What Is the Story About?
In Season 5, Emily relocates to Italy to head Agence Grateau’s new Rome office, trading croissants for gelato as she explores a serious romance with the charming Marcello Muratori. While Emily attempts to balance her career with her never-dying vibrancy, optimism, and sporty persona, the Rome branch faces financial struggles, eventually forcing Sylvie to close the office.
Back in Paris, Gabriel steps back to find personal peace as a private chef, but he doesn’t stop tracking Emily, as he still loves her. Meanwhile, Mindy navigates a high-stakes career shift and a complicated proposal from Nico.
The season culminates at a high-fashion event in Venice, where Emily is forced to confront a hard question: should she choose Marcello and opt for a quiet life in Solitano, or should she pursue her career and professional identity, something she has built after years of hard work? And what happens with Gabriel? Season 5 answers all these burning questions.
Performances?
Lily Collins as Emily Cooper looks better and more likeable, as she brings her newfound maturity and vulnerability to viewers, moving beyond her previous perky, perfectionist American trope. She restrains her vibrancy and optimism this time and instead showcases a more vulnerable, self-reflective side of her character, which will surely be loved by the show’s fanbase.
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau is the brightest star of Season 5. Her character arc almost dangerously comes close to overshadowing the protagonist’s arc, but she looks in amazing form. She subtly juggles the emotional weight of her career issues and marital problems, and her acting range in Season 5 looks incredible.
Ashley Park as Mindy Chen unfolds more of her dramatic acting chops, which eventually adds greater depth and seriousness to her character rather than positioning her merely as a comedic sidekick, which is great to see.
Analysis
Emily in Paris Season 5 (created by Darren Star) follows Emily’s transition to Rome and her subsequent identity crisis between her career-driven Parisian life and the slower-paced Italian “la dolce vita,” which means “the sweet life.”
One of the biggest positives of Season 5’s storytelling is that it critiques Emily’s relentless work ethic. She begins to realise that her tendency to work hard, give everything she has, and make everything “just perfect” can be destructive. This aspect is clearly visible when a marketing campaign backfires and leads to overcrowding at an event, something that doesn’t sit well with Marcello’s mother at all.
Emily’s character growth in Season 5 is the strongest among all previous seasons. The final episodes, where she realises the true worth and importance of her career and pushes back against her tendency to chase love, are genuinely satisfying to watch.
However, many mishaps are resolved through sudden, smart pivots. This approach causes some abrupt shifts in the season’s overall tone. The “unresolved love triangle” angle also continues to haunt the narrative structure. Moreover, Mindy Chen is a great talent, but her cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” feels messy and unnecessary.
The direction in Emily in Paris Season 5 often looks like a glossy tourism and fashion advertisement, albeit with a more cinematic polish (Netflix has the budget for this, but not for Mindhunter! Oops… did we say that out loud?). Direction is undoubtedly the biggest letdown of Season 5. While the directors do a solid job managing performances and capturing the cultural and fashion flavour of Venice, Rome, and Paris, they fail to balance satire and humour with heavier emotional beats.
In one moment, we see enthusiastic planning of marketing strategies with goofy workplace gags, and the next, we are thrown into heavy romantic breakups and clashes between Mindy and Emily. The makers should have doubled down on the tension between Mindy and Emily, as it could have raised the show’s dramatic stakes significantly. Instead, their reconciliation feels rushed and oddly inconsequential.
Pacing remains decent, with episodes running between 30–38 minutes, and the season’s breezy rhythm prevents it from becoming a dull watch. The mid-season shift back to Paris is handled smoothly, ensuring the “Rome gimmick” does not overstay its welcome.
However, splitting the narrative between two countries doesn’t fully work. The intercutting between Emily’s Rome arc and Gabriel’s Paris subplot often feels disjointed, particularly in the first half, leaving several secondary characters feeling like they belong to different shows.
Because the story is split between cities, major characters like Gabriel feel sidelined for long stretches. Yes, Gabriel is largely a side character in Season 5, which may dampen the experience for a significant portion of the fanbase. He only becomes truly relevant again in the final episode.
Furthermore, conflicts built up over multiple episodes (such as the financial crisis at Agence Grateau) are often resolved within minutes, undermining narrative tension. Just as the stakes rise, problems are conveniently wrapped up.
Overall, Emily in Paris Season 5 presents Emily as a more vulnerable and emotionally mature woman. She heads to Rome seeking growth and encounters Marcello while questioning whether she still wants the “sweet life” or her hard-earned career. Lily Collins delivers a more relatable, self-reflective Emily, while Sylvie remains a complete scene-stealer.
That said, Gabriel’s limited presence feels odd. The plot moves quickly, but major problems are resolved too easily, the love triangle feels repetitive, and some musical moments (like “Espresso”) are simply too much, especially with the heavy auto-tune.
Music and Other Departments?
The visual department excels at bestowing a “glossy tourist” aesthetic on the show. The cinematography uses heavy backlighting and golden-hour hues to make Italy look like a high-fashion dreamscape. However, we also get some scenes where the lighting looks hyper-saturated and more “Disneyfied”, making real-world locations feel like artificial sets.
The soundtrack successfully blends French pop with vintage Italian classics. While Ashley Park (Mindy) delivers high-energy musical set pieces, the heavy use of auto-tune on contemporary covers, like “Espresso”, looks messy and unnecessary.
The editing remains smooth and snappy, perfect for binge-watching. And, as always, the costume design remains spot-on. In fact, Season 5, by far, has the best costume design in the show’s history.
Costume designer Marylin Fitoussi pivots Emily from Parisian maximalism to grounded sensuality. Inspired by icons like Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren, the wardrobe features 1950s silhouettes, polka dots, and practical chic flats suited for Rome’s cobblestones.
Other Artists?
Minnie Driver as Princess Jane is a colourful and welcome addition to Emily in Paris. She also leaves a strong mark in Season 5. She brings a silent, grounded yet chaotic energy to the show, serving as a perfect foil to Sylvie and a great annoyance to Emily. She is a delight to watch.
Samuel Arnold and Bruno Gourey as Julien and Luc look as flawless and smooth as ever. Lucien Laviscount as Alfie does well with the role and screen time he has been given. Season 5 does miss Camille Razat as Camille, who left the show before filming for Season 5 commenced, leaving a significant void in the fifth season’s cast.
One of the biggest drawbacks of Season 5 is the “guest appearance” of Lucas Bravo as Gabriel. Yes, the fan-favourite Gabriel doesn’t get much screen time this time, which could upset the show’s fanbase. He largely remains sidelined while Emily stays in Rome and only arrives properly towards the end.
Another major issue is Eugenio Franceschini’s take on Marcello Muratori. The man looks charming as hell, but only visually. He doesn’t offer many expressions and comes across as a one-note performer. He plays a rich, stereotypical, fashionable Italian guy, the kind of character we’ve seen in countless shows and films. Even his dialogue feels like superficial fawning over Emily.
With so many parallel tracks and a revolving door of guest stars (including cameos like Bryan Greenberg), some supporting performances feel thin, as the actors have little time to ground their characters before the plot moves on to the next city.
Highlights?
Emily’s character growth
Leroy-Beaulieu’s outstanding performance as Sylvie
The “Rome Era” Setting
Costume Design
Minnie Driver’s addition as Princess Jane
Drawbacks?
Directional tonal issues,
Underused lead characters
Eugenio Franceschini’s performance
Weak conflict/problem resolution
Heavy use of auto-tune and Mindy’s messy cover of “Espresso”
Did I Enjoy It?
Mixed feelings. Emily’s personal growth and Sylvie were a treat to watch. Plus, Emily in Paris Season 5 benefits immensely from stunning Roman scenery and incredible costume design. However, the rushed plot, Gabriel’s absence, reduced screentime for supporting characters, and hurried problem-solving do more harm than good.
Will You Recommend It?
Only to the fans of the show or the viewers looking for a breezy binge-watch brimmed with plenty of romance, drama and comedy.
Emily in Paris Season 5 Netflix Series Review by Binged Bureau