‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4 review: Good, bad and ugly

People watch “Emily in Paris” because they know what to expect.

It’s not a mind-boggling series that’s going to change your perspective on life. You watch it for a laugh or to judge main character Emily Cooper’s terrible life choices — it’s a guilty pleasure.

Maybe I was building it up in my head, the time between shows will do that, but “Emily in Paris” Season 4 Part 1 just doesn’t quite connect in the first two episodes. The cast lacks passion, but if you can stick it out through those first two episodes, if you’re anything like me, you might start enjoying it.

Here’s a look at the best and the worst of Season 4 Part 1.

Best: Emily’s style improves

The best thing to come out of this new season is that Emily’s outfits have drastically improved.

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Her looks are a bit more sophisticated while still being unique. It’s a testament to the fact that she’s becoming a bit more Parisian. And as a viewer, not all of her looks will make you cringe.

My favorite looks include a scene at Roland-Garros in which she wears a striped red and white suit with a matching hat. Her blue pantsuit and blouse combination in Episode 2 is classy and I enjoyed her purple striped button-down, tie and vest combination in Episode 3 ­— the mixing of patterns works very well.

She doesn’t stand out as much as she used to. When she does use color, it’s monochromatic, which tends to work a bit better. Lily Collins looks really great in stripes and simpler looks, which I’m glad they brought out this season.

Best: Luc continues to provide some much-needed humor

In a show that’s supposed to have some humor, Luc provides much-needed reprieves from the heavy plotlines of Season 4.

Some of my favorite moments come right at the beginning of the season when he is watching a TikTok video “exposing” Emily for messing with Camille’s family.

“Oh! Such a dynamic storyteller,” Luc says in French while watching the video.

In Episode 2 when he needs Emily’s help with an event and she has to go leave to find Camille, Emily asks Luc if he will be OK without her.

“No, not really,” Luc says. “But I would never want to stand in the way of a good sequel. Bonne chance.”

There is a point in Episode 3 where he is hanging bras outside his houseboat and Gabriel runs into him, the awkwardness is present and the way Luc’s eyes go wide as he hesitates makes the scene even more hilarious.

He provides comedic relief, and every time Bruno Gouery comes onto my screen I know I will be giggling along.

Worst: Camille’s storyline feels unnecessary

The first two episodes are dominated by the fact that Camille is missing.

At the end of Season 3, we see Camille walk away from her wedding and claim that Gabriel and Emily are still in love with each other. She is also pregnant with his baby and is in love with Sofia, so Camille has a lot going on.

To deal with her problems, she does the only logical thing and runs away.

Gabriel and Emily dedicate some time and effort to finding her but chalk it up to the fact that she’s probably just with Sofia. Except, of course, she’s not.

The whole plot of Camille running away seems unnecessary, although I did enjoy the scene of Emily and Camille fighting on row boats. Some much-needed tension was released. I just wish we didn’t waste almost two whole episodes getting there.

Worst: Too many side plots

Aside from Camille’s storyline, Mindy’s also seems to be a bit all over the place.

She and her band are selected for Eurovision, but need to find funding before the competition. Although she has a rich dad and a rich boyfriend, she struggles to gather money.

Mindy ends up selling a couture dress Nicolas gets her to appease his father, then we don’t hear much about her band through the rest of Part 1 besides seeing one performance where Mindy and Benoît share some longing looks. Mindy and Nicolas continue to go back and forth in their fights, and it makes me wonder if the show is using Ashley Park in the right ways this season.

She seems to be fading into the background or having random dinners with Emily. I’d like to see more of Mindy in Part 2, I hope she ditches Nicolas and shines on her own.

Worst … and Best? Sylvie acts out of character

A reporter from Le Monde reaches out to Sylvie about Louis de Léon who used to be her boss. The reporter, Noëlle Regnier, is writing about his “complicated” history with female subordinates.

Louis is the father of Mindy’s boyfriend, Nicolas, and the CEO of JVMA — a European conglomerate specializing in luxury goods.

Sylvie refuses to speak to the reporter, standing by her husband, Laurent G, as JVMA is investing in his club.

This was very out of character for Sylvie, as she has always been seen as this fiercely independent woman who doesn’t make sacrifices for anyone. I thought she would be the first person who would want to expose Louis, so the beginning of the season was a letdown.

At JVMA, women tell Mindy she needs to have a buddy when in the fashion closet because Louis is “really into picking out clothes for the women that work at JVMA.”

After Emily tells Sylvie, something clicks.

Although it takes some time for Sylvie to stand up for herself, I’m glad they got her there eventually, and I can understand why this character arc was needed.

Le Monde released an article in January 2023 sharing reports from a survey about how sexism is still deeply rooted in French society. For the show to touch on this topic was very necessary. I salute “Emily in Paris” for tackling it, even if getting there was a little clumsy.

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How many episodes are in Season 4 of ‘Emily in Paris’?

“Emily in Paris” Season 4 will be divided into two parts of five episodes each. Season 4 will have 10 episodes in total.

Where can I watch ‘Emily in Paris’?

“Emily in Paris” is a Netflix original. You can watch Season 4 and catch up on previous episodes through the platform.

The standard with ads plan costs $6.99 per month, the standard without ads costs $15.49 per month and the premium plan is $22.99 per month. Extra member slots can be added for $7.99 per month.

What time is ‘Emily in Paris’ released?

“Emily in Paris” Season 4 Part 1 will be out on Thursday, Aug. 15 at midnight PT and 3 a.m. ET. Part 2 will be released on Thursday, Sept. 12.

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Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter.