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Spoilers for Emily in Paris season three ahead!
When he meets Emily Cooper in the very first episode of Emily in Paris, Gabriel’s demeanor is completely, indisputably horny.
When the flustered Ms. Cooper promises not to “bang” on his door anymore, Gabriel adds, “No problem. You can bang anytime.”
And my crush on the fictional Frenchman was born.
With his swoopy chestnut hair, sleepy blue eyes, and god-like jaw, Gabriel ticks all of the boxes of My Type. He’s a cross between Notting Hill-era Hugh Grant and unsung rom-com hero Michael Vartan (the teacher in Never Been Kissed, for the uninitiated), but taller and French-er. Gabriel is a chef (hot) who is unavailable (also hot) and attempting unsuccessfully to quit his crush (the hottest!).
So how is it possible that a man who looks like that, with an accent like that, and can make an omelet that tastes like that was a complete turn off in season three? I did not believe it was possible to be so uninspired by a man I find so attractive, and yet…
In the latest installment of Darren Star’s hit Netflix show, which debuted on December 21, Gabriel is stiff, boring, and lacking all the flirty French charm that every other male character (even the Brit Alfie) seem to possess as a given in this show. In the first few episodes, I suspected that this Gabriel erasure was intentional—didn’t Carrie date Aiden for a season or two, even though we knew she was destined for life with Big? Maybe creator Darren Star was intentionally distancing us from the chef, letting us believe that he was no longer on the menu—only to reverse course later on. Maybe, like the McRib, Gabriel would, in fact, be available again some day.
But this theory didn’t hold water as the season continued. Midway through, we get the sense that Gabriel and Emily are tempting fate: They escape an outdoor movie night with friends for a corny Instagram-friendly “experience” alone; they dine at a romantic, Michelin star restaurant in the French countryside; they spend a week in each other’s company when Emily volunteers to waitress at Gabriel’s restaurant during her brief fling with unemployed life. But not even a full seven days in the most sexually charged environment known to man—the service industry—made me believe that Gabriel was desirable. There’s more sexual tension between Bert and Ernie than between Emily and her former lover.
And yet, Camille says in the season finale, “everyone” can see that Emily and Gabriel are in love. I just don’t buy it. Where’s the witty banter? The electric shoulder brushes? The longing stares? The sexual innuendos? Where is Gabriel’s dimension?
To be clear, I don’t blame Bravo himself. I don’t think it’s his fault that the writers sent his character and Emily to tourist traps (that Instagram installation, gag) and expected it to be cute. As written, Gabriel was one note, a sexy robot devoid of personality.
And while it’s true that at the start of the season both Emily and Gabriel are in committed relationships with other people—she’s dating British finance bro Aflie (Lucien Laviscount), and he Camille (Camille Razat), the art gallerist/champagne heiress—remember that this was the case at the beginning of season one as well. Now, maybe there’s a universe in which Emily and Gabriel are really, truly trying to fight their feelings for one another and be Good People, despite their initial spark and sexual history. But that universe is certainly not one created by the man who brought us Sex and the City.
Plus, I thought the French were supposed to be flirts by nature! Bravo said it himself in an October 2022 interview, telling InStyle (in so many words) that being horny was simply the French way. “It’s part of the culture to be in this constant seductive communication, which doesn’t imply that there’s an interest behind it, but it’s just more fun and this is what makes Paris so romantic and philosophical and poetic,” Bravo said. “I experienced it in my past, having this [love] language … and being confronted [by] someone who misunderstood my intentions. I think it’s one of the cultural gaps we have between the States and Paris.”
My point is: I just want to lust after my hot French chef again. I hope I will in season four.
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