At first glance, season 5 of Emily In Paris could be accused of pulling the same nonsense as previous seasons. After all, you still have the shady love triangles and men being absolute pricks to women.

Pursuing them endlessly only to discard them the moment the woman accedes and feels secure in the relationship.

Only this time, it’s not happening to Emily. It seems that she has finally learned her lesson about juggling men and being drawn in by a pretty face with no committment or loyalty.

I’m Glad We Didn’t Get A Repeat Of The Gabriel-Alfie Love Triangle

Here’s the thing. I’ve always believed that Emily should’ve ended up with Alfie. The man is insanely attractive. And despite being a little prickly to begin with. Once they get past their hang ups, he was the secure choice. And while Emily couldn’t help herself from messing with Gabriel and Camille to begin with, after it blew up in her face countless times, she should’ve learned her lesson.

I genuinely believe she loved Alfie and could’ve been happy with him. But then she got caught up with Gabriel again and it detonated her relationship with Alfie.

And for what?

She got back with Gabriel and wound up in the same love triangle. Not to mention, this love triangle could’ve seriously hurt her career.

And it’s not like this is the first time a relationship with Gabriel has blown up in her face.

So when she ran off to Rome with Marcello, I had a brief moment I thought she’d finally move on.

Alfie had a girlfriend and Gabriel wasn’t okay with their break up but he was at least moving on from it.

So when season 4 ended with Alfie bemoaning the fact that they let Emily go and Gabriel showing up at Mindy’s door to find out where Emily is in Rome, I was terrified we would repeat the same cycle.

Four seasons of a pointless love triangle is more than enough. I think we’re all aware it won’t work with Gabriel.

So I was very pleasantly surprised when in four episodes, the only hint of Gabriel was him looking on at Emily and Marcello together. No drama, just quiet resignation.

I Hate Emily’s Breakup Haircut But I Love What It Signifies

There was maybe one scene when Emily had mild curls that I liked her new short hair. But for the most part, it’s flat and lacks depth. There’s no dimension, it’s just a blob.

But I love the finality of cutting her hair.

I truly believe that hair holds memory. When I’ve been stressed and unable to sleep, I will inevitably find a white hair. But I’ve also found strands of hair where the ends may have been white but midway through, the hair regains its healthy black.

So when you cut off the parts of your hair that carried that stress, you literally and figuratively let go of the weight. You are free to make new memories and you aren’t encumbered by the past.

And yes, Emily had insecurities about Marcello hanging out with his exes. But they talked about it and were able to move past it as rational adults.

This Is A Big Change

Emily is bold and yet more grounded. She genuinely seems calmer and more secure in herself and her relationship.

And sure, four episodes is only the beginning. Any number of things could happen past this point.

But I love the growth I see so far.

Sylvie’s Finally Stopped Being Boy Crazy

Some may argue with me but Sylvie was just as boy crazy as Emily. If not more.

She slept with Antoine despite being friends with his wife (and him being her client). She consistently cheated on her husband and yet felt abandoned by him. She had a track record of either sleeping with the people she hired for her business or hiring the people she slept with.

She may have dressed like a confident woman but her actions prove otherwise.

I am by no means putting a woman down for enjoying sex and seeking it.

But this isn’t about sex. It’s about mixing sex and business. It’s about consistently making choices that undermine your career and your ambitions.

And of course, this pattern is part of her trauma.

Sylvie learned early on in her career that she needs to trade sex for career opportunities. She had to shut up and take it if she wanted to get ahead. And this is a truly heart breaking thing to work through.

So her walking away from Giancarlo was huge progress.

I absolutely can’t believe the man had the audacity to propose a partnership after leaving her in the lurch. Giancarlo walked away from his own project due to ego. And he never even learned from this. Yes, he came back but he never truly apologised. He just doubled down. And yet, expected everything would be fine.

The truth is, Sylvie had every right to give him direction. She was paying him to direct something based on her marketing campaign. Sure, he may be a renowned director but it is his job to take into account what the client wants. And throwing a temper tantrum and quitting because the person paying him gave him direction is juvenile. And it’s absolutely a breach of contract. Sylvie should’ve sued him for this.

But still, I’m glad she finally set a boundary and walked away. She didn’t allow him to derail her life further. He had his chance and he blew it. He doesn’t get to plead his case after sabotaging her career.

I Hate Alfie And Mindy

I genuinely love Alfie. And I would’ve loved to see Emily and him together. And I absolutely understand wanting to jump him.

The man is gorgeous.

But come on, it’s so beyond shady for a man to sleep with his ex’s best friend. And it’s equally shady for a person to sleep with their best friend’s ex.

They’re both really in the wrong for this.

But considering Mindy hardly ever batted an eye when Emily was the other woman. And almost seemed to encourage her at times. I’m almost not surprised at her lack of loyalty.

But I expected better from Alfie. I’m genuinely disappointed in him. Sure, Emily screwed him over. But he was always the better person. That’s his entire appeal.

Final Thoughts

I’m genuinely enjoying season 5. Yes, there’s still quite a lot of pointless and preventable drama. But we’ve seen actual growth in central characters. The story is progressing. The main character is learning.

So I will now go back to finishing episode four and hope the show doesn’t go downhill from there.

Let me know what you think. And if you want me to write another review once I’ve finished the season, leave a comment.

Until next time, lovelies!

End note: I just finished episode four and … oh fuck! I might’ve spoken a bit too soon there.