Sacré bleu! The waiting game begins for anyone who watched all 10 episodes of Netflix's new rom-com series Emily in Paris and is dying to know what happens next.
The finale—titled “Cancel Couture”—was so jam-packed with developments, but it's the last 10 minutes that we really need to talk about. (Consider this your spoiler warning.) It all starts when Camille and Gabriel get into a fight because he turned down her parents' offer to help him buy a restaurant in Paris. Instead, he invested in one a few hours away in Normandy. Camille is heartbroken and turns to Emily, who says she'll be there for her friend. (Remember, Camille still doesn't know that Emily and Gabriel have kissed. Twice.)
Later, Gabriel visits Emily to let her know that he and Camille are going their separate ways, both figuratively and literally, and gives her his omelet pan as a parting gift. (Omelet pans = the new flowers.) Emily's best friend Mindy overhears—and once Gabriel leaves, she tries to convince Emily to act on the fact that the “hot chef is leaving Paris and he's single.” Emily doesn't want to hear it. (But I do.)
Besides, Emily has other options: Mainly, Pierre Cadault's right-hand man, Mathieu, who has invited Emily to go with him for the weekend to Saint-Tropez. She says yes, but isn't as excited as she'd be if she were going with Gabriel. Later that evening, when Emily's colleagues gets together at Gabriel's restaurant to celebrate the success of Pierre Cadault at Paris Fashion Week, Antoine wants to know why the hottest young chef in Paris is leaving. Gabriel says the owner wants to sell the restaurant, but it's too expensive for him to buy. That's the end of that—for now.
When everyone starts to leave, Mathieu wants Emily to come with him to a PFW after-party, but Emily takes a raincheck. Then, with Mathieu standing way too close, Emily and Gabriel have an awkward goodbye, which means you know we're in for something good later on.
Sure enough, an hour or so later, we see a lonely Emily drinking wine on the balcony of her apartment when she sees Gabriel closing up the restaurant. She runs downstairs and bangs on the door until Gabriel appears. “I didn't want that to be the last time we saw each other,” she says, breathlessly. "I'm going to miss you so much." With that, he kisses her…and the two can barely make it up the stairs to his apartment before they're in bed. (Count of hands if you've re-watched that scene 10 times already.)
After their magical encounter, Gabriel says he's thought about the moment so many times. She says the same…but, she adds, she shouldn't see him again because then they'd be hurting someone they really care about. He understands and starts gently kissing her hand. They talk about how the moment feels like a dream and kiss some more, and you probably started searching, “Is chef Gabriel single in real life?” (He is.)
Later, Emily's at work and somehow not beaming from ear to ear when the icon that is Sylvie says she's decided not to file Emily's termination paperwork (long story). But if Emily remains at the company, Sylvie won't be so easy on her going forward. Damn straight, Sylvie.
After work, Mathieu texts Emily that he's booked the train to Saint-Tropez. She confirms, obviously because we're going to need more obstacles for our protagonist. As she walks by Gabriel's now seemingly-closed restaurant, Antoine calls out Emily's name. He says he's there for business, which confuses Emily, until Gabriel walks out with champagne. Turns out Antoine is backing Gabriel at the restaurant so he can stay in Paris. Gabriel is giddy and excitedly kisses Emily on the cheek before he goes inside to grab another glass. Just then, Camille texts Emily and says, "I just heard from Gabriel. He's staying in Paris. Can we talk???” And scene.
“It's a huge cliffhanger,” Lily Collins (Emily) tells me. “I'm excited to see how Emily handles this. She really values the friendship she has with Gabriel and the trust that she and her friends have and what she's built for herself. So in what capacity do you put that into jeopardy for love? What's more important—the love of friendship, or exploring what that means in a different way? It's complicated.”
Lucas Bravo (Gabriel) is equally torn. “It's a tough question," he says of whether Gabriel should be single for a while, work things out with Camille, or try things with Emily. “I think he loves Camille very much, but he also shares a lot of passion with Emily. There's sexual chemistry, yes, but there's more to it than that. I think he's still in the process of understanding what's going on. It will be up to Darren [Star] to decide.”
So that's exactly what I did when I Zoomed with creator Darren Star to get as many answers as possible and, most importantly, find out about a much-needed season two. Hang on to your berets—there's a lot to get to.
Glamour: Let's talk about the chemistry with Lily and Lucas as Emily and Gabriel. Was that something you picked up on immediately, or did it evolve throughout filming? And if so, did it change or impact how you ended the season?
Darren Star: From the time Lucas came into the room and read with Lily, there was a lot of chemistry. They liked each other, which is really important. So I felt like Lucas and Lily could basically deliver on the scripts and the material and how we wanted it to go. With that said, you never know until you’re filming it. The scripts were written, but the chemistry was there on the screen from the beginning.
There are so many cliffhangers in the finale. What was the most challenging part to write?
I think it’s to make it feel organic, while also making the surprises come from left field, but also where you're like, “Oh, that could happen!” You want to be surprised by the unexpected while also making it feel like the seeds were already planted along the way.
I expect fans will be excited when Emily and Gabriel sleep together. You?
I hope they say, “Wow, finally!” I really feel like that scene delivers on the promise of wanting to see them together. It’s about the romance and more romantic than sexual. I thought it was done in a really beautiful and sensual way. But it's hot, too.
But once Cami finds out, is this friendship with Emily over? Or is there a world in which they're still friends?
I don’t know what she’s found out. [Laughs] Or what she will find out.
Meanwhile, I thought Emily’s ex-boyfriend from Chicago would show up in the finale wanting to get back together. Do you have plans to bring that character back?
I wouldn’t say she’s never going to hear from him again in some way, shape, or form. It was something that was considered during the season, but no matter where we went with it, it felt like it was going to be a blind alley. We didn’t want to introduce that as a red herring because I thought we had better stories to tell.
Makes sense. Speaking of the Chicago characters, I love Kate Walsh as Emily's boss. Was this role written for Kate? And how much might we see of her in a potential season two?
It was not written for Kate, but Andy Fleming, who directed a number of the episodes, is friends with her and sent her the script. She said yes, and I was like, wow. Once Kate Walsh came into the picture, I was like, “I want to see her again.” I love her, and boy is she funny. We had all these storylines with Kate Walsh’s character coming back in season one, but it would have been a blind alley of having her come and leave. There was just too much story for Emily. I think in season two I would love to see Kate Walsh in Paris.
That brings me to the obvious question: Lily said she wants a season two. Clearly you do as well?
Of course we want a season two!
How far down the line have you thought about these stories? Where are you in terms of that process?
Nowhere. [Laughs] I feel like writers are inspired by deadlines and reality, so when it happens, there are definitely storylines that have been in my head that I’d love to explore.
Like what?
We'll see more of Emily's work family, absolutely. Especially Sylvie, who I feel like is so mysterious. I want to understand her more and know more about her, without totally knowing, if that makes sense. She’s someone that doesn’t reveal herself too quickly. She has a whole life that we haven’t even scratched the surface.
Was Pierre Cadault based off on anyone in the fashion world, or is he an amalgamation of a bunch of people?
I think he’s a little Karl Lagerfeld…just all these great, iconic French courtiers, fashion designers. But Jean-Christophe Bouvet is fantastic as Pierre, and he just made it so much fun. He nailed the role.
Tell me about casting Sylvie, played by Phillippine Leroy-Beaulieu. How did you know she was the right one for the role?
From the beginning, I really loved Phillippine. I had seen her on tape in LA and then met her in Paris a couple times. We had some wonderful actresses meeting me and reading for that role. It was a tough choice, but Phillipine brought a sense of humor and vulnerability to Sylvie. It’s funny to me to see her be mean because there’s a defensiveness behind it.
Fans love Mindy and Emily's friendship. In the last episode, Mindy moves in with Emily. Will we see them live together if there's a season two?
I think so! Any excuse to see more of Mindy, I am all for.
The Loire Valley episode was such a trip, especially meeting Camille's family. Do you hope to do more episodes outside of Paris next season?
We haven’t thought specifically, but seeing more of France is definitely something I’d love to do more on the show. If we can get to Italy, I’d love that. It’s just about where the stories take us. As much as we get to see the wonderful sides of Paris and France, it has to ultimately be driven by telling a good story first. The scenery comes second. But I love Camille’s family. I love them all. That’s a show in itself.
Do you think it might be easier to get the show back into production sooner than later since Europe seems to have the pandemic a bit more under control?
If we get picked up, I hope we’ll be back in Paris next spring and things will ease up a little bit. We start filming Younger soon in New York, so that will be an interesting challenge, but it’s possible. I think hopefully we’ll be in a better place by next spring. I really hope so.
Finally, what do you hope viewers take away from Emily’s journey?
I hope that when COVID is over, the show inspires people to travel and see more of the world and get a passport and leave their comfort zone. Travel really expands you, your mind, and your point of view on the world.
Emily in Paris is currently streaming on Netflix.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.
