After presenting us with some interesting writing with the first part of the fourth season of Emily in Paris, the makers of the series, who take it all the way to Rome, go back to square one with twists and turns that are very much ringarde (basic). It’s like the series’ creators cannot let Emily (Lily Collins) have even one amoureux (lover) in peace. At the very beginning of the second part, just as the trailer suggests, Emily is forced to discontinue her relationship with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo). While I at least thought the rest of the season would deal with their dynamics, the makers decided to introduce a brand new love for Emily.

Creator: Darren Star

Cast: Lily Collins, Lucas Bravo, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, Camille Razat

After an American, a Parisian, and a British man, Emily goes for an Italian this season. In fact, the self-aware makers have even made Mindy (Ashley Park) say, “So now you’ve been with a French guy, a British guy, and now an Italian. You’re really stamping your passport.” However, the series suffers from a lack of creativity to continue a story that no longer carries any novelty. Emily’s meet-cute with her new amante (lover), Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), is convenient, and so is their re-meeting. I wonder how it is so easy for Emily to move on from one man to another without a sense of grief or regret from a previous breakup. Additionally, like always, Emily is shown to be nearly emotionless, as she has no problems diving back into work and doing better than usual. She does drop a tear or two in a couple of scenes, but somehow just manages to pick up after herself and get back with her life. With these four seasons, the writers have made Emily a character that no woman can relate with, given her unimaginable emotional strength, and lack of weaknesses.

The second part of season four not only introduced Marcello but also another character: Genevieve (Thalia Besson). A fellow American, Genevieve’s initial scenes with Emily seemed refreshing as they showed a woman supporting another woman at the workplace. However, even here the makers don’t choose to surprise us, as Genevieve becomes the stereotypical woman who betrays another. Even with such a trope, her character’s grey shade is not explored in detail. She is seen taking some actions that seemingly sabotage Emily’s life, but we don’t really understand the motivations behind her choices. At the end of the day, characters like Genevieve and Camille (Camille Razat) turn out to be catalysts to create conflict for Emily, and nothing more. Once their job is done, such characters add no real value to the story.

The makers didn’t even leave the predictability out for Mindy’s relationship. While part one of season four hinted at bitterness between Mindy and Nicholas for various reasons, part two just goes on to give us what we all thought would happen between the two (oops, spoiler). Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) finds a new man this season, one in Rome. Again, there goes another storyline that is minimally explored this season, as we don’t see what really happens to Louis de Léon (Pierre Deny) after Sylvie called him out earlier this season.

As expected, the series ends with the writers not being able to resist the temptation to throw in a last-minute twist to the new will-they-won’t-they romance. While season three ends with Emily’s dilemma between Alfie and Gabriel, season four ends with Gabriel and Marcello being the two contenders. Of course, there’s one more twist (the only one with some gravitas). The biggest takeaway from this part of the season is the magnificent beauty of Rome and Italian food. I understand why Marcello says, “Andiamo” or “hurry” when Emily first reaches Roma for a mini-vacation, as there’s so much beauty that the city holds. With picturesque images of Roma in my mind and nothing else from this season, I request the makers to consider unpredictability for the next season, por favor.