Did Emily choose herself in the end? 'Emily in Paris' Season 5 finale sets the stage for fresh beginnings
The ten episodes of 'Emily in Paris' Season 5 painted a picture quite different from the past instalments of the Netflix show. For once, Lily Collins' Emily Cooper realized that both her professional and personal lives were in a state of flux, and tried her best to go with the flow. Apart from her conflicting relationship with Marcello and her newly established drive in Rome, Emily was forced to reconcile her feelings for Gabriel. The result? A transitional story that felt every bit as real as it was heartfelt. Here we take a look at the ending of 'Emily in Paris', with an eye on the narrative possibilities that could be exploited by a potential sixth season, as and when it's greenlit.
TechRadar has aptly summed up Emily and Marcello's relationship as going through two breakups throughout the fifth season. Marcello and Emily were forced to go their separate ways, not because they had majorly fallen out of love, but rather because both of them looked forward to having incompatible futures. The fourth episode saw the gulf in their relationship widening after Emily learned about Marcello's negotiations with JVMA. Although he eventually came out from under the umbrella of his Muratori family brand to start his own design company, and Emily earned him a spot at the Venice fashion week, Emily realized that she wasn't ready for a quiet life with him in his hometown of Solitano.
Emily spotted an engagement ring among Marcello's personal effects, but the latter eventually dismissed it as belonging to Nicolas. Emily herself was missing the life that she had built for herself in Paris, and couldn't bring herself to sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of her relationship with Marcello. She eventually returned to Paris, newly single and with a fairly clear sense of purpose. Meanwhile, the previously established love triangle between Alfie, Mindy, and Nicolas was far from a conclusion by the end of 'Emily in Paris' Season 5. The Viewer's Perspective noted that Mindy's hesitation in tying the knot with Nicolas in a way mirrored Emily's earlier arcs of indecision.
The one character whose absence was largely felt throughout the season was Gabriel. It is a known fact that he quit his job at the restaurant to be a private chef on a billionaire's yacht. He had made it a point to care about Emily's happiness back when he let her go with Marcello. Nevertheless, his feelings for her resurfaced when he briefly met her at the station to collect his chef's knives. The fleeting rendezvous rekindled an old flame, and Gabriel ultimately sent Emily the promised postcard while enjoying his time off in Greece, inviting her to join him. The finale saw Gabriel smiling in contentment.
The 'Emily in Paris' Season 5 finale is possibly one of those rare instances of Netflix programming in which the show ended not with a mind-bending cliff-hanger, but at a narrative crossroad with several directions to veer into. A potential sixth season could effortlessly pick up the renewed relationship between Gabriel and Emily, or even that between Nicolas and Mindy whenever they happen to tie the knot. All episodes of 'Emily in Paris' are currently available for streaming exclusively on Netflix.
