Emily in Paris Season 2 Review: Lily Collins' show returns as a light entertainer and nothing more

Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris Cast: Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Camille Razat

Emily in Paris Creator: Darren Star 

Emily in Paris Stars: 2.5/5

After leaving audiences divided over its content for the first season, Emily in Paris returns for a second season and tries hard to salvage its mistakes from the first time around. The show starring Lily Collins in the lead as Emily Cooper went on to become a character who was received as painfully annoying by some while others raved about her fashion and unabashed American-ness. Set in Paris as the title suggests itself, the first season received major backlash for the stereotypical portrayal of the French lifestyle and while it was promised by the makers that the second season would salvage the past mistakes, does it really? 

Emily in Paris' first season ended on a cliffhanger as Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) finds herself in a tough spot as she ends up getting intimate with her Chef neighbour Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) who also happens to be her Parisian friend, Camille's (Camille Razat) boyfriend. The second season takes off from right where it was left off as Emily begins to deal with the aftermath of her decision that comes with a whole of guilt about being a bad friend. While Emily is busy trying to correct her wrongs, this time she also takes her French living seriously for the first time as she signs up for French language classes. 

In the new season, Emily also finds herself a roommate as her friend Mindy (Ashley Park), whom we met in the first season as the failed reality show singer from Shanghai who works as a nanny in Paris, moves in with her. After her breakthrough moment in the last season, a more confident Mindy is ready to take on the world as a singer. As for Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) who takes up the offer of perfume magnate Maison Lavaux's founder Antoine Lambert's (William Abadie) offer to invest in his restaurant in season one, running his own kitchen finally becomes a reality but he doesn't get to savour it much, what with his conflicted feelings that go back and forth between Emily and Camille. In a new addition, we meet London's most cynic banker, Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) who becomes Emily's acquaintance at her French class and while sparks don't fly at the first sight, there's a gradual progression which leads him to become the fourth corner as Emily's love triangle with Gabriel and Camille turns into a square. After love and friendship, Emily's left with a major career dilemma in the cliffhanger finale. 

Without giving away any spoilers about the details of what happens this season, I can only say that if the whole world revolved around Emily last season, this time there's the supporting characters who get their own storylines. Ashley Park seems to benefit most from it considering, she gets to do a lot more singing in this season and it's a delight hearing her voice. There's also more insights developed into the character of Emily's boss at Savoir, Sylvie Grateau (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) who may be perennially unimpressed with her American employee but that's because she's juggling a lot of balls in the air. Also, Kate Walsh's Madeline makes a return after her brief appearance in the first one but this time, she gets more screen time and more punchlines too. Walsh's Madeline also becomes the parameter that makes us realise, how Emily has in fact grown compared to the first season. 

Despite the criticism that was received by the show, many had called Emily in Paris' binge-able nature to be its selling point. One of the most favourable elements for the show on that front is its episode timing. A thirty-minute time investment for a show that follows a protagonist who wears high fashion clothes has a predictable love life and a job that has her overcome challenges with the silliest of ideas and strangers with a ready-to-help attitude, Emily's life comes across as a perfect watch for a viewer who doesn't take everything that pops up on the screen as a reality, or much less is thrilled by the idea that it's no less than a fantasy. Once you put your logic away, Emily in Paris can easily thrive as a show that is easy on the eyes. 

Having spent the past two years amid a pandemic that changed several things, Emily's Paris is the non-COVID-19 affected world where everything falls into place eventually seems like a good escape. I'm not quite sure if its deliberate but there's no experience here that seems authentic enough, thus making our belief stronger that Emily's life may not be so different from other fantasy characters except their challenges may be fighting off CGI villains and other elements but in this case, its merely dealing with the self-created mess. There's no point getting into the nitty-gritty of things but carving out cliches may just be the best thing this show is about. In the Emily Cooper world, the French enjoy life one sip of wine and a kiss at a time, the Americans are busy answering video calls on their Pelotons and the British hold nothing dearer than day drinking beer and watching football at the pub. Emily in Paris is the kind of show that can top the guilty pleasure lists because, despite all its issues, the show boasts of a capability to make you binge-watch it if you're inclined to indulge yourself in a rom-com genre show.

In terms of showrunner Darren Star's previous works, while there's a parallel that one can draw between Emily and his other famous show, Sex and the City's lead Carrie Bradshaw when it comes to living chaotic lives, there is a sense of depth that Emily in Paris completely misses on when it comes to their protagonist. In the case of both the shows though, it's undeniable that the appeal remains more about the on-the-surface things.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Lily Collins' honest relationship advice for her character's love life in Emily in Paris Season 2

Even as Lily Collins tries her best to present Emily as the vivacious, go-getter, not to her fault but it's the writing that holds her performance back. Ashley Park for me sparkles in the second season. From her singing performances to her emotional moments on the show, Park makes Mindy likeable and worth rooting for. As for the men, while Lucas Bravo continues to charm his way into our hears, Lucien Laviscount also makes an impact enough for netizens to ship for Alfie and Emily's romance. 

Basically, Emily in Paris' second season is not too big a step forward from the first but there's certainly fewer selfies and French cliches this time. For those looking for light entertainment and in a mood to drown themselves in an escapist reality of things, this show's a good fit for your tastes, expect anything more and you will find yourself disappointed.