Why is ‘Emily in Paris’ leaning on one of the most tired tropes?
Will they, won’t they? Will they, won’t they? Oh for the love of god, enough! I cannot be the only one who’s tired of this trope, especially when it is utilized as much as it has been in Emily in Paris. Be bold! Give me a real relationship, please!
I know, I know, many of you may come for me saying, “That’s the kind of show it is; it’s Sex in the City in Paris.” Emily in Paris is a show that wants to keep viewers guessing what will happen next, and keep us on our toes, but it’s starting to feel like the relationships have no meaning whatsoever, so why should we care?
An evolution of romance
In season one, it made sense (from a storytelling perspective) that Emily found herself entranced with so many men. It was a way to introduce her to the hedonistic lifestyle of Paris and to allow our protagonist to grow a little. The main thing with many of these men was that it wasn’t serious; they were flings to be flung and the romance fizzled out pretty quickly. However, throughout season one, we knew there was real chemistry between her and the handsome chef, Gabriel, but alas, there was another woman in the picture in the form of Camille.
In season two, there ware more “will they won’t they” moments between the pair, but Emily was introduced to the smooth Brit Alfie. Between Alfie and Camille, the idea of Gabriel and Emily getting together becomes increasingly difficult. I was personally rooting for Alfie, though I could see that the show was really pushing Gabriel to be the endgame for Emily, so when they broke up early on in season four, I was not surprised.
Now, after having been broken up with by Alfie, Emily and Gabriel finally get together. Okay, good, the drama led to where we inevitably knew it would, with these two main characters together—until season four part two.
Not again!
It was the release of the trailer for the second part of season four where I felt I had enough. Camille’s presence in Gabriels’s life continues to drive a wedge between him and Emily, and now she’s running off to Rome because some handsome Italian showed up. At this point, it feels like Emily is swapping out men as easily as she changes her (often garish) wardrobe.
I cannot feel anything for these breakups and romances anymore; they don’t seem to have any impact, not even on the leading lady. Emily’s breakup with Alfie barely left a mark on her She seemed more concerned about her marketing campaign than her relationship status. There is no mourning the relationship with the man she professed to have loved, and she moves on so fast that it feels like it meant nothing. (Credit does go to actor Lucien Laviscount, who played Alfie. You could actually see the emotional turmoil he was going through.)
Now it appears Emily and Gabriel are not going to last long, either, and rather take a breath, she’s off with someone else having her own Roman Holiday. This trope is so tired and overdone. I want this genre of show to be bold and show people communicating to make things work. I want to have a stake in their relationship. I want to see a healthy relationship overcome obstacles, not break apart at the slightest hurdle.
There can still be drama in this, passion and arguments, something that makes me root for a couple, because right now, I have very little interest in any of Emily’s relationships at all.
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