Life is good, all is well in this modern-day fantasy

The fans of ‘Emily in Paris’, who have been glued to the show ever since it dropped in 2020, know too well — the more things change, the more they remain the same. Thus, you can’t possibly expect dramatic, earth-shaking shifts in its fourth season. Like Netflix’s many popular shows, Season 4 drops in two parts, and for the rest, you will have to wait until September 12.

Will the wait be worth it? Like all seasons, this one too is about all things beautiful and taps into our aspirational quotient, ‘To chic things up’. If you care for an upgrade on the finer things of life and an escape from reality, tune in to this show that thrives on high fashion, gourmet delicacies and breath-taking locales (cinematographer Seamus Tierney adds another layer of beauty). And if food be the love of life, after all one of its male leads runs a restaurant, Emily’s love life remains Season 4’s point of dramatic interest.

Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) or Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), who gets the last kiss? Two triangles play out simultaneously and Gabriel is in the centre of both. The woman who left him at the altar in the previous season, Camille, is expecting his baby, but more complications are in store. For, Camille won’t let go of her girlfriend and Gabriel too. Probably, she is the only ‘vamp’ here and the twist(s) concerning her are on expected lines. However, but for her and a ‘MeToo’ plot point, despite the trailer’s tantalising promise of Emily (the ever ebullient Lily Collins) entering into a grey zone, there are no grey shades in the series. Nothing, not even the presence of a predator billionaire, is remotely menacing. All is well and ends well, so far. The rough edges around Julian (he quits the company) and Luc’s girlfriend, the Michelin star inspector, who pulls a fast one, are smoothened out with the fluffy touch that the show is (in)famous for. All is forgotten and forgiven in this fairyland.

We all know ‘Emily in Paris’ is a modern-day fantasy. Of every girl, most certainly. Here, not only is the American Emily being wooed by two handsome and eligible French men, but her roomie Mindy (Ashley Park), too, is romancing an heir to a business throne. Age is just a number, and the gorgeous Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) proves again how sexy and snazzy has no shelf-life. Her estranged husband has returned and love is back in the air. So are the whiffs of fragrance. William Abadie as Antoine, the per-fumier nursing the setback of a divorce, has his eyes on her.

Like all feel-good shows, ‘Emily in Paris’ exults in the lightness of touch and a dash of humour. Indeed, like Emmy-winning ‘Schitt’s Creek’, the writing is not half as smart, emotional depth not quite seismic, but the show still has its moments of delight.

Will Emily’s romantic tour and detours finally find a destination? The teaser for the second part promises yet another handsome man’s entry, a ‘Roman Holiday’ in the offing. Who is he? Savoir (to know in French) after all is the end of savouring.

Among other things, the show gets our recommendation for its French. Not impeccable, perhaps, yet the uninitiated like Emily could certainly snatch a few expressions here and there. In a series where its ensemble cast just wants to have fun, that’s exactly what it wants you to have.

‘None of it is perfect but all of it is beautiful’ — the show says it for us in a bizarre scene. But who said ludicrousness doesn’t have a charm of its own. Only, ‘don’t overthink it’. Life is good, at least while you are watching this rocking ensemble. If you are fed up of blood-fests, this festival of life in the City of Love won’t hurt your senses at all.