I binged on the Netflix original comedy-drama Emily in Paris: Season 2. I also binged on season 1. Why? Because I wanted to be in Paris again! I feel fortunate to say I’ve been in Paris five times. More than any other European city. And in Season 2, I recognized La Coupole, one of my favorite restaurants. I love the oysters they serve on an elevated silver tray on a bed of ice. That with champagne is heaven on earth.
In my opinion, season 2 is an improvement from Season 1. I didn’t like that it started off so slowly. Thirty minutes or less for an episode is short-changed. I was ready to storm off a letter. How dare they go to Paris and cheat me out of the sights!
So back to Emily. Lily Collins is finally making an effort to learn French, there’s some intriguing drama in the form of old friends becoming new villains, and Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) steals the show every time we see her on-screen. In season 1 she was nasty, now she’s actually human.
The show made an effort to take its initial criticisms in stride, unfortunately, it still has some shortcomings. There’s a drawn-out ménage à trois between Emily, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), and Camille (Camille Razat). Spoiler Alert: Emily has slept with her friend Camille’s boyfriend and he can’t seem to make up his mind where his affection lies. He’s getting less French by the minute and more like an American wishy-washy man, acting like a little girl, plucking at a daisy. She loves me, she loves me not. He’s become very unattractive in my eyes.
And the way Emily and the supposedly-destitute, freeloading best friend and roommate Mindy (Ashley Park) can afford such lavish wardrobes and maintain such a lavish lifestyle rather undermines some of its forward motion.
I read that actress Lily Collins and her fellow producers, as well as series creator Darren Star, are making a genuine effort to improve Emily in Paris with each season, as they listen to critiques and take steps to adjust and grow accordingly. They should hire me. I could give them a mouth full!
Many of the stereotypes rub the French and other Europeans the wrong way, namely those of Eastern European descent and nationalities.
Case in Point: Emily befriends Petra, a Ukrainian girl in French class who turns out to be a kleptomaniac.
Ukraine’s own culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, sent a letter to Netflix speaking out against the portrayal of Petra and how it poorly represents the Ukrainian people. Tkachenko wrote, “We have a caricature image of a Ukrainian woman that is unacceptable. It is insulting. Is that how Ukrainians are seen abroad?”
The French are portrayed as lax when it comes to their work ethic, and sexually promiscuous. Also, there is no air-conditioning. The latter is accurate. However, it’s hardly ever necessary.
There’s the depiction that sports are not part of the lifestyle. Not true. The French do sports and even go to gyms they just don’t talk about it and you won’t see them in athleisure wear all day long. Personally, I think it looks like you’re wearing your pajamas. I have neighbors that I have never seen in actual streetwear or clothes. That would never happen in France.
Now here’s a revelation. They depict Emily at a sauna embarrassed as can be wearing a
full-length bathrobe while all the French girls are topless. That’s inaccurate. They wear a towel in a sauna. Topless saunas are in Germany. I know when living there I went to one! I have no problem disrobing in front of other women but when I found out it was co-ed, I put on my swimsuit. The manager came to me and said, “My dear, I can see you are not from around here, but no fabric is allowed.” I was shocked no German had ever called me, “my dear.” I looked around the room. There were naked women and men. Some men were happier than others to see naked women of all sizes, all shapes, and all colors. So off I went, red-faced at seeing the mean's erections never to return until I found a ladies-only sauna. My friend Zari would join me and marvel at how much heat I could endure and remarked that I should visit Bombay.
My last comment is what took Emily so long to go to the Farmer’s Market? I go to one almost every Saturday. Whereas In Paris people go to them daily! Emily has a long way to go to get indoctrinated, but I still think she’s adorable her wardrobe is starting to improve, the show is a joy to watch and I can’t wait for Seasons 3 & 4.
By the way, the photo above is not Emily. Now listen to this:
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