24 ENTERTAINMENT
“Emily in Paris” hooks viewers with addicting plot line and romantic setting BY ROSALIE DEGENHART assistant editor “Emily in Paris,” a new Netflix original series, has all the components of a well-crafted TV show. It has romance, comedy, drama and worthwhile characters set in the extraordinary city of Paris. Emily Cooper, the show’s namesake, is the ultimate Heather. She has a successful job, moves to Paris for that job, wears the cutest and most unforgettable clothing, and meets the handsomest men in the city of love. She is bold, creative, and her love for her job makes you eager to see what she’ll accomplish next. Moving from Chicago to Paris, Emily’s job is to give an American perspective on how to promote the luxurious French marketing firm, Savoir, through social media; she is in charge of coming up with creative and modern ways to promote products. Her vivacity makes her likable to the friends she makes in Paris, Camille, Mindy, Gabriel and work friends Julien and Luc, but her boss at Savoir, Sylvie, is not a fan with Emily’s presence and doesn’t want her American input. Eventually, stubborn Sylvie learns to tolerate Emily as Emily’s social media strategies build up the success of Savoir. Through the span of ten episodes, Emily comes in contact with a variety of people. When she first arrives in Paris, she meets her neighbor named Gabriel, who lives on the floor below her apartment. Gabriel and Emily have obvious romantic tension when they first meet, and I shipped them immediately because they looked so cute together. Then, Emily meets
Mindy, a nanny who moved from China to escape her family’s predestined future. Mindy is brutally honest, but extremely funny, and acts as Emily’s moral compass and gives her advice on how to persevere through the new, intimidating French society and culture. Camille is Emily’s kindest, happiest and most loving friend and character in the entire show, and I couldn’t help but love
her. Emily and Camille are the ultimate dynamic duo, but something creates a silent drift between them that remains a central problem throughout the show. The personalities of the characters and their relationships with Emily are so entertaining they make you want to watch it all in one night, like I did, because it is addicting to see what unfolds in the relationships.
All of the characters in “Emily in Paris” are casted perfectly. Lily Collins plays Emily with sophistication, sass, and style. Her beauty and generosity off screen is shown in her role as Emily; casting Collins was the best choice, for her superb acting brought the show to life. Julien and Luc, played by Samuel Arnold and Bruno G, are quirky with their witty and comical qualities. Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu plays Sylvie with the exact amount of sternness and disagreeableness that keeps Emily’s job complicated. Lucas Bravo plays Gabriel with charm and sweetness, qualities that make Emily (and the viewers) fall for him more and more as the series progresses. Overall, all of the characters contribute a unique aspect to the show that keeps it interesting to the viewers. Though the character romances and drama kept me really hooked on the series, the luxury of the Paris life was intriguing. The charming cafes and fashionable clothing made me long for a European vacation during this pandemic. The show was modern with Emily’s job as a social media promoter, and she’s around such rich people that it’s almost too good to be true. I mean, her job is a dream; she works in Paris, eats delicious food at luxurious restaurants, meets the most handsome men, and posts on Instagram to make a living. Not to mention, she has an instagram account called “Emily in Paris” that goes viral. Her life is irresistible. This is a series that should be on everyone’s Netflix list. It has drama, romance, and comedy, everything needed for a balanced TV show.
