It’s finally back after a two-year hiatus, but Emily In Paris fans were left choking on their buttered croissants after settling down to watch the first five episodes of season four on Thursday.
The show, starring Lily Collins as its fashion obsessed titular character, has enjoyed enormous success following its initial launch on Netflix in 2020.
Now into its fourth season, the show returned on August 15 with five new episodes of an expected ten, but viewers were divided after watching them back-to-back.
Of the numerous points raised across social media, Emily’s decision to end her complex love triangle by ditching hunky Brit Alfie, played by Lucien Laviscount, and embark on a relationship with the less popular Gabriel, played by Lucas Bravo, had many crying sacré bleu in disbelief.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one dismayed viewer raged: ‘Emily choosing Gabriel is so boring.’
It’s finally back after a two-year hiatus, but Emily In Paris fans were left choking on their buttered croissants after settling down to watch the first five episodes of season four
A second added: ‘No Alfie, no clout!’
A third commented: ‘new season of emily in paris and i just wanna say that i still absolutely cannot stand emily and gabriel together THEY ARE SO ANNOYING… alfie was right there babe.’
A fourth added: ‘Unpopular hot take – Emily and Gabriel are kind of annoying as a couple.
‘Kind of hoping Emily ends up with someone completely different (bc she doesn’t deserve Alfie anymore at this point either) or even better why not be a happy, content single person?’
While a fifth commented: ‘Still not on the Emily and Gabriel train.’
Others disagreed, with one adding: ’emily and gabriel even if they aren’t endgames, they always will be in my eyes because they were soulmates from the beginning I don’t care about the rest.’
A second wrote: ‘GABRIEL IS THE HOTTEST MAN ALIVE AHHHHHH.’
Elsewhere there was mild criticism of the returning show’s quality, as well as Lily Collins’ latest performance as Emily.
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, in their drives after the first five episodes of season four aired on Thursday
Emily’s decision to end her complex love triangle by ditching hunky Brit Alfie, played by Lucien Laviscount, and embark on a relationship with the less popular Gabriel, played by Lucas Bravo (pictured, right), had many crying sacré bleu in disbelief
‘season 4, seems to have jumped the shark,’ wrote one. ‘Every favourite character is present, but they are simply going through the motions.
‘The masquerade ball was probably the worst episode. I had to take a break after 3 episodes, when I normally binge-watch.’
The latest season had a web of complex storylines to untangle, including Camille’s shocking pregnancy announcement to Emily’s intricate love triangle involving chef neighbour Gabriel and Alfie.
And Emily finally makes her choice, as she and Gabriel choose to explore their romance, and declare their love for one another during the mid-season finale.
In other relationship news, pregnant Camille and Athens-born Sofia, portrayed by Melia Kreiling, move in next door to Gabriel, but after struggling to make it work they end up going their separate ways.
The final episode ends in a shocking twist, as Camille goes to her gynaecologist for a check-up and learns the devastating truth that she was never expecting; the test was a false positive and her stress was behind her late period.
Others were more divided in their opinions, with one accusing the cast of ‘going through the motions’ during the opening five episodes of season four
In other relationship news, pregnant Camille and Athens-born Sofia, portrayed by Melia Kreiling, move in next door to Gabriel, but after struggling to make it work they end up going their separate ways
A TikTok exposing Emily’s very messy love life goes viral and her breakup with Alfie was broadcast to the world, landing the American in hot water
Camille feels like she’s lost it all – Gabriel, Sofia, and the baby she thought she was carrying. As she later arrives at his restaurant L’Esprit de Gigi to share the heartbreaking news, she stays quiet as a thrilled Gabriel reveals he no longer cares about not having a Michelin star as he has the baby on the way.
Netflix viewers will have to wait until next month to discover how Gabriel takes the news, and if his and Emily’s romance is the real deal.
The first episode in the new series kicks off three days after Gabriel and Camille’s disastrous wedding that was called off thanks to the steamy love triangle involving Emily.
A TikTok exposing Emily’s very messy love life goes viral and her breakup with Alfie was broadcast to the world, landing the American in hot water.
This transfers over to her work life, creating a less-than ideal situation as she and hunky boxer Alfie, who haven’t spoken since the wedding, are supposed to be presenting as a loved-up couple as the new faces of a brand campaign.
Blocked and deleted by her former beau Alfie, Emily is determined to do what she can to win him back, but it’s clear her feelings for Gabriel are still in the picture.
The Brit finally breaks his silence after seeing a giant poster of himself and Emily kissing on a billboard outside his gym, calling her to ask her to make it go away.
Lily Collins returns as the title character – Emily Cooper – a young American woman from the Midwest who uproots her life and takes a new job in Paris.
The critical response to season four has so far been mixed, with a review from Leila Latif of The Guardian the most brutal, calling it a ‘televisual black hole’ that is, ‘devoid of plot, charisma and intrigue.’
The critic revealed she had viewed the first half of Season 4 – which debut on August 15 – with the second five-episode half dropping on September 12.
She insists that, ‘nothing happens,’ as the title character continues working as a marketing executive while getting involved in a love triangle with her co-worker Luc (Bruno Gouery) and roommate Mindy (Ashley Park).
The reviewer insists there is, ‘absolutely nothing at stake’ when it comes to the love triangle, with the ‘drama’ in the show coming from her professional life, though that appears to be a stretch too.
‘In every episode, she has to use her talent and sunny disposition to ensure social media strategies are executed with aplomb. To say that this is as thrilling as watching paint dry would be a disservice to the many excellent shades of paint,’ she says.
The critic adds there are several subplots involving, ‘missing people, #MeToo and Michelin stars,’ though they ultimately, ‘go nowhere.’
The critical response to season four has so far been mixed, with a review from The Guardian calling it a ‘televisual black hole’ that is, ‘devoid of plot, charisma and intrigue’
The Guardian critic insists that ‘nothing happens,’ as the title character continues working as a marketing executive while getting involved in a love triangle with her co-worker Luc (Bruno Gouery) and roommate Mindy (Ashley Park)
Another review from the Irish Independent was equally savage, calling this show’s version of Paris, ‘a theme park version of the City of Light.’
He touches on the show’s running gag that Emily does not speak French and even after four seasons makes no effort to learn the language, and yet everyone in Paris seems to love her, which would likely not be the case in the real Paris.
‘If this were the real Paris rather than a theme park version, Emily would get on everyone’s nerves. Instead, they all find her cute and adorable. Irresistible, too. Men fall at her feet on every street corner,’ critic Pat Stacey says.
Meanwhile Paste Magazine’s Jay Snow claimed that the new series ‘continues to have nothing new to say’.
Sinking their claws into Emily and Gabriel’s romance scenes, they wrote: ‘They can drag out the Emily and Gabriel romance as long as they like, but, so far, it has done nothing except stunt the story and character growth.
‘Unless there’s a major change coming after this season, it might be time to say “au revoir” to Emily and company.’