Emily in Paris Season 5 Recap & Review: Romance, Growth, and a Stunning New Chapter

Season 5 of Netflix’s hit production “Emily In Paris” dropped Thursday, bringing unexpected romances, more exquisite fashion, and fresh complications for American sweetheart Emily and her friends, both personally and professionally.

Season 5 also introduced charming characters, including Jake, played by Bryan Greenberg (shout out to One Tree Hill fans) and Princess Jane, played by Minnie Driver.

Last time viewers saw Emily, reality hit for her when it came to Gabriel and Camille. She embarked on a new journey in Rome and started dating Marcello Muratori, the Italian heir of his family’s cashmere company. While in the beautiful city, Emily got the opportunity to stay in Rome and run Agence Grateau’s new Rome office, announced by Sylvie. 

She accepts, and episode one of the new season begins with the American bombshell staring at the beautiful Rome scenery from her window. What she doesn’t know is Gabriel is not far behind, hoping to win her back. Emily soon finds out her new Italian chapter isn’t what she thought it would be. Running Agence Grateau and taking on Muratori as a client, fails. Her relationship with Marcello ends because they both realize that the futures they want don’t align.

They had fallen deeply in love, but that wasn’t enough, and with the assumption of a proposal on the horizon, Emily was faced with difficult emotions. Turns out the engagement ring Emily found was Nicolas’ for Mindy. Mindy struggles with her own internal conflicts this season. She and Nicolas had actually broken up because of issues with his father and her disqualification from Eurovision, but they got back together.  

Rebuilding her friendship with Emily was also something Mindy dealt with. Their bond was broken by the steamy spark that ignited between Mindy and Alfie! This unexpected pairing showcased incredible chemistry but was short-lived. Mindy accepted Nicolas’ proposal, but those feelings between her and Alfie aren’t going away anytime soon. One thing noticeable was Gabriel’s absence. His scenes were scarce but still great, nonetheless. On his journey to win Emily back, he realizes that she is happy. He decides to take a step back and allow her to live her life, instead of inserting himself in it.

His career path takes him in a new direction, but when he gets wind that Emily is back in Paris and no longer with Marcello, Gabriel simply sends her a postcard, giving her space to decide for herself what she wants. Fan favorite Sylvie is confronted with the possible crumbling of Agence Grateau because of her financial woes. However, Princess Jane comes in clutch, saving the marketing agency from ruin.  Sylvie reevaluated what she wants in life, especially romantically. Julien and Luc were their usual loveable selves but were also involved in some of the big drama of the season.

Season 5 was specifically incredible, and that’s due to the character development and changes that the major players experienced. Emily and Gabriel grew both individually and together. Emily’s home is Paris, and she now sees it that way. She gets the culture, she understands when to accept limits, she knows how to face her problems instead of running from them, and she cherishes her worth and doesn’t sacrifice herself for romance. 

Gabriel recognizes that he’s ready for a change in his career and ready to step outside of Paris to hone his culinary skills. He and Emily, both provide each other space so the other can be happy, a mature shift that has honestly been lacking in the entirety of their relationship. Mindy, who for a while knew everything she wanted, finds herself torn between old romance and new with Alfie. Her life gets messy, and she’s experiencing feelings she never had before. How her story ends will be so interesting to see.

Last but certainly not least, viewers get to see a more vulnerable side to Sylvie as she wrestles with control slipping away. She figures out what she will and won’t tolerate and builds an extremely sweet bond with Emily.

The season finale’s backdrop is not Rome, but Venice! Is that where next season will take place? There’s no official release date for Season 6, but no matter where these complex characters are, there’s sure to be excitement and drama that follows. Season 5 certainly proved that.

What did you think?

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