The latest creation from Darren Star Emily in Paris There's a lot going on in 10 episodes. From the constant roller coaster ride that Emily's career is to the politics of the American and Parisian way of life (which is a sucker of a concept to be addressed in a romantic comedy series), one of the biggest elements of contention is Emily's love life. The native mid-west meets many French people who temporarily sweep her off her feet, but the subject of her seasonal longing is Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), the Normandy-born chef who lives below her. He's mischievously charming, can cook a mean coq au vin, and – oh, did we mention that he has a beautiful girlfriend who quickly takes Emily under her wing when she flutters through Paris alone?
That's right, not only is Gabriel taken, but he is also taken by the cutest blonde on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Camille (played by Camille Razat) saves Emily from a not-so-friendly flower shop owner, and the two become quick friends, with Camille finding Emily more charming than offensive (although she would be good at her rights if she did). In Emily's favor, she doesn't know that Gabriel is with Camille when they react to their mutual attraction and kiss him in front of the restaurant where he works. She is stunned when Camille shows up and reveals her relationship with Gabriel, without realizing the emotional downpour she just rained on Emily's romantic parade. It's everything that happens after that that earns Emily the title of Worst Girlfriend of 2020.
In a movement that pretty much screams, "I want to lick honey from your hot cook friend and have him cook omelets for me in his unwashed but deliciously seasoned cast iron pan," Emily tries to evade Camille from feeling guilty about kissing her boyfriend. It doesn't work because life is never that easy, and instead of just coming over to the other woman to kiss Gabriel, Emily vows to keep things friendly with him without letting Camille know what happened. The three start with "friend data" that would make any third wheel experienced ill. If Star wanted to get this show as hot as it tries to be, that triangle would have become a throuple. The show seems to suggest that this might be the result that the production made on purpose, but it never goes there. I would have preferred to watch the rest of the season with Emily, Camille, and Gabriel to find out the early dynamics of their relationship, but that's not intentional. (Or maybe we do. We could make it in season two!)
In reality, Emily and Gabriel continue their dangerous game of "friends" who, despite the injuries they could inflict on a person they both allegedly love, flirt violently with each other. Emily even crosses the line by kissing Gabriel again, even though she is fully aware of his relationship status and Camille has gotten so close. She laments the tangled web she's woven with Mindy (Ashley Park), but somehow the other woman doesn't chew her up because she's a terrible person. Mindy urges Emily to tell Camille what happened, and in my heart I was hoping Mindy was messy by encouraging Emily to apologize so we could see Camille take advantage of her beret-loving self for that she is so dirty. But of course Emily never tells Camille that she kissed Gabriel (TWICE) and ended up sleeping with the blonde's little brother.
No one in their right mind will make out with a woman's husband and sleep with her brother, barely a week in between.
We're not going to revisit this detour this season because I'm still trying to understand who thought the only thing this show was missing was some of it. I want to point out that Emily at this point is the romantic equivalent of the person who refuses to take off their shoes in your house and pulls their dirt all over your hardwood floors and carpets. She's just so self-destructively messy – no one in their right mind is going to make out with a woman's husband and sleep with her brother, barely a week in between. It's just too much! Camille laughed at Emily's role in the hay with her brother, but I'll bet if she knew her Ringarde looked at her husband like a fresh bottle of champagne, she'd throw her out of her family's castle.
In the end, a fictional conspiracy turns Camille and Gabriel's relationship on its head, and instead of respecting their broken union – and her own relationship with Mathieu – Emily jumps into Gabriel's bed. Gabriel, who is some kind of filthy sneak who lets another woman kiss him twice, pretends he hasn't just broken up with his long-time girlfriend. He even comes up with the idea of having a relationship, but Emily shoots him down. At least they have that one night of passion that they spent while Camille is probably screaming her eyes out for breaking up with the man she loved.
Some will say that this love triangle is not so cut and dry; Emily didn't know Gabriel was with Camille when she first kissed him, and she tried so hard to remain friends after the fact. But did she? Emily had ample opportunity to come to Camille to kiss Gabriel, but she didn't because she knew Camille would be hurt. She knew her cat and mouse game with Gabriel was exactly that: a game. If Emily had felt bad, she would have confessed to her sins. But the reality is that when Emily told Camille there were two possible outcomes: Camille would cut Emily out of her life and ask Gabriel to do the same, or Camille would cut them both out. Either way, Emily would lose Camille as a friend, and she wouldn't be able to keep Gabriel innocent either.
Some would say Gabriel is not a Cad because he never initiated a kiss with Emily. But he knew that Emily was attracted to him and that he felt chemistry with her. He carried them on before his relationship with Camille was revealed, and he never told Camille about the kisses after they occurred. He had a "friendship" with Emily, even though he knew that Camille would likely be hurt if they knew the true nature of their feelings for each other. I know he's hot, but Gabriel is a worse friend to Camille than Emily is a terrible friend. He doesn't seem to care about Camille's feelings at any point during season one, and by the finale, he doesn't even seem to have broken up about the end of their relationship. He doesn't hesitate to take Emily to bed and wants to continue their relationship. He's a whole cad and we should say it!
When we get more of it Emily in Paristhe truth will eventually come out and it won't be pretty. There will be no easy solution, and even if we get into a possible throuple, it must be after Emily and Gabriel make amends for their terrible treatment of Camille. She deserves so much better than they gave her.
