Guilt(less) Pleasure: Emily in Paris - Exepose

Sometimes, the best comfort films and TV shows are the ones that feature characters and plotlines that are so insane and unrealistic, that they provide just the right amount of escapism. Whilst I agree that the cringey, and at times ignorant, Lily Collins show Emily in Paris is deserving of some of its negative reviews, the quality of the show changes when you start to view it less as a serious show and more as a form of escapism. 

The series follows the eponymous Emily, who is an American marketing executive, as she moves to Paris and tries (badly) to fit in with the French working and social culture. Whilst parts of the series, such as the hoard of European men who seem to fall at Emily’s feet, are incredibly unrelatable and unrealistic, the struggles of fitting in with a new culture can at times provide a sense of relatability for those who have experienced moving abroad, and can help escape that feeling of not fitting in, because at you’re least you’re better at integrating than Emily is. 

Emily in Paris also provides a sense of comfort as you can escape from the complexities of your own life, by watching Emily sort out her far more trivial problems. Although Emily’s problems are easy, there is a sense of escapism that can be found in the idealisation of her life as someone who is living in Paris, in her dream job, having desirable problems like ‘which hot guy should I choose?’.  

Whilst Emily is cringey, annoying, and it definitely doesn’t make sense that she has an entire boatload of suitors fighting for her attention at all times, the other characters in the show are entertaining and arguably well written. Alfie, a love interest for Emily, is an admirable character with a strong sense of humour, and shows maturity. Whilst still written by Americans, Alfie arguably embodies British sarcasm well. 

Even looking at Emily’s coworkers, such as Sylvie, Luc, and Julian, you see a mix of personalities, all of which I would argue are iconic. These characters also actively support and criticise Emily, leading to her growth as a character over the later seasons. When you look beyond the main character, and pay attention to the supporting roles and their storylines, Emily in Paris stops being as corny as it is perceived to be.

Whilst the first season did not set the series up well, the introduction of future characters, and all the supporting characters, and their plotlines, are relatively well written. To add to that, I would argue that the series Emily in Paris is still entertaining and a good way to relax, even if the main character is annoying and immature. The criticism of Emily in Paris as a bad show can be unfair, as if you look at it from the perspective of escapism, and humour, the show does a good job.