Caution: Spoilers ahead for Emily in Paris season 2
introduced an expansive cast of characters, the show largely focused on Emily Cooper's fish-out-of-water storyline, watching as Lily Collin's character somewhat unbelievably navigated her new life in Paris and found friends on every corner. From her heartthrob of a neighbor, Chef Gabriel, to Mindy, the former heiress turned nanny, Emily found herself building a formidable social circle in the City of Light.
When Emily found herself working at Savoir, a French marketing firm, she also met a slew of standout characters, including her hilariously mean boss Sylvie, and Luc and Julien, two co-workers who root for Emily from the sidelines. There is also Kate Walsh's Madeline, who finally gets her due in Emily In Paris season 2. Prior to season 2, though, most of the character's in Emily In Paris weren't given much to do, even if many of them seemed much more interesting than the show's titular character. Luckily, season 2 fixes this.
In Emily In Paris season 2, many of the show's characters have their own moments to shine outside of Emily's orbit. Gabriel's journey with his new restaurant, Chez Lavaux, ultimately forces him work with Emily, but it also finally has Lucas Bravo doing something other than pining after her - even if he is still always doing that in the background. In an effort to change this, though, Emily In Paris sidelines the Gabriel romance for other adventures in love, including ones involving people other than Collin's character, even if she does have her own subplot involving British transplant Alfie.
Sylvie also gets to date someone, a young photographer who does various jobs for Savoir and only discovers later that Sylvie is actually married (even if its out of convenience rather than true love). With a show focused so much on debatably and delightfully insufferable millennials, it's refreshing to see an older woman have agency over her own dating and sex life, one that doesn't end in heartbreak or use Sylvie's age as the butt of a joke at her expense. It's Sylvie that ultimately gets the last laugh and this is a plot that calls back to Emily In Paris creator Darren Star's Sex and the City bonafides.
Finally, Emily's best friend Mindy also gets her own romance. After working as the bathroom attendant at a drag club in exchange for a couple of opportunities to sing, Mindy is approached by Benoît and Étienne to their band and it's not exactly what she imagined. Benoît and Étienne's band peddles on the street for tips, but it's ultimately a liberating experience for Mindy as she finds her confidence in singing and falls in love with Benoît. Although their relationship faces some hardships, especially when Mindy's identity is inadvertently exposed by Étienne, in the show's hopelessly romantic world everything turns out okay and Mindy gets one of the happiest moments of Emily In Paris season 2's ending.
While some critics have questioned why Emily In Paris is so popular while not necessarily being good, season 2 makes it clear that the show has a lot of potential. From making fun of itself and its fashion to slyly riffing on the criticisms leveled at season 1, Emily In Paris has potential, even if its still a guilty pleasure. What Emily In Paris season 2 does, though, is make it clear that a lot of potential lies in the side characters of the series. With such a stellar cast, it felt wasteful to not hone in on the colorful side characters that populate Emily's corner of the City of Light. With continued focus on the many side characters, though, and Emily's own misadventures, it's clear that season 3 could be its best yet.