Flaunting a new outrageous yet immaculate wardrobe, Lily Collins‘ Emily struts into Season 4, Part 1 of Emily in Paris with chaos in her wake. Season 3’s finale left us sifting through endless cliffhangers, from Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) potentially getting a coveted Michelin star to Camille (Camille Razat) announcing her pregnancy. Season 4 begins on a familiar dramatic note as broken relationships sour the Parisian air and everyone panics over a missing Camille. Throughout this five-episode arc, Emily is confronted with an impossible choice between two lovers; Gabriel vaults through a series of pastry chefs; and Camille reunites with her beloved Greek artist. The season’s first part ends ambiguously, giving us heartbreaking revelations and tantalizing hints about what’s to come in Part 2 next month.
Who Does Emily Choose in Season 4, Part 1?
With Gabriel and Camille’s end-of-season wedding completely torn apart, Emily is left to salvage what she can of her relationships. By insinuating Gabriel and Emily were still in love with each other, Camille causes a rift in Emily and Alfie’s (Lucien Laviscount) romance. Though Emily spends the majority of the first episode trying to patch up the bond, she is slowly allured by Gabriel’s green — sorry, blue — eyes again. Her briefly relished single-dom comes to an end when both men decide to confess their love and commitment to her at Antoine’s (William Abadie) Heartbreak masquerade ball. As the name suggests, one of the two pining men ultimately faces heartbreak, though not in the way we expect.
Alfie is overcome with his love for Emily, inspired by the fact that she didn’t immediately jump into a relationship with Gabriel after they were both single, and pulls her into a kiss after declaring his renewed commitment. The problem with masquerade balls is if you turn up in the exact same outfit as someone else… in this case, it leads to Alfie’s humiliation. He doesn’t only kiss the wrong person, but also witnesses Emily running off into the night hand-in-hand with Gabriel. Jean-Paul Sartre would be proud — Emily finally chooses Gabriel, leading to a Bridgerton-inspired scene in the back of a carriage and an eye-opening rooftop rendezvous. Part 1’s finale sees their relationship stronger than ever, even though they’re in a strange throuple with Camille, the soon-to-be mother of Gabriel’s child.
Will Gabriel Be Getting a Michelin Star in ‘Emily in Paris’?
When Luc (Bruno Gouery) accidentally divulges his girlfriend’s, Marianne’s (Laurence Gormezano), covert position as a Michelin star food critic, Emily in Paris Season 3’s finale convinces everyone that the prestigious award is within Gabriel’s grasp. Throughout Season 4, Gabriel relentlessly works towards this goal, and at Marianne’s urging, auditions a variety of pastry chefs to find the best. From illusory chocolate wine bottles to delicately made souffles, he compromises his integrity in the excitement of nearing the star. This season, however, throws a wrench into these evolving plans as a dinner between Luc, Marianne, Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and Laurent (Arnaud Binard) goes awry.
Sylvie asks Luc to use his girlfriend’s Michelin-related connections to snag her and Laurent a table at an in-demand restaurant. Marianne encourages Luc to use this as an opportunity to ask for a raise and thus Sylvie and Laurent become unwilling participants in a double date. Marianne had also been coercing staff at various restaurants into bribing her for a Michelin star by comping her meals. When she tries to do this on the date, she is confronted by another restaurant patron, who is coincidentally a Michelin star inspector. He reveals that she had been fired over a year ago, exposing her as a fraud and forcing Sylvie to foot the bill.
While Luc and Marianne’s bizarre relationship survives the scandal, Emily is disappointed to inform Gabriel that he is not as close to getting the star as they believed. Instead of despair, Gabriel hosts a party and gives away free drinks, claiming he is relieved to escape the pressure, though Season 4, Part 2 may show reality setting in.
Camille Is Keeping a Secret in ‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4
Meanwhile, Camille is navigating the throes of her own relationship with Sofia (Melia Krieling). After returning from her artistic getaway that caused her family to believe she was missing, Gabriel, Camille, and Sofia clear the air about the affair, and Camille happily settles into her new love life. But decorating their new apartment exposes fundamental flaws in their relationship; both women are simply in different stages of their lives and want different things. Sofia is still focused on her artistic pursuits and ultimately prefers to move back to Greece as she is uncomfortable about living so close to Gabriel. On the other hand, with a baby on the way, Camille marches towards building a nursery and a family for herself. Though love still exists between them, they have a teary and heartbreaking breakup in the middle of the night, when Sofia packs her bags and leaves.
Life only throws more curveballs at Camille, who visits a doctor after getting concerned about some spotting during her pregnancy. We are met with a crushing and devastating reveal: Camille is not pregnant — she never was. The false positive on the pregnancy test was likely due to the medication she was taking, and her lack of periods may have stemmed from stress. While processing this information, Camille dreads informing Gabriel and doesn’t have the heart to when she sees him so happy. When she comforts him about not getting a Michelin star, he responds by listing all the things he does have: a special restaurant, a beautiful girlfriend, and a baby. As she turns away a glass of champagne, it seems like Camille will be feigning her pregnancy in Part 2.
What To Expect in ‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4 Part 2
Alongside the aforementioned drama, Emily in Paris Season 4 has other ongoing storylines that we will glimpse in Part 2. Season 3 hints at a torrid past between Sylvie and the head of the luxury conglomerate, Louis de Leon (Pierre Deny) who frequently works with Agence Grateau, is an investor in Laurent’s company, and poaches Julien (Samuel Arnold) from Sylvie. We discover that Sylvie had faced workplace sexual harassment from Leon during her time as a JVMA assistant — he would invite young women to “shop” in the brand’s closet, only to force them to change in front of him. Sylvie is approached by a news reporter multiple times to speak on this issue and resolutely refuses until Emily informs her that the harassment is ongoing. As such, Sylvie agrees to tell her story, and from the brief phrases we see, it seems his voyeurism also extended to “sexual favors” as well. Though Sylvie is able to solve the problem of Louis revoking his investment in Laurent’s company, she still needs to tackle how the publicity impacts Agence Grateau and the overarching rivalry that is brewing between the two powerful figures.
The effects of the story also trickle down to Mindy’s (Ashley Park) relationship with Louis’ son, Nicolas (Paul Forman). Tension riddles their relationship as Nicolas tries to be neutral in the public eye, but eventually, he stands his ground and tells the JVMA board that he will not work with his seedy father, inciting them to ask Louis to step down. However, it also seems like sparks are flying between Mindy and her ex-flame and bandmate Benoit (Kevin Dias), as they perform a particularly swoon-worthy duet, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” with tantalizing chemistry. Either way, Part 2 still needs to go through the band’s preparation for Eurovision and how they continue to pull together a sizable budget for their performance. With many unanswered questions and drama on the horizon, Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 1 kicks off yet another stylish season of romance and rivalry.
Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 1 is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. alongside Seasons 1-3. Part 2 will premiere on September 12.
