Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 review: Rome might change, but Emily stays the same

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2, starring Lily Collins in the lead role, offers picture-perfect views, but the storyline feels overdone.

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 review

Emily in Paris Season 4

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 story:

Our beloved American in Paris is on a trip to Rome in Season 4 of Emily in Paris, so it's high time that Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) updates her language-learning app. Part 2 of Emily's season includes a journey to the Alps, where she dons Audrey Hepburn's Charade ski costume, adding to her collection of tributes to the diva. Viewers will be able to see incredible new places through Emily's eyes as she juggles a hectic travel itinerary, taking them from the French Alps to the piazzas of Rome. In addition to a whole new language to learn, you can anticipate new characters, increased drama, and romance.

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 review:

Remember the final season of Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) runs away to Paris to lead a new life, leaving everything behind in New York? In the remaining five episodes of Emily in Paris Season 4, creator Darren Star follows a similar path for Emily Cooper (Lily Collins). The lead actor unknowingly travels to Rome from Paris to start anew, but this time for a man. Unfortunately, after a breakup amid the beautiful Alps during Christmas time, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) remains in the picture.

ALSO READ: Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 1 review: More of the same in a chic package

The mid-season four finale revealed Camille's (Camille Razat) false pregnancy, making it inevitable. Firstly, the intertwining of these three characters (Emily, Gabriel, and Camille) will persist regardless of the circumstances. On the other hand, viewers will encounter new catalysts that will bring predictable twists to their lives, ultimately leading to the conclusion that Emily and Gabriel are soulmates and will end up together.

While this repetitive storyline unfolds, the second part introduces two new characters, providing a fresh perspective on the existing love triangle. Firstly, there is Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), who is an unfiltered, self-assured Roman who appreciates the beauty of simplicity. In keeping with the tradition of his family's business, he is substantial without being showy.

Genevieve (Thalia Besson), the daughter of Laurent (Arnaud Binard) from a previous relationship, is a twenty-something who has just relocated to Paris to begin her professional life. Her enthusiastic and charismatic personality wins over Emily, who is overjoyed to have an American expat to mentor. However, Emily ends up discovering that her personal and professional lives are complicated as a result of their parallels.

Over the past four seasons, I've come to the realisation that Emily in Paris has the most straightforward storyline, and the complications it introduces are jarring and unappealing, particularly for viewers who watch it for a guilty pleasure. It's not just Emily's life that is affected; even if something happens to her boss, a friend, or, of course, her boyfriend, it all comes back to her, burdening her to solve it with a touch of her camera-shaped, covered phone.

At the beginning of the second part, we witness Emily losing her phone while skiing, but she quickly retrieves it with the same cover. She appears to possess an extensive collection of the same phone cover, which she hasn't replaced in four years.

Returning to Emily's intricate life, I'm perplexed by every character's belief in her ability to resolve any issue under the Eiffel Tower, and this belief even extends to the "beautiful ruins" of Rome. The final five episodes of Season 4 do get slightly engaging only because Emily is away from the obvious loves of her life, Gabriel and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount). 

Moreover, Genevieve, who should be grateful and thankful to both Emily and Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) for taking her under their wing, leaves no stone unturned in dropping unwanted information on them and behaving as if it were a foot in her mouth moment.

This does introduce a few lighter moments, which I believe these two characters deserve, especially considering Emily's lack of control over life and Sylvie's inability to stop controlling other people's lives. However, this complication is fleeting, and I am grateful to the stars for ensuring that at least one character doesn't overstay their welcome in the ongoing storyline, which viewers continue to tolerate.

This season, while undoubtedly not the final, provides a glimpse into the potential conclusion and whether Star will resemble the series finale of Sex and the City. However, it appears that the director continues to generate fresh concepts, ensuring viewers remain captivated by Emily's adventures, even as the show should near its conclusion. It's still double entrees, and there are no desserts.

Will we see Sex and the City movies and And Just Like That in one Netflix series that refuses to end? I don't think time will tell.

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 verdict:

Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2 serves a mixed platter of drama and déjà vu as Emily skis through her love triangle, dodging heartaches. With its scenic detours to Rome and the French Alps, the show keeps up its picturesque façade, but beneath the glittery surface, the plot feels as recycled as Emily’s four-year-old phone cover.

ALSO READ: Emily in Paris Season 4 OTT release – Here's when to watch Part 1 and 2 of Lily Collins' series

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