The fourth season of "Emily in Paris" struggles to captivate viewers

The absolute Netflix hit "Emily in Paris" has reached its fourth season. The latest instalment of the series is divided into two parts. The second part of the fourth season premieres on 12 September. The main character still flounders around the same men and problems, reminiscent of characters from a Brazilian telenovela.

Emily (played by Lily Collins) first appeared in Paris in 2020 and instantly won the hearts of Netflix viewers. The series, which chronicles the adventures of an American in France, was colourful, funny, pleasant, and engaging despite its simplicity. The main character delighted with her elaborate outfits, entertained with her lack of knowledge about European culture, and fuelled fans' imaginations about romantic escapades in the world’s most famous city of love. This winning formula worked well for the first three seasons, but things went downhill. In August, the first part of the fourth instalment debuted on the platform, which was hard to digest. There was hope that the action would pick up in the second part, scheduled for September. These hopes proved to be in vain.

The third season left viewers with a series of unanswered questions. The climax was Camille and Gabriel's engagement party, which turned into a wedding that ultimately didn't happen. There was a subplot about the bride's relationship with a woman. Emily broke up with Alfie, thinking she could finally be with Gabriel. However, he discovered that his almost-wife was expecting his child. The last episode left viewers on the edge of their seats. Instead of providing answers, the beginning of the fourth season of Netflix's hit has slowed down, with the characters going in circles.

The first part is mainly a recap of the previous season. The characters, along with the viewers, had the right to feel lost. It felt like one dialogue and situation stretched over several episodes, much like in Brazilian telenovelas of the 1990s. Unfortunately, not much more happens in the second part of the fourth season.

Changing the scenery in one of the episodes, when Emily moves from Paris to Rome, didn’t help. Introducing a new character, who for a moment seemed to be the third (or perhaps fourth) person who could rescue the main character from her eternal dilemma of choosing Gabriel or Alfie, also didn't help. The only bright spot of the fourth season seems to be the development of the plotline of Emily’s mature boss, Sylvie. We get to know her professional life and her colourful private life.

And aside from that? The same problems of the title character at work, the same ones outside. Breakups and reunions with the same men and discussions about them with the same friend. Even though the series was meant to be pure entertainment that doesn't demand much from the viewer, even such a concept must maintain a certain quality level. In the fourth season of "Emily in Paris," this is missing. It’s boring. You almost want to tell the main character to pack her bags and end her seemingly endless adventure in Paris. We can reveal that this will somewhat happen, but not in the way we would expect. The final episode opens another door, which the creators do not intend to close.