Emily In Paris answers its main love triangle in light and airy fourth season

Emily In Paris has returned with the first half of its fourth season, and what it has to offer is still light, airy, fun, and finally offers answers to Emily's multi-season love triangle. After spending two seasons watching Emily struggle to pick between Alfie and Gabriel, Emily In Paris finally makes the choice that has seemed inevitable from the pilot episode, with Emily deciding to move forward with a romantic relationship with Gabriel.

Romantic relationships do not need drama to keep them interesting, but the characters certainly need personality in order to make the couple exciting to watch, and, once again, four seasons in, Gabriel is severely lacking in any sort of interesting characterization.

While Emily is excitedly and charismatically working her way through Paris, her job in marketing, her comical relationships with her co-workers Sylvie, Luc, and Julien, and her friendships with Mindy and Cami, Gabriel is just there. Gabriel's continued lack of substantial plot lines or any real personality makes even less sense in season four considering how season three's plot twist ending perfectly set Gabriel up for what could have been an interesting character arc.

In the season three finale, Emily In Paris reveals that Gabriel and Cami are expecting a child in the aftermath of their failed wedding. So, where is Gabriel's excitement or fear over being a father? Where are his storylines about what it could mean to bond with a child? Where are Gabriel's considerations for how he would have to split his time between being with Emily and when he would need to be present to co-parent with Cami?

Emily In Paris does not explore any of this in its first five episodes, choosing instead to relegate Gabriel to his want for a Michelin Star and desire to be with Emily. Neither of these things is particularly new for the character, and neither offers a new side to who is supposed to be the main love interest for the show's upbeat protagonist.

Julien's storyline of wanting a sense of individuality and striving to prove himself as successful in his own right rather than being steamrolled by Emily is more of an outline than a substantial plot thread, as Julien's presence at the company JVMA and the storyline that comes from it, was just as easily handled by Mindy when she visits Nicolas at work, and how Mindy's visit results in how Emily In Paris aims to tackle the Me Too movement.

The decision to tackle a more serious and worldly storyline in a show that is known for its more fluffy plots offers layers to characters such as Emily, who, upon hearing about the discovery, is quick to turn to Sylvie, Mindy, who must confront her relationship with Nicolas and what his connection to his father means for their relationship, and Sylvie, who ultimately becomes a part of speaking out.

This storyline does offer Emily In Paris a more substantial plot to follow, and one that proves the show's willingness to push the envelop of what this series is willing to discuss.

While Emily In Paris does conclude its fifth episode on a cliffhanger, it is one that highlights that Netflix shows are better off airing the entire season at once rather than breaking the season in half. While the cliffhanger does reveal important details, it is still an episode that is not quite massive enough to warrant having to wait weeks for the aftermath.