Dear Darren Star:
How is it possible? Sure, not everything can be the glory that was “Sex and the City.” But I do wonder if the creative control was swept out from under you while “Emily in Paris” was in postproduction. I’ve only seen the first episode, but…yikes.
Let’s start with strengths, on y va? Solid soundtrack. Fab costuming (although giant points off for dressing Emily’s boss in the same jumpsuit 2 days in a row. No self-respecting Parisian woman would ever commit such an outrageous faux pas). The exteriors are, well, c’mon – it is Paris, after all. And while the I won’t spoil the ending of S1E1, let’s just say I give high marks for something featured in the final scene that is very sex positive.
And now for the bad news. Emily and Doug’s relationship lacks chemistry and just about everything else – nothing makes me believe they are a couple. Emily is incredibly tone deaf to everyone around her, on both continents. The old “let’s see what happens when a clueless American goes to France and is made to feel inferior by every person she encounters” trope is very tired. Lily Collins tries, but she’s given so little to work with. Everything from the script to the direction seems forced. There is a tiny bit of sex, and maybe there’s more in future episodes, but what I did see was kind of snoozy.
Honestly, with a ton of content and a whole lot of ‘not going out right now,’ I’m tossing “Emily in Paris” into the Ignore Pile so that you avoid a time suck with little yield. There are plenty of other resources to tap for some sexy Francophile fun!