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A lot changes for American marketing executive Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) in Season 5 of Emily in Paris — so much so that she goes from Emily in Paris to Emily in Italy and back a few times. At the end of the Season 5 finale, it seems like the plucky fashionista could soon be heading off on yet another adventure abroad, this time to reunite with her ex-boyfriend Gabriel (Lucas Bravo).
All of Emily’s big decisions this season were made in the name of living what Collins calls a “fulfilled life.” For Emily, true fulfillment means success in her career, friendships, and romance — not so easily achieved. “Her focus is always split between work and relationships,” series creator Darren Star tells Tudum. “They’re both the priorities for her, and sometimes one gets in the way of the other, and vice versa.”
But as Emily continues to grow over the course of Season 5, she begins to take more risks and stand more confidently in all these different arenas. “This year, Emily continues to focus on her personal life, particularly through her relationship with Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini). This involves conscious choices,” says Collins. “While having a relationship is challenging, she still dedicates herself to her career and to proving herself to her colleagues and friends. I think that’s a great message: you don’t have to perfectly balance everything, you can discover the balance as you go.”
Discovering that elusive sense of balance means trusting your instincts, which is exactly what our American girl in Europe did over and over — and in two different countries — this season. “I’m proud of her for taking a leap of faith,” Collins shares. But where will Emily’s heart lead her next? Keep reading for Star and Collins’s takes on this burning question, as well as other Season 5 twists, turns, heartbreaks, and betrayals.
Is Emily getting back together with Gabriel?
“I think the door’s always open between those two,” Star says of what’s next for Emily and Gabriel. But to really address where these exes stand at the end of Season 5, we must first go back to its start. In Episode 1, Gabriel shows up in Rome ready to win Emily’s heart back. But when he catches a glimpse of how at peace she seems in her relationship with Marcello, he returns to Paris without disrupting her new life. “I loved that Gabriel understood her happiness with Marcello and allowed them to have their time together,” says Collins. “This speaks volumes about the growth of their friendship since Season 1 — they are more communicative, honest, and up-front with each other.”
After her initial breakup with Marcello, in Episode 4, Emily too returns to Paris, where she throws herself back into her work. Naturally, a professional crisis arises with Gabriel, who is the head chef at L’Esprit de Gigi, the Michelin-starred restaurant owned by one of Emily’s top clients, Antoine Lambert (William Abadie). In an attempt to ease tensions between Antoine and Gabriel over a new plant-based menu proposal, Emily gets Gabriel a gig serving up the fare at the opening of a hotel owned by billionaire Thomas Heatherton (Jonathan Cake). The rocket ship-obsessed entrepreneur is so impressed by Gabriel’s cooking that he offers him a full-time job as his private chef on his yacht, which means it’s Gabriel’s turn to leave Paris. Once again, Emily and Gabriel are forced to part ways with a bittersweet goodbye.
In the season’s final scene, Gabriel is on board Thomas’s yacht. He has just been given the next few weeks off to enjoy some leisure time in Greece when he receives a text from Sylvie — Emily is officially single. So, Gabriel writes Emily a postcard, inviting her to join him at sea. How Emily will respond remains to be seen.
“I don’t know what the future holds for Gabriel and Emily,” confesses Collins. “I appreciated that they were able to say goodbye gracefully, without knowing what comes next. Emily is supportive of his adventures and career, and she respects his journey without interfering. That kind of graceful goodbye felt deserved for the characters, and I’m not entirely sure where it will go from here.”
PHOTO BY GIULIA PARMIGIANI
Wait, so are Emily and Marcello broken up?
Yes. The Emily Cooper audiences met in Season 1 is very different from the Emily Cooper at the end of Season 5. She’s spent the previous seasons learning how to open herself up to new opportunities and relationships, and her romance with Marcello is one she makes sure to give a fair chance — though it ultimately doesn’t work out.
Tasked with heading up Agence Grateau’s new Rome office, Emily has relocated to Italy at the start of Season 5. There, she invests in her connection with Marcello — as well as in her professional development, by handling finicky new client Muratori. The Italian cashmere business is run by Marcello’s mother, Antonia (Anna Galiena), who isn’t interested in brand evolution. Unfortunately, in Episode 4, the intimate launch party Emily arranges for Muratori’s new scent has unintended negative consequences: An unsanctioned livestream transforms Muratori’s fictional home of Solitano from a quiet village to an overrun tourist trap. Infuriated by the perceived destruction of her home, Antonia fires Agence Grateau.
But fallout from the perfume party isn’t confined to Emily’s work life. Marcello tells Emily that thanks to the successful fragrance launch, the luxury goods conglomerate JVMA has upped its offer to acquire Muratori, revealing that he’s been negotiating a deal the entire time they’ve been working together … and never told Emily. Feeling betrayed, Emily breaks things off with Marcello and heads back to Paris. But something about the hasty decision doesn’t seem final …
In Episode 7, Emily finds out that Marcello has left his family’s company and is now starting his own fashion house with her best friend Mindy’s (Ashley Park) on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nicolas (Paul Forman). With Marcello back in her orbit — and his new label in need of a marketing firm — Emily does some serious soul-searching and realizes she may have run away from their relationship too soon.
“Emily allows herself to fully experience her emotions before deciding whether to give it another shot,” says Collins. “She doesn’t let ego get in the way of something meaningful. This says a lot about her character and growth — she allows herself to feel deeply, give of herself, and ultimately recognize when something isn’t right for her.” Emily and Marcello reunite.
Emily secures Marcello’s new fashion house a spot at Venice Fashion Week, and the show is such a hit that even his mother is impressed. Finally, Antonia embraces her son’s new venture — which means Marcello and the brand are moving back to Solitano. He invites Emily to join him there and help lead the company into the future, but she’s torn. On a gondola ride through Venice in the finale, Emily mistakenly believes her boyfriend is about to propose. In that moment, she realizes she cannot leave her life in Paris and blurts out a rejection. It turns out, though, that Marcello was just holding the ring for Nico, who then pops the question to Mindy (more on that later). But the damage is done, and Emily and Marcello must face the reality that their desires don’t align, so they go their separate ways once again.
Their second split, in the season finale, may be Emily’s most mature romantic decision yet, because “she doesn’t judge herself, and neither does Marcello,” Collins explains. “They both acknowledge the care they have for each other and the incredible experiences they shared. But they realize they want different things. It’s a powerful lesson: You can love someone and still let them go for the good of both people.”
What happens between Mindy and Alfie?
While Emily is in Rome, Mindy and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) end up joining her for professional reasons. But, business soon turns to pleasure for Emily’s best friend and ex, as they reluctantly build a connection with each other. Although the relationship was meant to be a travel hookup, it doesn’t end when Mindy and Alfie return to Paris. Even when Emily is back in the City of Light, Mindy and Alfie can’t quit each other. Right before they come clean to Emily about the secret affair, however, one of Mindy’s exes, Nico, pops back into her life to beg for another chance. With old feelings stirred up, Mindy decides she’s not ready to go public about her situationship with Alfie. This upsets him, so he breaks things off.
According to Star, “There was nothing that was crossing the line about Mindy and Alfie being together,” especially since Emily and Alfie only want the best for each other, as they expressed during their unexpected Christmas meeting in Season 4. Collins agrees, saying, “It’s important for the characters to thrive independently.”
PHOTO BY MARIE ETCHEGOYEN
How does Emily react when she finds out about Mindy and Alfie?
Though Star says the Mindy-Alfie romance was above board, Emily is still deeply hurt when she finally finds out about it from a disgruntled Geneviève (Thalia Besson), whom Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) had just instructed Emily to fire. “It was more about the secret being kept from Emily than the fact of their relationship,” Star says. Collins agrees. “The most painful part of the Mindy and Alfie storyline was the lying,” she shares. “There’s a really beautiful argument within it about transparency in friendships. Emily could have been okay with Mindy being with Alfie if it was what she wanted, but the dishonesty made it hurt.” When the truth does come out, Emily and Mindy have their biggest fight yet, and only after a full episode of serious strife do the two finally make amends.
“Every year we’ve gotten to see their friendship grow and strengthen,” Collins says. “There have been little moments of heat here and there, specifically last season, that caused slight cracks in the system, but this year, it was important to really show the depth and strength of their friendship, even in the face of something so shocking.”
That’s why no one goes scorched Earth — and each woman tries to protect the other’s feelings throughout. “It was crucial that this storyline felt real, full of pain and anger, but also understanding, from both Mindy and Emily,” Collins adds. “I was deeply moved by some of the scenes working with Ashley because Emily genuinely wants Mindy to be happy, and Mindy genuinely wants Emily to be happy. There’s an honesty and vulnerability in their friendship that is so important and beautiful.”
Is Mindy engaged now?
As the season goes on, Mindy and Alfie’s natural chemistry remains strong — even after they stop sleeping together — but she’s drawn back into a romance with Nico. In an attempt to prove that he can prioritize his relationship with Mindy, Nico leaves his family’s company, JVMA. It’s the grand gesture she’s been waiting for, and the two get back together. But Alfie isn’t so easily convinced that Nico has changed. In Episode 8, he warns Mindy that her boyfriend is “a snake.” Then, in the finale, while she’s away in Venice, Alfie calls Mindy to make it clear he still has feelings for her.
“I know we like to joke and tease each other a lot, but don’t pretend we don’t have something,” he says, and the two make plans to meet when she returns home.
Of course, those plans never materialize, because Nico proposes to Mindy while in Venice — and she excitedly accepts. Afterward, back in Paris, Mindy runs into Alfie, who is shocked to see her engagement ring and tells her she’s making a big mistake. The proclamation leaves Mindy shaken, and when Emily asks her BFF if she still has feelings for Alfie, she’s speechless. “By the end of the season, everything really hits the fan: Mindy might be engaged, but there’s still tension with Alfie,” says Collins. “It’ll be interesting to see how that drama unfolds.”
According to Star, at the start of her dalliance with Alfie, “Mindy felt like it wasn’t going to go anywhere. It was a fling.” But, in their final scene, it’s obvious: “They both felt something deeper than they expected with each other.”
How is business for Agence Grateau?
On her quest to ensure that Agence Grateau’s Rome office be successful, Sylvie enlists the help of an old friend, Princess Jane (Minnie Driver). With her many connections, Jane is able to introduce the team to potential new clients, but her flamboyant personality and shameless self-promotion are a bit irksome, especially to Emily. Despite the tension, a successful networking event at Jane’s palazzo persuades Sylvie to bring the princess on as a consultant in the role of “Senior Executive of Brand Relationships.” Princess Jane’s presence at the agency eventually leads to the unraveling of Emily’s relationship with Muratori: Jane is the one responsible for that disastrous livestream in Solitano. Since Agence Grateau has already lost almost all its other Italian clients by Episode 4 — Luc’s (Bruno Gouery) extracurricular affairs blew up the Bavazza account — Sylvie makes the difficult decision to close the Rome office. The team then returns to Paris, where business remains stable — for a while, anyway.
In the finale, when Sylvie finds out that Emily has turned down the opportunity to work full time for Muratori, she’s shocked, especially since she encouraged her American protégé to jump at the opportunity. It turns out that Agence Grateau is facing serious financial difficulty, thanks to Sylvie’s husband Laurent’s (Arnaud Binard) debts. Because he doesn’t have the money to pay off his loans, Sylvie’s mother, Héloïse (Liliane Rovère), who went into business with Laurent in Season 4, and Sylvie herself may be saddled with the bill — even in the case of a divorce, though Sylvie demands one immediately.
Emily is equally shocked when she returns to the agency’s Paris office to see that Princess Jane is back in the picture. After the recent death of her husband, Jane sold his palazzo to the Four Seasons, making a fortune. Now, she’s putting the funds toward saving Agence Grateau, coming on as an equity partner — which will likely cause a different kind of trouble.
“Throughout the season, you can see cracks in the relationships between Princess Jane, Sylvie, and Emily,” Star says. “By the end, Princess Jane actually unifies Sylvie and Emily in a fun way — they sense a kind of alliance forming, realizing, ‘Okay, things are about to get real, and we’re going to have to figure this out together.’ I love ending the season on this note of camaraderie, work relationships, female friendship, and mutual support, as Sylvia and Emily navigate working with Princess Jane.”
Emily in Paris Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
Go Behind the Scenes of Emily in Paris Season 5
