What enthralls a viewer to Emily in Paris?

Emily in Paris as the name suggests is about the adventure of Emily exploring Paris on her work trip. Although she doesn’t speak French, she takes it up as an opportunity too good to pass.

At first glance, it seems to be an ordinary show with the glam factor of Paris — the romantic city where anything can happen, the fashion capital of the world, the croissants, baguette, cheese and the wine bottles, the sightseeing places and of course a land where there is total sexual freedom!

Culture

In the starting episodes, it dives into the differences between the American and the French culture where even though being married having mistress is not frowned upon rather encouraged and the other partner could have her own lover as well.

This narrative also pinpoints on a very important perspective of how culture shocks are absolutely real not just personally but professionally as well. Take for instance how Emily speaks in a meeting with everyone she speaks in a loud voice when she is addressing her audience (a small round table conference). This is quite common in meetings at US but in here she was misunderstood for raising her voice and shouting, which she apologises for and continues in a softer voice.

First Meeting

As the story progresses, it depicts her real struggle in trying to fit in as a person looking through the glass window at the beauty of Paris yet not gelling well with its people and culture who consider her an “American outsider”. And it does not help that no one is friendly and on top if it is uprightly mean to her face from her own landlord, the florist and her colleagues who exclude even for simple things as taking to lunch.

Iconic dialogue “Chinese are mean behind your back, French are mean to your face”

Business

What keeps it going for the audience is how her positive outlook brightens things up, how she is smart to find her way out, to keep her routine whether her outfit or her hair, to keeping her spirits high jogging near the seine river. Her approach to be friendly and pushing execution on her ideas, leaving no stone unturned keeping her purpose of work in mind makes the show enchante, realistic and audience glued to their seats for the next episode.

Her approach to converting a friend’s invite to a museum opening and converting into an opportunity of elevator pitch to a luxury hotel owner is fantastic. The way she starts out with a common ground to build bridges with him by saying the opening is great and how she read in 2 magazines explicitly quoting it and how his hotel has everything except in the echo that he mentioned, something is amiss which could be smell. She leads the flow of conversation by catching his attention with giving him an analogy about how cookies remind of home to how an hotel should have a smell of its own. And gets it successfully converted with giving her calling card and a meeting with her perfume client.

Elevator Pitch

Throughout the show it emphasizes on the skill of networking wherein even a neighbour chef could be handy at times where an important meeting with a potential client who would leave the next day if the dinner couldn’t be arranged could be saved!

Her ideas of thinking quick on her feet is brilliant. Where she looks to assess solutions in simplest of things where she couldn’t get a reservation for dinner at the most awaited hotel, a mistake of her own getting dates wrong. The smooth handling of the situation and going boldly to give 2 options for her boss and 2 clients awaiting outside the “good & great news”. (Kudos girl! Way to go.)

Good & Great News

Relationships

Getting to relationships, and the differences Emily seems to be the perfect character to blend in best of both worlds. I read on Quora on US women who are actually living in France find it difficult to be in relationships since the French consider emotions and sexual advances more naturally then spending time on getting to know each other, make decisions whether to be or not for the long term and then get in stages where committed is the keyword.

On the other hand, and its also a personal choice Emily doesn’t mind sexual stands as long as it is with a single guy, adult age and into each other from the front go. Her nature seems to be getting swayed away with emotions before divulging into the intricacies of a relation. But then again this is a show and they have to show drama.

Emily with Camille’s younger brother

On a practical basis, this is not recommended which is frankly confusing, and disconnecting at times (how do you have these stands and access to your body when you don’t know them at all, no trust is built, that person might mean nothing to you other than a way of diffusing your desires, body fluids being exchanged with a complete stranger its like energy exchange which may not be good…..so from that stand point of view grosss)

Till now the blend of work, relationship and culture seems interesting. Each episode brings in its own freshness, positivity and ideas to the table. Although the relationship side looks kinda messy. Let me know in comments below what are your views, and on what parts do you agree or disagree.

Enchanté to meet you all. Until next time.