Image: Lily Collins/Instagram
Guys, the second season of Emily in Paris has just dropped – and fans are in heaven!
Season one of the show certainly proved a hit: released in October last year, it provided a welcome antidote and escapism after the first six months of the pandemic. The love for the show has continued into 2021, with many of us looking to Emily for style inspo.
The initial fan reviews of season two are now in – some have been open about their decision to “hate watch” the controversial show, and some love it for its escapism from the intensity of a Covid Christmas. Either way, it's one to check out this festive season!
The fashion, the city life, the sexy scandal – what more could we want?
Yet, the team behind the show, which includes Sex and the City producer Darren Starr, has faced criticism around its lack of representation due to a predominantly white cast.
As anyone familiar with the show will know, Lily plays Emily – the title character. She also has a producer role, and promised things will change for the upcoming season two during a recent interview with ELLE, stressing that she was “passionate” about instigating change after season one.
She said: “For me as Emily, but also as a producer on [the show], after season one, hearing people’s thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we’re living in and what’s right, and moral and correct and should be done.
“And [that was] something that I felt passionate about. [The producers] all believed in the same things. And I really wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on, in a lot of ways.
"Hiring new people in front of the camera, also giving new storylines to different characters, which was really important."
Despite criticism around the show's diversity, it has enjoyed undeniable success. According to official Netflix stats, Emily in Paris has been watched by an impressive 58 million people – and it was one of the most-streamed shows of 2020 behind Bridgerton (82 million), Tiger King (64 million) and The Queen's Gambit (62 million).
Here's your taster. Once Emily reels you back in, head to Netflix for the whole lot! We won't judge if you binge watch the whole thing.
First of all, the clothes are INSANELY beautiful – as expected, really. We see Emily (Lily Collins) hanging out with Camille and Mindy in predictably fierce designer outfits. No word yet on how Emily's liaison with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) might affect her friendships and her life in Paris, we can't wait to find out.
Emily and Gabriel have remained friends, at least, as one picture shows him cooking up a storm with Emily looking on. How their relationship (and sizzling chemistry) might develop is still a mystery for now, though.
We also get a first look at Lucien Laviscount, of Waterloo Road fame, chatting with Emily intimately, with the Eiffel Tower lit up behind them. Will he overtake Gabriel in the shipping department? We have yet to see.
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (who plays Emily's boss, Sylvie) also features in one of the pictures, giving Emily one of our much-loved exasperated side eyes. Let's hope for more exploration of their relationship this season.
Lily also wrote a reflective Instagram post when she began filming for season two – isn't it lovely how she keeps us in the know?
She wrote: "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 Paris for 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."
In the last episode, Emily and Gabriel get cosy after he sacks off his girlfriend, Camille (Camille Razat) as he’s heading to Normandy to open his own restaurant. That is until his plans change and he’s set to stay in Paris after all. Oh, but then Camilla discovers this and wants to get back with her old beau. She texts Emily, ‘Can we talk?’ and that, of course, was our cliffhanger ending. So, where can it go from here? Will Emily in Paris season two pick up from where it left off?
In an interview with OprahMag.com , show's creator Darren Star said: “In season two, she's going to be more of a part of the fabric of the world she's living in. She'll be more of a resident of the city," adding, "She'll have her feet on the ground a little more. She's making a life there."
Lily, who is also a producer on the series, recently shared her hopes for a next season. During an interview with Vanity Fair , she said: “I would love nothing more than to be able to go back to Paris and do [a new season]." She added, “There were so many situations that we were like, ‘Okay, write that down. That’s going to happen in season two.”’
Star also told VF that “I’d like to explore so much more of the supporting cast, like Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Emily’s boss [Sylvie]. I think we’ve just scratched the surface of who she is and what makes her tick."
We know that the main cast in season one will return for season two. Darren Star said during an interview with Oprah magazine last year that Lily Collins, Lucas Bravo, Camille Razat and Ashley Park will all be back, as will the Savoir employees Philippin Leroy-Beaulieu, Samuel Arnold and Bruna Gouery.
We can also expect to see Lucien Laviscount, whose previously starred in Scream Queens and, errr, Waterloo Road? We didn't see that one coming. According to TV Line, Lucien will play Alfie: “a sarcastic and charming cynic who refuses to speak French or immerse himself in French culture.” Perhaps Emily can give him a few vocab lessons?
We could even see a cameo appearance from Carrie Bradshaw in Emily In Paris season two, after Variety suggested it and Lily replied, "I would love that. I feel like maybe that needs to happen. I might tell Darren about that. She could be like an apparition. Emily walks by, and there’s a reflection in a window, and she looks in, but she sees Carrie. Then it goes back and it’s her, and she’s like, 'What?' I think that’d be kind of great."
This was originally published on Glamour UK.