This article is authorized to be reproduced from the public account "not worthy of film reviews" (ID: B_Films)
Author: White Tower
In 2022, Emily can still be in Paris.
As a soap opera in-depth enthusiast, I think my tolerance for most TV series is still quite high, and I rarely give bad reviews. But for Netflix's self-made drama "Emily in Paris", I have to ask: Why can this bad drama be renewed?!
The second season of "Emily in Paris" dropped to 6.4
I still remember when the first season was officially announced, I had the expectation of watching a new generation of "Gossip Girl" and "Sex and the City", and on the first day of its shelves, I rushed to open it, holding melon seeds and potato chips, ready to watch it in one breath.
But as it turned out, before the second episode was over, I frowned and closed the page. Awkward lines, dirty plots, stereotypical characters, and cheap textures with mesh filters... There are so many slots that I don't know if this earthy drama is being filmed seriously or in high-grade black.
However, "Emily in Paris", which was "ridiculed" by the whole network, seemed to have mastered the traffic code, and became the most popular comedy TV series in Netflix in 2020, and even won the Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award nomination for best comedy.
Stills from Emily in Paris
Although it was unbelievable, my friends who followed the drama with me said that they liked the drama and even turned it over and watched it several times. She felt that the play was "brainless" enough, and she could guess the direction of the plot or even the next line when she closed her eyes, which was very suitable for watching when you need to relax after work.
What's more, emily (lily collins) and the male protagonist Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) are indeed pleasing to the eye, and there is nothing to pick as a next meal drama.
Emily (Lily Collins) and male protagonist Gabriel (Lucas Bravo)
I finally finished reading it with a hard head. I can't describe exactly what it was like to watch a movie, it was as faint as if I was brushing Weibo and watching short videos, with a swipe of my finger, and a few hours had passed. But if you ask me what I've seen, I'll probably be speechless for a moment.
To sum up, this drama is really bad, but it can also make some people can't stop watching it.
"The ParisIan Era of Small Times"
As the name suggests, "Emily in Paris" tells the story of emily, an American, who moved to Paris temporarily for a year because of her work, and her job in Paris is to integrate American ideas into a Marketing Company in France.
But to put it bluntly, it's not so much "Emily in Paris" as it is about Emily running into walls in Paris.
Emily, a native of Chicago, is a typical middle-class white American girl. She is confident and generous, lively and cheerful, and her words are full of optimism and positive attitude towards life.
As a marketing executive, Emily knows everything about social media operations and is willing to share everything about life in Paris online, so she has become a "net red blogger" with a large number of fans.
Emily (Lily Collins) is keen to take photos on social media
However, Emily's American extroverted personality is not very popular in France.
In the eyes of her French boss, Sylvie, Emily's positive tone seems to be "screaming", it is disrespectful to them to come to Paris to work without learning French, and her daily colorful clothing is always particularly eye-catching among the French who prefer dark colors.
Just by going out to buy a loaf of bread, Emily will also be lectured by the shop owner because of the masculine expression of "pain au chocolat" (chocolate bread). At work, she was frequently ridiculed by her superiors and colleagues because she did not understand the social etiquette and habits of the French.
Emily is lectured by the bakery owner because of a masculine misrepresentation of French words
Fortunately, soon after, Emily's relationship with her neighbor Gabriel and her girlfriend Camille gradually became close, and she also accidentally met Mindy, a Chinese-American with the same dilemma, in the park, and became a good girlfriend. Although Sylvie still has a lot of prejudices against Emily, her diligence has also won her acclaim for her performance.
Emily's Parisian life is finally getting better. But then, a French ménage à trois (three-person concubine) dog blood script fell into her hands again.
At the end of the first season, Emily and Gabriel have a quick relationship after confirming their intentions. Emily had thought Gabriel was about to move out of Paris, and that night might be the last time they would see each other.
Unexpectedly, Gabriel, who had just broken up with Kamil, chose to stay because of an investment in a restaurant. At the same time, Kamil is unaware of Emily's relationship with Gabriel, and has been immersed in the pain of the breakup, frequently complaining to Emily.
Gabriel chose to stay in Paris because of an investment in a restaurant
In this way, the friendship of the three people began to become subtle. The second season logically opens up further discussions about the relationship between the three.
The first half of the season still revolves around some of the problems that arise with Emily's work in France, exploring cultural differences between the United States and France, such as Emily still working on weekends and holidays and disturbing colleagues, which is illegal in France.
At the same time, Emily also has some troubles in her emotional life. She has been hiding her relationship with Gabriel and trying to reconcile the depressed Kamil and Gabriel.
However, in the end, the paper wrapped up was not hot, and a good drama that can be called the French version of "Little Times" was staged.
The classic section of "Little Times"
The flashpoint comes at a birthday party. Kamil finds a pan engraved with Gabriel's name at the home of her birthday star Emily, and Camil understands what the pot means to her boyfriend.
So in the toast, Camille incarnated as the French "Nanxiang", and on this gorgeous night, tore away the true face of plastic sisterhood: "Honor our hostess Emily, she did make a lot of mistakes in Paris, she pretended to be my friend but had a leg with my boyfriend." ”
This passage seems to be a reproduction of the classic bridge section of "Small Times". The French "Nanxiang" almost spilled champagne on the head of the American "Gu Li", and then sent a sentence of "Bad!" stink! "Life is blessed.
I thought there would be some surprises after that, but the second half of the second season was like a boat floating aimlessly on the Seine. Originally a farce of three people, but it became a contest between two girls, Gabriel directly invisible, watching the food tasteless.
The appearance of Her French classmate Alfie gives Emily a step, allowing her to escape from the ambiguous relationship that has become tainted. But apart from their half-baked romance with Alfie, there is not much substance in their emotional progression.
Emily and French classmate Alfie (Lucian Laviscott)
I have to say that I have not seen such a dirty and vulgar and bloody Mary Sue fashion drama for a long time.
Shoot well, don't shoot again.
The Paris that Americans love is not so magical
Many people say that they did not expect that in 2020, Americans are still filming the paris of their imagination, is it because the charm of Paris is too big or the obsession of Americans?
Some people on Quora, which is known as the "American version of Zhihu", also asked: Why do Americans love Paris so much?
Stills from Emily in Paris
The most positive response read: "Americans seem to be obsessed with Paris, when in fact they are obsessed with the imagination of Paris created by the outside world." Hollywood has also used Paris' prestige and artistic mecca to construct the city's image — an international beacon hungry for romance.
They argue: You should go to Paris at some point, inadvertently fall in love, be abandoned, and then let your tears drip from a lonely habitat on the New Bridge into the Seine. ”
Stills from Paris, I Love You
"Paris", "Midnight Paris", "Paris, I Love You", "Paris Two Days"... In Hollywood movies, there are countless works with "Paris" in their names alone, and the themes are nothing more than comedy or love. "Emily in Paris" also failed to get out of this circle.
Indeed, the centuries-old French architecture of Paris, the exquisite cafés on the corner, the baguettes and the scent of carols wafting from the Boulangerie (bakery) are enough to stop.
Whether under the Eiffel Tower, on the banks of the Seine or in an unknown side street, french people who love life and art can be seen singing, painting and reading.
Stills from Midnight in Paris
To say that Paris is unattractive is unconscionable. But the beauty of film and television works is placed in reality, and it is always discounted a little. It's just that this discount in Paris may be a few more points.
Behind the classical old houses on the street, there is no aging problem of elevators and infrastructure such as water pipes and circuits;
Outside the café, there are French people who love to smoke, and cigarette butts can be seen everywhere on the ground;
Don't patronize the scenery while walking on the cobblestone road, but also beware of the ubiquitous thieves and homeless people who urinate somewhere.
Oh, and don't forget to see if there's on the pavement – Parisians love dogs, but they don't love to clean up.
Of course, as Quora's respondents said, what people actually like is the beautiful imagination of "Paris". Because even if they know that it has a lot of flaws, people are still willing to pay for the good part.
"Emily in Paris" also seized this point, reliving the beauty of Paris from an American perspective, and also bumped into a good time.
When the first season of 2020 aired, the United States was in the midst of an outbreak. While being overwhelmed by frequent bans, the play restores a Paris without masks, free to travel, and living everything normally, which can indeed give people a sense of breathing and escape.
At the same time, the emptiness brought about by the "anti-depth" and "anti-hierarchical" brain-dead plot of the play also seems to be telling the audience: Don't care too much about what I am acting, it is okay to be distracted, life is already so difficult, everyone will look at the beauty of the beauty, enjoy it.
This may be the magic of "Emily in Paris" can make people feel "rotten and good-looking".
Emily's courage
Although I didn't like the show, I envied Emily's confidence and fearlessness.
Because in a way, through Emily, I saw some of the qualities I had longed for.
Emily
I went to high school in France when I was 15 years old, and like Emily, I only knew about France before I went abroad, and I only stayed in tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and I couldn't speak a word of French. But unlike Emily, I wasn't as confident and cheerful as she was, and my English was only so-so.
Although the gap between 15-year-old high school students and 20-something professional elites is not a star and a half, I may have more than Emily when it comes to the number of times I have encountered a wall in France.
In the first semester of my sophomore year of high school, my geography and history teacher (yes, one teacher teaches two classes) and Emily's boss, Sylvie, did almost the same thing.
Emily and boss Sylvie (Filipin Leroy-Bolillo)
Before the first lesson I told him he didn't speak French and was studying. But he looked at me with disdain and said sarcastically, "What are you doing in France without French?" ”
I didn't have Emily's courage to fight back, and I could only say sorry and sit obediently in the corner of the last row. In the months that followed, he ignored my presence, didn't communicate with me at all, and wouldn't even send me exam papers during exams.
Seeing the blank stares that Emily and Sylvie encountered when they worked together, this ancient memory of mine also came to mind.
Looking back now, I may feel that everything is light and breezy, but at that time, I was more resentful of how I did not learn French well, and I also felt helpless and sad for a long time.
Many people complained that Emily worked and lived in France, but the French language did not grow at all, and the people around her were accommodating her. As everyone knows, moving to a strange country to start a new life already requires great courage.
Emily's ability to remain optimistic in the face of language, culture and living habits and difficulties, insisting on painting exquisite makeup, and wearing "chinese clothes" that others do not understand is enough to make me applaud her.
In addition, it is worth affirming that the second season is no longer Emily's one-man show, and the increase in supporting roles has also added some humor to the cheesy plot.
In addition to continuing to make a big fuss about bashing stereotypes, this season has also had more portrayals of emotions, whether it is a friendship problem or a spark of a new relationship, which has been interpreted to a certain extent.
But unfortunately, watching the first part may still be a little fresh, but the second part still takes the same route, and it begins to have some aesthetic fatigue.
Emily is still that Emily, and the bad drama is still the bad drama.
Does Netflix still want to head out of the third season? I think so.
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