The rightful heir to Sex and the City, or is it? 

When Netflix first released a 1-minute-long trailer of “Emily in Paris”, a series created by Sex and the City’s Darren Star and starring Lily Collins, millennials around the world whose lives run on cliches couldn’t help but hold on to their imaginative berets. And as soon as October 2 rolled up, we had an answer to the much-anticipated question, is “Emily in Paris” what it’s advertised to be? Well, not really. 

Now, don’t come at me. 

The 10-episode series is no doubt a binge-worthy saga. For someone who enjoys rom-coms, has an affinity towards all things fashion and has major FOMO from seeing numerous travel photos on their Instagram, I tuned in hoping for a European rendezvous between a girl who loves sartorial theatre and her equally stylish job. Well…

We’re introduced to Emily Cooper, a marketing professional who has to take up a job in Paris due to a sudden turn of events. Her job is to revamp the social presence of Savoir, a marketing firm where they’re introducing an American perspective as a result of a merge. Emily brings that American perspective. She navigates the world of French advertising with her mid-western sensibilities and undoubtedly clashes with the head honcho of Savoir, Sylvie. And so the cliches begin. 

Well, we can’t really blame the creators of a romantic-comedy series for building cliches that are the heart of such narratives. If not sprinkled with exaggeration and moony lovers who’re mad after Emily, would you even watch the show? Absolute impossible scenarios are created where Emily is the only one who can rescue the situation. From suddenly getting twenty thousand followers on Instagram all because of photos of croissants, and not having to speak French in a city that runs on the very language to having two handsome men mooning over you and eventually rescuing a fashion week show all by herself. Romantic? More like romanticised. 

Her upward and onward path towards a fantastic career is not something you would call realistic. Emily frequently rejects her bosses’ inputs and commentary doesn’t work towards actually making her job better and is the sole sane person who considers the repercussions of ridiculously bad marketing ideas. The utopia that the creators created for Emily is a new Paris where Emily’s passive existence is rewarded by new friends, new lovers, new opportunities and a glamorous lifestyle that’s envied by most. 

Truth be told, in a world where the chaos of the outside has made its way into our homes, watching a show that’s set in the dreamland of Paris and shows a protagonist that gets her way every single time is a fantasy-like respite. The tone of the show is light and optimistic and we’re always rooting for Emily, even though we can’t help but wonder how ridiculous the storyline is getting. Sometimes fun, sometimes refreshing, the series acts as a visual escape from a chaotic pandemic. While in reality, masks in Paris may be mandatory and restaurants may shut at 10 pm but just for a little while, we’d like to imagine we’re Emily, floating through the cobbled streets, biting into crispy croissants and drinking late-night wine on street-side cafes.