I have a confession to make: I was only interested in Emily in Paris after watching the trailer and seeing Lucas Bravo in it. My head was running with thoughts that sounded like this: “Ooh who is that cute guy? What is this show? When is it coming out on Netflix? But really, who is that guy?” Since I had no idea who he played in the show I decided that watching the series would be the only way to find out how long his role was in the show (the answer: long, but not long enough).
The day that it came out on Netflix, I binge-watched the whole season and finished it in one afternoon. I loved it. I know that the internet is divided on whether to love or hate the show, but I enjoyed it.
Yes, with this show some things caused a lot of hate. Sometimes it did not seem to be logical, such as Emily’s instant social media following for her random photos. Some things defied explanation: Lily Collins/Emily is charming and pretty and for this show that meant getting the attention of several men -- which would have been fine, but to have practically every hot-blooded male she meets interested in her seems a bit of a stretch.
There has also been a lot of hate on how Paris and the French are presented, plus how arrogant it was to be an American working in Paris without knowing how to speak French. Even Chicago had beef with the show for how their pizzas were described. While I agree with the whole language thing, I do not think that the show was wrong with the other two big issues that caused hate for the series.
I think that as far as Chicago pizza is concerned, you cannot please everyone. Yes, their pizzas may be good, but I doubt there is not one person who has not liked it and has had an opinion of it, which is how the show presented it. It was just one person saying that he did not like it. That happens.
While the portrayal of French people ruffled a lot of feathers because of the stereotypes the show presented, it is something that we need to acknowledge. This is a story from an American point of view and some stereotypes exist, as upsetting as this may be. I am not saying it is OK, but I am recognizing that even without the show, these stereotypes exist. That people similarly think of the French in that way.
I worked with a group of French engineers for about a year or so and I must admit that I was expecting them to be like the stereotypes presented in Emily in Paris. BUT, I also went into the situation with an open mind and was aware that cultural differences were to be expected from both sides. I think with Emily in Paris they were showing that Emily as a person/individual (and as the POV of the show) was entering the situation without that open mind, which was obvious with the way that she was insisting on everything be adapted to fit her American point of view.
Love it or hate it, this is one of the most talked-about shows on Netflix these days. I would love to see a second season (which was just confirmed, yay!) and to find out where everything is going to go from the finale. Maybe in that next season, we can see the show course correct a bit with the stereotypes and that we can have more of Ashley Park, who plays Mindy. She is so enjoyable to watch and I would enjoy watching more of her in the next season (whenever that is).
Have you seen Emily in Paris yet? What did you think about it? Leave a comment and let me know.
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