and make it interesting for yourself if you’re a writer, a director, an actor. You have to listen to your voice. Sorry. What was the first part of your question?
Erin: Honestly, I think you did a great job with it, the first five episodes of the season.
Andy: Oh, good. Yes, no, we’re very happy. I know I am. I think Netflix is very happy. I think it’s one of the strongest seasons. I think it’s my favorite season. I really do.
Erin: I’m going to be very honest. I’m obsessed with the show. I look forward to it. It’s like must-binge television for me. I absolutely loved it. I actually was watching Lily Collins on GMA this morning, and she said something along the lines of that romance in Emily in Paris isn’t like a love triangle, that it’s an ever-changing shape. You never know if it’s going to be a square or a hexagon or what it is. I’m curious how you would describe the romance on the show?
Andy: I know that in my life there have been points where my personal life, my love life, has been so complicated that it takes about an hour to explain what’s going on. The most perverse soap opera, it’s settled down nicely now. My personal life is very quiet. Her life is complicated. I don’t even think love triangle — yes, it’s not a love triangle. It’s way more nuanced than that. It’s taking place on different dimensions all the time.
I will say it only gets more complicated this year. Then when you think it’s sort of resolved, it complicates itself again. I will say, without saying too much, the way it ends up at the end of episode 10 — we were just talking about this. Something happens and it’s like it makes me get weepy. It’s so romantic and it’s so interesting and very different from any other episode of this show, this season, or any other. It ends up in a very interesting place.
Erin: I couldn’t be any more anxious for the second half of the season and that just made me want it even more.
Andy: I really liked the first five episodes. The last half, the last five are really, really good.
Erin: I can’t wait. I would argue though that Emily in Paris is not only a romance, it’s a coming-of-age story for so many of the characters, no matter what their age. Romance plays the second part. Though I will say, side note, I am waiting for Julian to have a love interest. I need that to happen. It’s so important to me. This season we get to see a lot of changes to all the characters, their working positions.
Not only that, like their personal selves and a lot of secrets are coming out. I think that’s a testament to how good the show is that people can define it in so many different ways. Why do you think that Emily in Paris resonates with viewers? Why do you think for fans it’s such a binge-worthy show?
Andy: I think it’s a couple different things. I think we all can relate to this idea of wanting to pick up and move to a different place and start a new life in a place where you’ve dreamed of living. There’s that. It all comes back to you, how can you make a life happen? I think I love the character of Emily because she’s endlessly resourceful at work and she’s unafraid. I love her because she makes a lot of mistakes in her personal life and she learns from them. I think those things. I think it’s also a visceral thing too.
Paris is a beautiful city, but we really have from the beginning tried to treat this not like a half-hour comedy, but a movie and to give it visual set pieces. What she wears matter, but where are we? There are montages, there are musical numbers, there are big, wide, beautiful shots of Paris. It’s constantly changing visually. It isn’t just this monotonous thing where people talking to each other, there’s this scope to it.
I think that’s a big part of it. I think we just really lucked out and got this cast who everybody’s distinct and everybody has their own voice and you’re invested in everybody. You like them and you want to hang out with them. I will say I was hanging out with the entire cast last night. We had a little dinner before– today’s the premiere. They’re great people to hang out with. Do you know what I mean?
Erin: Yes.
Andy: I love hanging out with them. We’re like a family at this point, but I’m so not tired of them. I could hang out with any and all of them anytime. We really lucked out in that sense and they all enjoy each other too. We enjoy making the show because we really do enjoy making the show. I feel like that comes across. That there’s like a joy in it. As you watch things sometimes and everybody’s so sad and angry, that kind of material is not for me. I’ve done a couple of horror movies and I don’t want to do that anymore. I like fun.
Erin: In the first episode, though I’ve seen the season three times, I’ve watched the first episode seven times. The reason for that is because I cried and Emily in Paris has never made me cry before. The first episode made me cry so much that I was–
Andy: We really want to know which parts made you cry or which part?
Erin: Honestly, the part that made me cry the most was when she put the ice on his face at the boxing ring. It made me cry because Lucien, the way that he can base his heartbreak is completely through his mannerisms and physicality. The reason I’ve gone back and watched it so much is because I feel like every single person conveys whatever heartbreak they’re going through their mannerisms and physicality, except for Emily. Emily, I have no idea how she feels. I don’t know if she’s in love with people or she’s cleaning up her mess or if she’s just trying to do what is right.
I love that so much. I thought maybe I’m just missing that from her this season. I’d go back and rewatch it and rewatch it. Was it intentional for you in making that episode to show things more through physicality than dialogue and to confuse people so that they don’t know what’s going to happen? Because once you think you know what’s going to happen, you have no idea.
Andy: I don’t think we’re trying to confuse anybody with Emily. I think she’s confused. She’s ambivalent. She cares for Gabriel. She cares for Alfie. Yes, she’s confused. Lucien is just a great actor. He’s an amazing actor and he was really good in that scene. Yes, I don’t know. I feel like Lily is good. She’s really good because she can tell you what’s going on emotionally, but there’s a little bit of mystery and you always want to know more.
She doesn’t reveal everything. Without getting too self-aggrandizing, that’s star quality. It’s not giving everything away, but she has that. I think Lucien is an open book as an actor. You know everything he’s feeling. Lily’s a little more mysterious.
Erin: My last question, and sorry to be blunt, but I walked away from the first five episodes both loving it, but my overall emotion was I was angry.
Andy: Really?
Erin: Yes. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but in one word, how do you hope that viewers walk away from these five episodes?
Andy: Well, wanting more. [laughter] I think if you’ve watched the five episodes, that you’ll be invested in the last five. I think there’s more resolution in the last five. There’s more in the last five, but I think the first five are great. The cliffhanger at the end of five is not as big as a cliffhanger would be at the end of a season. It was sort of like things are complicated and they’re going to keep moving forward. The cliffhanger at the end of 10 is bigger, I think.
Erin: It wasn’t even the cliffhanger that made me angry. It’s that I feel I have so many unresolved emotions with who she chooses and who she doesn’t that I just felt so confused that I was angry. That wasn’t like a bad thing because I did want more. You accomplished your job.
Andy: You’re invested. I really think that’s the point. Honestly, I think all of us were more emotionally invested this season. It’s a weird real-world reason is because we’ve done the previous three seasons back to back. Then there was a strike and we all sat on our hands for a year. When we went back to four, everybody was so ready. The French crew, the American actors, the writers, Darren, I was so ready to do this season. I think there’s just more engagement. I think it’s a more emotional season and more stuff happens. As I say, I think it’s my favorite season.
The first half of season four of Emily in Paris is streaming now on Netflix.
