Fab Expat: Navigate the French healthcare system with ease.
Because I was traveling last week, I didn’t have the chance to watch the latest Emily in Paris episodes that dropped on Thursday until later in the weekend. You can catch my review of Part 1 of Season 4 here, but I thought I would share some quick thoughts on Part 2, much of which sees Emily—not in Paris—but instead on a Roman Holiday with the rest of Agence Grateau.
Since I’m about to head to Italy for the next two weeks, it felt like a perfectly-timed watch on my part. The French-Italian rivalry has always been an interesting one to me (as someone who has made my allegiances pretty clear), and I’ve had many friends admit to me that they much prefer the easygoing, friendly Italians to the reserved, standoffish French. Of course, we’re dealing in stereotypes here, which is Emily in Paris’s bread and butter. So I anticipate this dichotomy to be the major theme of the fifth season, where Emily will have to make a choice between the cold, skeptical French, and the warm, welcoming Italians. She’ll inevitably determine that the hard-won loyalty she’s earned in Paris supercedes the superficial friendships she’s made in Italy, and return to France with some new Italian-inspired outfits in her closet.
Sun-drenched Italian travel porn aside, the smartest addition to this new half-season is Genevieve, Emily’s new American coworker, who quickly turns from friend to enemy as she threatens Emily’s reputation and relationship. (While watching, I couldn’t help but think of this song by Mackenzie Leighton, called “The Other American Girl in the Office.”) In a cheeky bit of casting, Genevieve is played by Thalia Besson, the daughter of the famed French director Luc Besson, best known for films like Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. With Emily off to Rome, we can only imagine how this snakey newcomer will try to take over her life.
The worst addition to the new episodes? A truly staggering amount of product placement. In the past, Netflix has certainly taken advantage of Emily’s role at a luxury marketing firm to slip in real-world brands throughout the show. Companies like Augustinus Bader, Ami Paris, Boucheron, and Baccarat have been featured as Agence Grateau clients (alongside fake brands like the Lavazza dupe “Bavazza,” and Pierre Cadault, who is thought to be an amalgamation of fashion designers Pierre Cardin and Jean Paul Gaultier). But in these latest five episodes, I think Netflix’s moneygrubbing has really reached a point of no return.
The first episode of Part 2 features what is effectively an ad for Air France’s Business Class Lounge at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, where Emily gleefully piles a plate of free croissants and other snacks before learning that her flight home for Christmas has been canceled. Later, a throwaway line from Emily about United’s frequent flights between New York and Chicago has a similarly jarring effect—what does this have to do with Paris? (Or plot, for that matter.)
Once the cast arrives in Rome, Sylvie witnesses the shooting of a literal commercial for the Renault 5 E-Tech electric hatchback. But instead of a subtle behind-the-scenes look, the show cuts to the finished, fully stylized commercial for this French car brand… in Italy, of all places. In fact, four other Renault models have been spotted just within these five new episodes.
Birkin bags, La Samaritaine, and Lillet have also received mentions in the new episodes… though I’ll forgive the Lillet partnership, as I absolutely believe that Emily would be obsessed with the cult favorite French apéritif.
In addition to the onscreen product placement, the Season 4 premiere of Emily in Paris featured quite a bit of heavy-handed collaboration with Google, whose new Lens app allows users to photograph and instantly identify products, making it easier to shop online for them. Netflix’s ad tier also featured several ads for Google Lens starring Lily Collins as Emily, which were shown in ad breaks during the show.
The way things are going, next season could just be one long Prada commercial. I wonder if Wes Anderson is available…
What to Watch…
Speaking of French TV, we’ve got a Season 2 review of Represent from Caitlin Shetterly, who found time to write a few articles for us in between working on her latest novel. The Netflix comedy (which made our list of the best French TV shows of all time), centers on an unconventional presidential candidate who takes France by storm. The second season comes at an interesting time in French politics, when France’s political parties feel more at odds than ever before—but the show seems to be looking a little farther afield for its inspiration.
