Emily in Paris Review- Worth the Hype?

TRIGGER WARNING - Underage sex (depending on where you are from)

SYNOPSIS– A young girl called Emily Cooper (played by Lily Collins) gets an opportunity to move to Paris, France for a work assignment. Emily moves to Paris and believes that she will be able to provide an 'American’ insight to the French way of working. However, there is a slight hitch in Emily’s plan’s when not everyone likes her.

The show follows Emily’s troubles with her boss, Sylvie (played by Philippine

Leroy-Beaulieu), her co-workers Luc (Bruno Gouery) and Julian (Samuel Arnold), her friendships and love affairs.

REVIEW –There is only one word to describe a show like Emily in Paris - TACTLESS.

Emily is, frankly put, a terrible protagonist. She has no knowledge about the French culture and constantly shows her ignorance towards it. Even after arriving in Paris, she makes no move to actively learn the French language and appears to be extremely uninterested during her French classes. A more pressing matter, that concerned many viewers, is that of Emily, a 23-year-old woman, having sex with a 17-year-old boy who is her friend’s younger brother. While the legal age of consent in France is 15, many viewers, both in France and overseas, believed that the show should not depict such a sensitive scene, lest it encourage younger children, to do the same.

However, the real issue is not how terrible a protagonist Emily is, it is how the scriptwriters and

directors have portrayed the entire French community. In the show, the French are described to be cruel, heartless and not welcoming to people outside their community. The show is filled with racist remarks, all of which are (ironically) delivered by POC (person of color) characters. The show goes on to exaggerate stereotypical French mannerisms such as violent hand gestures, accented words, the list goes on. The producers and directors of the show have repeatedly said that Emily in Paris is a ‘love letter’ to the French culture, however it has been proven, time and again, that it is indeed not the case. In short, Emily in Paris, makes a mockery of the entire French culture and it is very disheartening to see that.

OVERVIEW - Emily in Paris is a show that romanticizes ignorance and racism, and no amount of acting can save the faulty script writing of the show. It is interesting to know that despite all the negative criticism against it, Emily in Paris has recently been renewed for a second season. Viewers can only hope that the next season is able to rectify the mistakes made in its predecessor.

If you haven't yet seen the trailer for Emily in Paris (Season1), check it out below -