Paris is the city of love, so they say. And in Étoile Season 1, Episode 5 “The Rat,” we definitely get some good romantic content! Any longtime viewer of Amy Sherman-Palladino shows knows to be wary of her romances. They’re just as likely to be painful, pushy, or lacking chemistry as they are to be magical — and they will always, always be messy. But for this episode, the small, mundane moments offer a respite from the frenetic pace and imbue complicated relationships with some real warmth.
The Big Affair They Cannot Forget
As a romance girlie, I know the magic of long slowburns and will-they-won’t-they. I also know there’s another kind of magic in the warmth of two people who slide into a rhythm like they’ve been together for ages. Jack and Geneviève have that latter dynamic in Étoile Season 1, Episode 5 “The Rat,” as they go from exes back to lovers.
A lot of it is down to the playful, easy chemistry between Luke Kirby and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Their low-stakes bickering spills out from the back of a theater to the streets of New York, ending only when Geneviève spells out her intentions to an adorably surprised Jack. We rejoin them later in bed, with the sexiest of post-coital pillow talk: wondering what horrors Shamblee has in store for them next.
Jack is, once again, sweetly surprised when Geneviève makes no move to leave. And yet, when Geneviève asks if there’s a spare toothbrush for her, Jack matter-of-factly says he always keeps one on hand for her. It’s almost (but not quite) up there with “You paid attention? To you, always” and “You looked it up!” in the pantheon of mundane romantic declarations from the pen of Amy Sherman-Palladino. Jack gazes at Geneviève while they share some hand cream and watch trashy reality TV with old-married-couple energy. It’s really just a matter of who’s going to break whose heart first. More on that later…
Celebrate Good Times (Or Not)
In Étoile Season 1, Episode 5 “The Rat,” it’s Jack’s 45th birthday! And in a very Bridgerton-esque (the books, not the show) bit, he thinks he’ll die this year. Apparently, the men in his family tend to die at 45. Okay, sure. He’s also having a big, fancy party with lots of fancy rich people. He begs Geneviève to attend (for him), as well as Cheyenne (to schmooze said bigwigs). Lou de Laâge delivers Cheyenne’s rant about performing like a dolphin with pitch-perfect, all-in comic aplomb.
It is also Nutcracker season, and none of the dancers are excited. Except, of all people, Cheyenne. It turns out, she loves “the snow and the sparkles” and never gets to dance it in Paris. Not only will she dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, she will dance it all 57 performances. Gael, as her required partner, is not happy, to the point he begs Jack for help, who laughs him off.
She also does, in the end, show up to Jack’s party. He reminds her of his carefully-structured “glad-hand scale” to direct her to who she needs to speak to and how much she needs to talk to each of them. It’s hilarious, blunt, and way too accurate for anyone who’s spent any time working in the arts or any other donor-reliant field. Meanwhile, Nicholas holds court with the increasingly-tipsy ballet crew, telling increasingly-wild stories about the old days.
Jack doesn’t seem to be having a great time, until Geneviève shows up! She rushed through her conference and flew back just in time to be at the party. Her presence is the one thing that seems to make Jack actually smile. That, and the surprise video from his teen sons, who are far away at some prestigious boarding school their mother chose. Jack’s mother blithely says she feels bad for parents who see their kids every day. “Then you can’t notice how much they’ve grown!” More answers as to why Jack is a lonely, neurotic mess!
Later, Jack and Geneviève sneak off to the roof to share a smoke and a softer conversation. And… yep, Jack is definitely getting his heart a little broken. In a rare moment of vulnerability, he asks Geneviève what she would think about taking their “thing” to the next level. She’s caught off guard, leaving an embarrassed Jack to desperately try to change the subject. It seems they’ve been on this path for a while – seeing each other only a few times a year, usually in other relationships (and wow, is that some fertile material for flashbacks if the show gets the chance). “Goddammit, now it’s in my head!” she exclaims. They start laughing together, and, yeah, I can see it.
Everyone In Paris Is (Going) Mad
Over in Paris, Gabin is slowly losing it in Étoile Season 1, Episode 5 “The Rat.” Back from suspension, he’s greeted in class by a smug Matthieu. Class goes badly, as he lets out his anger in increasingly out-of-step dancing. He also lashes out when he sees Tobias talking to Matthieu (not that Tobias even remembers who Matthieu is).
Mishi isn’t faring much better – she has another role, which the other dancers openly gossip is just because of her family. Then, she keeps getting locked out of Bruna’s apartment, especially when Bruna’s “Monday night man” comes over. She calls Geneviève for help, only for Bruna to snap at her for tattling. Ultimately, though, Bruna relents, taking Mishi with her on errands and gruffly introducing “the girl” to everyone. Their misfit relationship is one of the best parts of this show. Fishing in the Seine with a bunch of other old grumps, they meet an old man who has “a boy” – who very sweetly locks eyes with Mishi.
Tobias, meanwhile, can’t sleep or go home. His apartment has a rat infestation. Or, to be more specific, one rat, “rustling, scratching, watching, waiting.” Ultimately, Gabin plays the hero, coming over to get rid of the rat. Tobias is stunned – no one has ever done something so nice for him!
Curtain Call
- “If I’m going to kill you, I’m not going to sleep through it!” Geneviève sleepwalks, Jack knows, and I cannot stop laughing.
- Smoking is bad, etc., etc. But there’s something so symbolically sexy about Geneviève lighting Jack’s cigarette with her own.
- In Geneviève’s absence, Raphaël is running a reign of terror. Poor Lucien is stuck un-stapling everything to paperclip it instead. Raphaël and Gabin’s bitchy snark-off is delightful, though.
- Kelly Bishop is back, delivering a monologue about all the gruesome ways Fish men have died, then tipsily singing at the piano and dancing with Gael.
- “I’d say you know very well how to get yourself out of something.” I remain more convinced by the episode that there is something brutally personal behind Jack’s absolute hatred for Gael. Gael is such a cipher, though, that he feels mostly defined by what others think of him.
- Shamblee also turns up at the party, battered and “in disguise” in sweats. He claims to have just been attacked and kidnapped. He’s also looking for Cheyenne to “discuss” some things with her after her outburst…
- Cheyenne’s latest “mentorship” takes the form of sharing a story about how she once demanded to redo an audition that she didn’t dance to her own personal standards. SuSu does the same in her audition to dance Clara. It does work, but Nicholas gently reminds her to be supportive of the other dancers, too.
- Sooo… which Palladino-verse actress will show up in a future season as Jack’s ex-wife?
What did you think of Étoile Season 1, Episode 5 “The Rat”? Share your thoughts in the comments!
