As we gear up to head to the city of love for Emily in Paris season 2, it’s only fair to take a romantic stroll down memory lane and remind ourselves just why so many people fell in love with Emily and co. After all, despite some controversy along the way and a fair amount of annoyance from the too-cool-for-school brigade, Emily in Paris became Netflix's most-watched comedy of 2020 and for good reason.
The show gave viewers worldwide a chance to escape the dreaded C word — while we were chained to our couches, Emily Cooper took us on a much-needed French adventure filled with croissants, color and crushes. So here are all the things we love about Emily in Paris, and all the reasons we’re excited for season 2 to arrive.
- Catch up with all the drama with our Emily in Paris season 1 recap
Funny phrases
Emily’s time in Paris is not exactly a walk in the park, to begin with, especially because she doesn’t know the language — or as she would put it, the Rosetta Stone training she did on the plane hasn’t kicked in yet. That gave her colleagues the perfect excuse to use French insults on her. Cue ringarde (basic) and la plouc (a hick) instantly being added to our vocabulary.
The outfits
Just in case you forgot, Emily in Paris is brought to us by Darren Star, who also created Sex And The City. And while the comparisons with the show may start and end there, the over-the-top fashion statements do remind us of some of the ensembles we saw Carrie and co sporting on the NYC streets all those years ago. As well as feasting our eyes on Emily’s loud prints and vibrant colors, we also get to admire the oh-so-sophisticated Parisian style of her boss, Sylvie Grateau.
French clichés
Spotting the French clichés on Emily in Paris would have made a fantastic drinking game — let’s face it, they were hard to miss.
French people on social media were not very amused by some of the clichés in how Parisians were portrayed, but it turns out that some of them are true. Actor Lucas Bravo revealed to People the one stereotype on the show that is definitely true — smoking after the gym.
“For me the biggest cliché, so to speak — that actually is so true — is people smoking after the gym. It's so true," he told the publication. “You know, 'Oh, after this big effort, the lungs are perfectly open and ready to receive some nicotine, so let's smoke a cigarette. It is so French, and I was actually surprised that he [creator, Darren Star] put that in the show. It was really funny."
Gabriel
Enchanté. One word was all it took for the world to collectively sigh and fall in love with Gabriel — Emily’s neighbor played by French actor, Lucas Bravo. While there’s something to be said about his intentions with Emily while being with his girlfriend Camille (not doing any favors for French men’s reputation), he still won us over. Was it the fact he can cook or the French accent? We’re torn…
Emily's phone case
Given that Emily spent most of her time in Paris snapping pictures of the food, the sights and herself (not a particularly enlightened social strategy but hey, it worked for her), it’s no wonder we got obsessed with her phone case.
The vintage camera-like case from a brand called Awsaccy became a hit after the show dropped on Netflix and, it turns out, it was actually owned by the show’s costume designer, Patricia Field.
The scenery
The show’s success has been attributed to the opportunity it provided for escapism — at a time when most people couldn’t just jump on a plane to Paris. From sights of the flashing lights of the Eiffel Tower and cute bakeries to art galleries and the river Seine, seeing Emily enjoy the best of what Paris has to offer gave us plenty of distractions from travel bans and canceled plans.
The friendships
Okay, hear us out. Yes, Emily in Paris is mostly about l’amour et la passion, but it does a pretty good job at showcasing how good friendships are equally important and just as fun. Emily’s time in Paris becomes a lot more enjoyable once she starts hitting it off with new pal Mindy, and gets even better when she becomes friends with Camille (minus the awkward I-might-be-in-love-with-your-boyfriend situation). We see the trio head off to St Tropez in the trailer for the season 2, so here’s to more gal pal times!
