The Netflix show Emily In Paris is one of the hit shows of the streaming websites ever since it made its debut in 2020. The series had dealt with the perspective of an American girl, who is born and brought up in Chicago. A sudden change of circumstances at the workplace makes her shift to Paris and due to her inability to speak the French language fluently, she appears to be arrogant in front of the locals.
The show had become hugely popular but had also invited a lot of criticism. It explored the beauty of France from the perspective of an American woman. Not many had found this acceptable.
Imagine if a film such as Rang De Basanti, which had explored the intimate corners of India's capital city, Delhi, from the perspective of the London-based woman, Sue, the narration would have appeared to be quite imperialistic. Instead, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had allowed the culture to be explored by the characters.
Emily In Paris failed to do that. France kept getting its validation in the show from the Instagram account of a woman who named her media handle @EmilyInParis. But French people are averse to an American social media influencer's perspective to get validation on social media.
But Darren Star during an interview with Variety said," For me, it's the evolution of the character. I think when someone goes to Paris for the first time, they are overwhelmed by the beauty of the city and that's what they're seeing," Star tells Variety. "I think, perhaps, a lot of viewers who lived in Paris for a long time didn't quite understand that this was through the lens of a character who was experiencing the city for the first time. That's how she was perceiving it — she was really struck by the beauty that was all around her."
What's going to happen in the second season?
Emily in Paris started the production of its second season and will shoot in Paris, St Tropez, and other locations in the South of France. "The first season didn't cover that much chronological time," Star told Variety.
"When she got there, she got a bit of a free pass in the beginning and I don't think it will be quite as easy for her in the second season. I think she will be more assimilated, in terms of living in Paris and stepping up to the challenges of learning the language," he explained. There will be a love interest that will arrive with a twist, he later confirmed.
The second season for Emily In Paris has not released a premiere date, but Lily Collins who plays the lead role in the show released a statement that said:
"As an actor, an artist and a creative, the most meaningful gift is to connect with people through your art in some way. It's an honour to be associated with a project that provided people with some much-needed relief during a trying time when everyone was looking for a reason to smile and laugh. Not only did playing Emily teach me more about myself, but also about the world around me. I couldn't be happier to be back in Season 2 to expand upon those lessons, to continue to grow, and learn even more about this beautiful city and all of its character with Emily."
