Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

“Emily in Paris” was renewed for season two last year and became one of the top 10 shows on Netflix worldwide. This romantic comedy follows the main character, Emily, an American who is exposed to new cultures and experiences in Paris. Though the show’s plot and characters are still controversial and confusing, season two does attempt to rectify some mistakes from last season. 

The new season picks up from season one’s cliffhanger with Emily struggling to resolve her affair with neighbor Gabriel without jeopardizing her friendship with Camille, who is Gabriel’s girlfriend, and soon-to-be-ex. Along the way, she distracts herself with work while taking French lessons to be more efficient, and also meets a potential new lover, Alfie. 

Despite the changes made, the show still faces many criticisms similar to the previous season as a result of poorly portrayed characters which contribute to the unfulfilling storyline. 

One of the major problems was the harmful and stereotypical depictions of characters. One such example is a new Ukrainian character who was introduced as an outsider. The show highlighted her dodgy behaviors and criminal acts of shoplifting as her only role. Ukraine’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, has issued a complaint to Netflix over its offensive stereotypical image of the Ukrainian character. Similar to season one where most French women were depicted as cold and arrogant, the show received backlash for wrongfully portraying characters and promoting untrue stereotypes.

A flaw in the plot would be the aimless storyline. There were no interesting twists or scenes that built up suspense in the show. Everything was straightforward and, to many viewers, predictable. The ending was also inconclusive, making the whole season seem pointless as if nothing had happened. The show started with Emily having to take over for her Boss, Madeline, to work in Paris since she was pregnant and expecting. However, near the end of the show, Madeline showed up still pregnant in Paris making Emily’s whole trip pointless from the beginning. 

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this show as it is filled with underdeveloped scenes and disappointing dead-ends. Unless you are simply looking for mediocre entertainment to pass time, this show is not for you.