emily in paris and the dolce vita industrial complex

also RIP don draper, you would've loved sylvie grateau. watch part 2 of emily in paris with me!

my emily in paris commentary series is back!

you can read part 1 (covers episodes 1-5) for free here. if you appreciate this kind of tv commentary, consider supporting with a paid subscription:

so if you follow the show, you know the big hook of part 2 is that emily goes to rome and the whole thing is like, roman holiday for gen z.

i’ve said before that this show is cocomelon for fashion girls—therefore, i try not to intellectualize the viewing experience too much—but i just HAVE to point out how this show has joined the ranks of la dolce vita industrial complex.

starting with la dolce vita (fellini, 1960), the film industry had a crucial role in shaping our global perception of italy as a romantic, passionate, rustic place people go to “escape” the grind of techno-modernism and “find themselves.” it’s why the glorification of italy is so common across the romantic comedy genre. and emily in paris part 2 is no exception, with its vespa rides through the trevi fountain and rose-tinted vignettes of communal pasta lunches.

okay, now that i’ve gotten *one critical thought* out of my system, let’s sit back with some popcorn and enjoy the show. we’ll cover:

• imaginative scenarios of how the emily in paris cinematic universe would interact with the mad men cinematic universe (cause don draper would 1000% simp for sylvie)

• gabriel’s advocacy for the ESL community

• the time camille looked like a winter edition sonny angel

• genevieve looking like a sandy liang shopgirl

• marcello’s episodes are basically one big brunello cucinelli ad

• and ofc, analysis of emily’s outfits and styling

we begin with: THE OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTY

• i would love to work at agence grateau in december. they would all clock out at 3pm and sylvie would be the kind of boss to give a really chic ass holiday gift to her employees, like a monogrammed tekla PJ set or the tomato loewe candle. sigh

• ahhhhh, christmastime in paris! i’m liking the festive winter setting for this. it’s a nice change of tone

• the winter coats are actually making me feel excited for cold weather

• emily’s look here feels like 2010s era jenna lyons with the bow tie and blazer lapels (remember when lena dunham and jenni konner showed up the met gala dressed as jenna lyons?)

• i want to see an episode where gabriel goes to wrigleyville chicago for a proper cooper christmas and they eat deep dish and go to a cubs game and then he gets a tummyache from the midwestern fromage during the 7th inning bc his french GI system isn’t built for american cheese

• omg…she would be from a turkey trot 5K family. also where did the ugly christmas sweaters come from? i doubt she bought them in paris and she definitely didn’t get them on vestiaire collective lol

• yes…if i were flying internationally i would also wear a newsboy cap, a heavy ass teddy coat and thigh high TRIPLE buckle boots to sit in a tiny metal tube for 9 hours

• ok if the airline says you’re business class WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TRY TO CORRECT THEM. just take the upgrade girl!!!!!

• but also, we’re supposed to believe she has all these $$ designer clothes but has only flown economy?

• peep the matching teddy shearling purse

• lol when she’s like “we should do the marketing for air france” this girlboss never misses a work opportunity. she would have thrived at sterling cooper. wait, her last name IS cooper…is she a secret descendant of burt cooper?

• wowwwww megeve is really cute. take me there now. i want to eat a piping hot hazelnut chocolate strawberry crepe in the cold with mittens and boots!

• camille looks like a sonny angel x hanes collab

• the winter snow outfits are really hitting for me. the hats!!!! i love that camille’s dad is a little eccentric and wears bright colors

• isn’t it interesting how gabriel is between the parents as if they were his own? and the grip the mom has on him. clever little hints that show how embedded he is in camille’s family life…

• i SHRIEKED at the screen. the coat?? the green mesh tights??? the boots with the orange heel????

• papa camille in a hanes onesie

• the ski costumes are giving me major winter style inspo. the little acorn hat is a clear audrey hepburn reference

• ughhhh gabriel and camille bickering is just so much drama, it’s so exhausting. i’d be pissed too if i were emily

• OK MEET CUTE WITH MR. EMILY IN ROME!

• they have way better chemistry together. i ship it

• go off emily. GET ANGRY! i found this to be so refreshing, her just venting and expressing how she really feels and being vulnerable instead of making jokes about how there’s 3 in the relationship. the resentment was simmering for a while

• wow. all this drama and camille isn’t even really pregnant

• emily’s emotional catharsis after she runs into alfie (who has a new gf) was a powerful scene for a show that’s usually so cocomelon cotton candy. it shows a side of lily collin’s acting we rarely get to see and i was moved by it

• this episode has me on emily’s side, i wanna see more emotional character development like this

• the outro of the sad church-y christmas music, the snow and emily bawling…why was this kind of a cinematic masterpiece?

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• wow ok these two in their villian era throwing emily’s christmas sweater at her. the car is cool though

• new character alert. hi genevieve! lmao the american girls at the office—two people who match each other’s freak!

• emily proposing a welcome lunch is so american corporate culture. she’s probably been WAITING for a moment to mentor to a younger girl in marketing

• wait why would brigitte macron follow emily on instagram??

• loved this montage. but also, why didn’t sylvie ever take emily shopping for a new french wardrobe? gen is so lucky that sylvie handed her a job, a salary and makeover. oh, to be an agence grateau nepo baby

• she would thrive as a sandy liang shopgirl

• emily nailing the hey bebe perfume pitch. it’s so funny to contrast the pitch scenes in this show to mad men. peggy olson preps for days, pulls all-nighters and has to re-do pitches bc the clients are wishy washy. emily never preps, comes up with the idea on the spot and the client always thinks it’s brilliant!

• this was the ESL advocacy we needed to hear. gabriel saying “i feel ripped off” felt harsh but he’s right about the fact that their relationship relied on him speaking mostly in english and emily not being able/willing to learn french fluently enough to meet in the middle

• hmmm i feel like i see where this is going…genevieve has taken an interest in gabriel

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• just two microtrend final boss besties at a polo match <3

• wish mindy had more character development though. all her scenes and storylines feel so stagnant idk what’s going on w her music career

• ok i was WONDERING when they would bring marcello back!

• he is 1000% not a goatherd lol

• emily saying she’s been to eataly is funny. like yes she’s kinda basic but is earnest and authentic about it. honestly i’d rather hang out with her than someone who’s a snob about it

• kicking my feet bc they have good chemistry!

• hair theory WHOMST. i feel like the bare forehead looks symbolize emily being more vulnerable and embracing her true self

• also sighhh gen asking about apartments. she’s creeping into emily’s life and crossing boundaries

• gen is emily’s karma though. cause emily did the same thing to camille when she moved to paris. will be interesting to see where they take this arc

• julien’s green blazer! corduroy bear fall

• bavazza espresso martinis is such a new york girlypop marketing idea

• i wonder what don draper would think of agence grateau. i mean he would definitely be drooling over sylvie’s but dump his deep-seated mommy issues on her. sylvie would humble him in an instant (he’d be into it though…). emily would be like a cross between peggy (the workholic mentee archetype) and megan (the fashion girlie/personality hire archetype)

• hah sylvie clocking the cashmere from marcello as “quiet luxury”—somehow i feel like she wouldn’t actually be into saying “quiet luxury” though

• mindy’s performance at crazy horse. i never expected them do the fully topless thing. this is a show where they boobs but draw the line at areolas.

• eye roll v exhausted of this love triangle dynamic. can the writers just move this along and give mindy a better storyline

• loving emily’s more undone looks in part 2 of this season—the knit sweater worn off the shoulder, the relaxed hair. she’s more comfortable and confident in her own skin

• every scene w gabriel so far just feels so heavy and exhausting and depressing. it just seems like he’s never able to be happy for other people unless things are going well for him

• and that’s why marcello’s energy just feels sooo much better. i can’t believe i’m rooting for them so much but i just really like them together!

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• athleisure queen doing her stair sprints

• outfits are getting good. i think her character growth is showing in the wardrobe choices—more power suiting, the slick back hair, the pops of red (mirroring marcello)

• someone please tell her she should be using ALL her PTO. sylvie is probably like thank GOD, go have fun bitch!

• emily in rome is marketing the italian dolce vita aesthetic to american audiences, in the tradition of eat pray love etc. setting aside the politics of western european tourism, this vespa ride scene through the landmarks was indeed fun to watch

• really just roman holiday for gen z

• the butterfly shaped backpack representing rebirth and new identities!

• sandy liang shopgirl.

• emily is LIVINGGG. we just rarely see her have pure fun and let loose and i’m rooting for this version of her. the fingered glove dress thing always makes me feel weird though lol

• oop sylvie crashing their romantic weekend with…talking business?? oh how the roles have been reversed.

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• shop talk over little breakfast cakes. i love seeing emily’s forehead

• JVMA is definitely LVMH

• another roman holiday homage

• ok marcello’s family business is 1000% supposed to be a fictional brunello cucinelli. the small family business, the whole “we treat our town workers like a family” thing, investing in the local infrastructure

• mama muratori is team “no phones at The Row”

• i kinda zoned out during this part but sylvie is also thriving in rome

• ok PERSONALLY i don’t really love the mindy musical performances that randomly get shoehorned into the show

• mindy overall just gets the typical side character treatment. it feels like she only exists on the show to launch the actress’s singing career cause why is the character/storytelling so flat

• love julien’s jacket. need to get a peek at his SSENSE wishlist…

• gen and gabriel are both very annoying lol. she’s gushing over him winning the michelin star while clearly he’s all moody and thinking of ~emily~

• celebrating bc they saved brunello cucinelli from going corporate. sylvie looks soo good in orange

• this is what i don’t like about gabriel! once things are going well for him (winning the m-star), he’s suddenly all cheery and wants emily back in his life

• why is it so comforting to see alfie back in the picture?

• gabriel being even more triggered when mindy says emily has MOVED ON SHE IS IN ITALY W HER NEW BF

• the end. emily has a new boyfriend and looks out the window of her agence grateau sponsored apartment, excited to market the shit out the dolce vita lifestyle for more brands :)

overall, i truly enjoyed part 2. the show felt like more of a drama at times, and i hope the writers give us more emotional scenes and character development.

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interviewer asks lilly collins where emily should travel next…

@marieclaire_auEmily in TOKYO?! #LilyCollins is already dreaming up the next location to take #EmilyInParis after a stop over in Rome 🇮🇹 Let’s hope Marcello comes with her… #emilyinparisseason4 #emilyinrome #netflixseries

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my response? emily in tokyo has been done, babes:

shoshanna in japan, GIRLS HBO

thanks for reading! i’m really on a film/tv kick lately :)

what are you guys watching right now?

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xoxo

viv