One of the many unwritten truths of the world is to never put Emily in Paris under a magnifying glass. We gladly embrace fashion faux pas and indelicate stereotypes for the chance to be swept away in larger-than-life drama, kaleidoscopic colors, and a grossly romanticized City of Love. And we have our titular character to thank for this delightful and stylish form of escapism, whose boldness and idiosyncrasies we have come to admire and crave more of. However, whether you unironically adore watching this show or have slotted it into your it’s-so-bad-it’s-good category, you can’t deny that there is a slight grating plot hole that chips away at your sanity at the back of your brain while watching Lily Collins‘ Emily frolic on the cobblestones of Paris. How on earth has Emily not learned French yet?

How Has Emily Not Learned French After Four Seasons in Paris?

While trying to enforce rules of logic onto Emily in Paris‘ story isn’t the most fruitful endeavor, the fact that Emily is still at a basic level in French is particularly glaring because she actually began the series by attending French classes. The show actually draws attention to her lack of knowledge of French, and makes an initial effort to address it — for about two seasons. Apparently, after the Jean-Paul Sartre lesson at the beginning of Season 3, Emily is now above beginner’s French classes. Though we are not expecting the overly Americanized character to break out into seamless French soliloquies, or even hold a conversation with a native French speaker (it’s only been just over a year after all), we do expect her to be at least a modicum better than in the pilot.

Even if we forget the French classes, as sometimes people don’t necessarily thrive in a rigid classroom environment, every facet of Emily’s current life is irrevocably drenched in the language. They say immersing yourself in the culture of the language you are trying to learn is the best way to learn – apparently, Emily is exempt from this. It is also shocking to witness how much leeway she is given for her apparent disinterest in learning the language, with everyone she meets switching to English to accommodate her. Though it is clear, especially in her workplace, that it is definitely preferable for her to learn the language, or at least put far more effort into it. Either way, being so entrenched in the culture, from her relationships to her career in marketing (which is literally based on effective communication), it is grievous that Emily’s French hasn’t really evolved since the beginning.

Emily’s Lack of French Is ‘Emily in Paris’ Biggest Inconsistency

All the aforementioned points for why it doesn’t make sense for Emily to not have picked up more French by now are based on real-world mechanics and assumptions. And we know that Emily in Paris is really the ultimate fantasy (in an intoxicating way). But the grave error also extends to the series’ own internal logic, especially in the way Emily’s characterization is constructed.

Initially, it was endearing to watch her bumble around the French workplace, completely unaware of the cultural differences and finer points of French etiquette — namely, because it can be relatable to us as tourists when we are becoming acquainted with a new travel destination. It was thrilling to live vicariously through this bold and brash American caricature who fearlessly flaunts her outlandish, yet riveting style. As such, we accepted the pointed jokes about her inherent Americanism and lack of French culture with good humor. But it slowly became redundant and tired as her lack of the language continually became the punchline for recycled jokes — comedy and Emily speaking French are not supposed to be mutually exclusive ideas.

Moreover, it is also completely incongruous with Emily’s people-pleasing and hyper-ambitious characterization. She is immediately painted as a plucky go-getter who defiantly strives not to disappoint, a quality that has led to delicious drama throughout the show’s run. Yet somehow she slacks off on her most important tool? In Season 3, we even see how detrimental her lack of French knowledge can be during her stint as Gabriel’s (Lucas Bravo) waitress, where she mistakes “champignon” (mushroom) for champagne, leading to a fatal allergic reaction. How does a life-threatening event not galvanize someone into learning the language they are surrounded by?

It is also infuriating to see how everyone is constantly making her out to be this irreplaceable marketing genius, yet she fails brutally on this front as her colleagues are tirelessly translating for her even though it is a French marketing firm. Everything else in Emily’s characterization leads perfectly into specific decisions (or lack thereof) she makes, and messes she finds herself in — but this random laziness in learning the language is nauseatingly out of character.

Emily Finally Faces Consequences in ‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4

When Season 4, Part 2 of Emily in Paris actually tackles this inconsistency in her character directly, it is a huge relief and a refreshing moment. Gabriel is finally fed up with Emily’s inability to learn French and delivers a poignant and teary tirade that Emily simply watches with her mouth agape and with a bewildered look in her eye. She truly looks like a fish out of water (and rightly so), as it dawns on her that she needs to be taking this significant cultural part of Gabriel’s life seriously as well.

It is strangely satisfying to witness Emily face real, concrete consequences for failing to evolve in the language. It especially stands out with the introduction of Genevieve (Thalia Besson), who also has eyes for Gabriel, lives in the same apartment complex as Emily, is an intern at Agence Grateau, is from New York, and speaks French — well. While we cannot expect Emily to learn French overnight, the direct comparison between the two characters really draws attention to Emily’s lack of effort or improvement over the four seasons.

The show has never shied away from what it is, and thus, taking accountability for this perhaps overlooked detail is immensely gratifying. The voicemail in the closing scenes of Season 4, where Emily gives Gabriel a heartfelt French congratulation, really feels like a symbolic band-aid to the larger issue, but hopefully, we can take it as a promise that she will be renewing her efforts in rectifying this character anomaly. Though with the series taking a seemingly prolonged vacation in Rome, perhaps it will be Emily’s Italian that flourishes in future seasons.

All four seasons of Emily in Paris are available to stream now on Netflix in the U.S.