Grab your popcorn and gather all your nerves because the infamous American living in Paris will soon return. This time, however, she will be gracing the streets of the city of love and taking an adventurous trip to Italy. You have guessed right. Season 4 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris is just around the corner, but an inconvenient feeling of annoyance is already creeping up as well. The reason for this is not just the fact that Netflix is cozying up way too much to its two-part release system but also the realization that Miss Emily Cooper most likely hasn’t changed one bit.

Emily in Paris follows American college graduate Emily as she embarks on an unexpected and certainly adventurous journey to Paris, where a new job awaits her. Using her social media presence and knowledge of communication, she is to bring an American point of view to a marketing firm in Paris. Sounds problematic? Well, it kind of is.

Hate-Love for Emily in Paris

It is no secret that Netflix cancels fan favorites while dragging out mediocre shows for numerous seasons. Arguably, Emily in Paris is one of them, seeing that rumors about a fifth season are already surfacing. Since the series first aired in October 2020, the titular character has stirred up some heated discussions, which are justified. Emily’s entitled and self-praising behavior is a firm part of Emily in Paris, and there is no end in sight. Season 4 continues her lack of etiquette, as she is ready to jump right back in with the constant lectures and tiring love triangle conversations. The hate for Emily in Paris isn’t far-fetched or based on fleeting accusations, but the boiling dislike can still turn into a guilty pleasure.

The love for the series is based on the fact that Emily in Paris is a shallow watch that truly doesn’t require much attention at all. The predominantly one-dimensional characters fall in line with the repetitive and predictable storyline, and if looked at from a magical realism point of view, it somehow works. Emily has no real worries, and it aligns with the dream-like portrayal of her life. Emily in Paris is much more fictional than it isn’t, and, keeping this in mind and ignoring the problematic aspects for a second, it can offer decent escapism.

The Chosen One Trope Is Getting Old

While being sent to Paris to revolutionize French PR is borderline offensive, the most problematic aspect of Emily in Paris is Emily herself. Emily oozes ignorance and drinks from her golden cup of privilege while behaving like a savior sent from heavenly lands who bears a magical potion of modernization. She is a walking cliché, qualifying for the “chosen one” trope. Apologies for the disappointment, but as opposed to Harry Potter, who was chosen to ultimately save the world, Emily goes in a far different direction. All she saves is the pictures on her phone, while she does a pretty good job of wreaking havoc everywhere else.

Fundamentally, the entire series kicked off by introducing Emily as the American woman chosen to go to France and bring more modern approaches to a Parisian firm by introducing the American way. This clearly implies that America stands above any other country, diminishing the culture of a great nation in the process.

Emily truly does a fantastic job at upsetting her French co-workers and mocking their language and way of life, but at the same time, she never faces any consequences. Apart from sharing how perfect her little French bubble is, her presence is marked by one single goal: stripping the workers at Savoir of their Frenchness. Keeping this in mind, there are significant worries about Emily in Paris going to Rome. It might not be entirely intentional, but Emily certainly has a way of getting on everyone’s nerves after a mere two seconds.

Keeping up her position of the “chosen one”, she seemingly stands out by picking out the aspects of French culture that she finds intriguing, while blatantly disregarding the rest. There is one and only one judge of what is modern enough and what isn’t, and that judge regularly runs through the streets in the most questionable outfit choices. Even though Season 4 most likely won’t offer much to bring out a better side of Emily, it might offer some redemption for her closet.

The Real MVP in Emily in Paris

Over the past three seasons, it has become evident that the real MVP of Emily in Paris isn’t Emily but her best friend, Mindy. While both come from a lifestyle filled with privileges, Mindy came to Paris to work her way up all by herself. She didn’t just show up in Paris, spreading ignorance and arrogance. Mindy put in the effort to become acquainted with the city, respect the people, and learn about their culture and language.

On top of that, Mindy is a genuinely good friend who always steps up when Emily is in need. She supports her along the way and uplifts her literally all the time. More often than not, their friendship is frustrating to watch since they couldn’t be any more different. While Emily is hyper-focused on herself, rarely inquiring about Mindy’s past, present, or future, the latter is often just there to balance out Emily’s exaggerated problems. There are many moments we want to see in Emily in Paris Season 4, but Mindy getting the attention she deserves is definitely one of the biggest.

Until the fourth season of Emily in Paris is released, there is still time to hope that Mindy will receive a bigger platform, allowing her character to unfold in more detail. As for Emily, it remains to be seen to what extent the portrayal of the “chosen one” trope will continue, but there is no doubt that Season 4 will have its fair share of problematic moments. Emily in Paris Season 4 is streaming on Netflix on August 15.