Emily in Paris – Lost in Translation

By: Mariah Thomas

In order to help fund her band’s Eurovision journey, Mindy (Ashley Park) debates picking up a new job. However, it would have her singing topless. She and Emily (Lily Collins) discuss the pros and cons of that. They also discuss Emily’s desire to talk to Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) not liking how things were left and if they are even officially broken up. As fate would have it, she runs into him as she is leaving for work. He is smoking outside and has a very somber mood to him. Last episode, Cami (Camille Razat) revealed she had something to share about the baby but we don’t see the conversation. His conversation with Emily is cut short when Cami pulls up in her car to pick Gabriel up for lunch. This leaves Emily to assume they have gotten back together.

When she arrives at work, Luc (Bruno Gouery) and Julien (Samuel Arnold) quickly inform her of the new American in the office and how Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) has a step daughter. Before she can fully react, Sylvie calls her into her office. She assigns Emily to keep Geneviève (Thalia Besson) out of her hair. The two meet and immediately bond, deciding to go out for lunch. While out, Emily gives her some tips for around the office. Geneviève spots a French celebrity who Emily reveals follows her on instagram. She approaches to say hello and we see the language barrier that slows down the conversation. This will be important later.

At lunch with Gabriel and Cami, we learn she did finally tell him the truth about the false positive. However, she brought him to lunch at an old chapel with a purpose. She wanted them to sit down and discuss adoption possibilities through her family’s church. Gabriel is immediately caught off guard and Cami says she thought things were changing between them and they still had a chance. He simply says they both deserve to have babies someday with people they are in love with. To Cami’s dismay, even with Emily out of the picture, Gabriel still doesn’t choose her.

Sylvie and Geneviève begin to bond slightly. Her husband has to jet off to tend to a club of his in another town. She tells Geneviève this after she expresses her excitement to tell her dad about her first day. Sylvie, trying to cheer her up, says they are going out shopping because she dresses too much like an American. While out, Geneviève reveals her parents still spend time together when he is in New York. Her father and Sylvie have an open marriage, but in the last year that dynamic had shifted in Sylvie’s eyes. To spark jealousy in him, she goes to his Paris club and dances with a random man sensually. The club manager tells her that her secret is safe from her husband, but she tells him she wants him to know.

Geneviève has become Emily’s shadow at work and Emily is happy to be a mentor. She advocates for her to sit in on a meeting and attend a work shoot with her. As the pair head out, she opens up about Gabriel. She has expressed her admiration for Emily and being in awe of her. In a brilliant shot, as they walk off to the shoot, Geneviève walks directly behind Emily as her shadow.

Emily has set up a cooking segment on a popular show for Gabriel’s restaurant. Before heading there, she stops to apologize to Cami. She brings her a gift for the baby and she is offended before realizing Gabriel hadn’t told her yet. Once at the restaurant, it is clear that Gabriel is tense. He is emotionally capped from the break up and processing the baby news. This season has heavily featured more French compared to previous ones. It does so in a way that showcases Emily’s inability to understand and that she has yet to learn much. The director of the shoot asks Emily something in French and she doesn’t understand so Gabriel translates. The two step out and Emily confronts him about not telling her about the baby. She is hurt because he doesn’t confide in her and she is usually the last to know. She says they have communication issues, but not because of him. He then proceeds to rant his feelings in French. In short, he is processing the fact there isn’t a baby, he is frustrated about the restaurant and Michelian star ordeal. He pictured a life for himself that included Emily, the baby and the restaurant doing well. Emily is overwhelmed as she can’t understand and Gabriel just says “exactly.” He walks off and Geneviève approaches Emily asking if she can talk to him to ease his feelings before the shoot since she speaks a little French. She easily gets through to him and Emily is stunned. She then asks if she can translate what Gabriel said to her earlier. She feigns not understanding much and water downs his words to be more offensive to Emily. Hurt, she leaves the shoot early. Once home she practices apologizing to Gabriel through a translation app to teach herself how to do so in French. In the midst of her sad, wine night in, Mindy convinces her to go out. As the walk past Gabriel’s restaurant they see he is still there with Geneviève. The two laugh over drinks and Emily sees her true colors.