"Emily in Paris": Netflix's Newest Cliche Binge

Le train wreck we didn’t know oui needed

The first season of “Emily in Paris” starring Lily Collins came out on Oct. 2 and added to Netflix’s delightfully cliche repertoire of romantic comedies. 

The show portrays the too-good-to-be-true life of Emily Cooper, a millennial from Chicago, who is sent to Paris after the marketing company she works for merges with a luxury French firm called “Savoir.” While her boss was supposed to go on the year-long trip, she had to cancel at the last minute because she found out she was pregnant. Emily is sent instead and is simultaneously overqualified and under-qualified for the job in Paris. She has clever ideas about social media marketing and is unafraid to share her ideas, yet she does not speak a lick of French and uses Google Translate to communicate with people around her.

Emily and her all-American, sporty, definitely-former-frat-bro Chicago boyfriend, Doug, break up just days after she moves to Paris because he is not willing to give long distance a try. But not to fear! Paris instantly provides Emily with a surplus of hunky, European men who are all very interested in her. She hooks up with her sexy neighbor chef, a douchey semiotics professor, a champagne château tour guide (who ends up being 17 so pervert alert @ Emily), a high fashion executive and is courted by countless other exotically white men.

French culture and French people are definitely rooted in stereotypes throughout the series, but American customs and people are mocked as well. The unwillingness of French people to speak English remains a theme throughout the show, and most of the French characters are initially unfriendly, addicted to smoking and cavalier about sex. Americans, on the other hand, are critiqued by French characters for using Paris as a foreign Disneyland they can experience without attempting to understand the culture or learn the language (Emily’s use of Google Translate to navigate the city is an example of this!). Moreover, Americans are stereotypes as obnoxious workaholics as Emily constantly interjects her opinions, makes suggestions and talks about work constantly.

Nevertheless, this show is a great binge for people during the coronavirus because they are able to vicariously travel and experience the City of Love while curled up on the couch donning unwashed hair and sweatpants. The show is defined by its picturesque Parisian locations, swoon-worthy luxe styles and endless meet-cutes. This combination creates the perfect relaxation trifecta for anyone looking to escape mundane coronavirus life in 30-minute chunks. 

The show itself has no genuine conflict but rather Emily experiences an assortment of sweet misunderstandings which are nearly always resolved by the end of the episode. For example, Emily offends a famous fashion designer client by accessorizing with a cliche Eiffel Tower bag charm, she receives lingerie from the man her boss is having an affair with and she kisses her downstairs neighbor without realizing he had a girlfriend. While Emily endures numerous other cringe-worthy moments, she brushes off these embarrassments in an indifferent fashion to maintain her impossibly perfect life.

Darren Star, the creator of “Sex and the City” and “90210”, created the 10-episode TV series and Emily’s wardrobe is essentially a millennial take on Carrie Bradshaw’s infamous New York style. Emily has a seemingly endless collection of Louboutins, Chanel bags and statement designer pieces, and she is rarely spotted wearing fewer than 20 accessories. The extravagance of Emily’s wardrobe also enthralls the COVID-couch audience because it serves as an idyllic reminder of what life was like when we had places to go and events to dress up for.

While Emily’s sensational life can invoke feelings of jealousy, they never verge into feelings of incompetence or self-deprecation because the plot is so undeniably unrealistic. No millennial or Gen-Z could ever expect to have Emily’s fairytale life or constant, unearned success–it’s like watching a modern Disney princess flick. “Emily in Paris” simply allows us to experience the beauty of France while staying at home, sucking hot Cheeto dust off their fingertips and sitting on le couch.