Emily in Paris keeps undermining its women in Season 2

Paste Magazine

"For a show that puts multiple talented women at the forefront of its narrative, Emily in Paris can’t seem to stop undermining them," says K. Thomas, adding: "For all its intoxicating charm and romance, Emily in Paris struggles to support the many women central to its story, either through poor narrative choices or just poorly executed ones. It isn’t the first show to suffer in this regard, and it’s under no obligation to enact change through its depiction of women and their choices. But the series is both a romantic comedy and a workplace comedy, and each aspect has now relied on tropes that force women to compete against one another. Emily’s happiness also lies at the heart of both. It’s unfortunate to see an otherwise intelligent and capable heroine forgo what she wants in an attempt to appease others, just as it’s frustrating to see Camille sidelined and relegated to backstabbing Emily. But what is truly infuriating is seeing Emily forced to choose between people she cares about over and over again when each time it should be a choice about what Emily wants for herself based on what she values. Hopefully, the fated phone call that closes out the season will find Emily making better choices and putting herself first for once."

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• Darren Star says Season 2 is about the non-Emily characters spreading their wings: "Season 1, for me, is really just the beginning of a movie," he says. "It’s Emily getting her feet wet in Paris. And in Season 2, she’s really working hard to assimilate. It’s not so much about cultural differences as it is about her life in Paris, which is getting a lot more complicated. She has a lot of complications to deal with from the end of Season 1, and Season 2 incorporates so much more of our ensemble. Really, it’s about them, in a really significant way. We get to learn so much more about Sylvie, about Cami, about Mindy. They all really get to spread their wings in Season 2. In Season 1, they were just very peripheral to Emily. In Season 2, they really take off as significant characters, themselves."
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