‘Emily in Paris’ Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: What’s It All About, Alfie?
Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) is very bad at making decisions. It’s what drives her narrative in the Darren Star Netflix series. Despite stretching herself thin trying to please Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and Madeline (Kate Walsh), Emily never loses her charm. And that’s part of the appeal of Emily in Paris. And with that, we bring you our recap of “What’s It All About…”
[SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains spoilers regarding Emily in Paris Season 3 Episode 2, “What’s It All About…”]
Mindy delivers a sick burn in “What’s It All About…”
Emily’s Paris bestie Mindy‘s (Ashley Park) narrative takes a back seat for the most part, but the character is always good for grounding Emily. An aspiring singer, Mindy fills Emily in on the jazz club gig she turned down because she didn’t want to leave her busking buddies behind. “I don’t want to work in two places at once,” Mindy tells her double-dipping friend — a sick burn for audiences, but a truth Emily must come to terms with in episode 2.
Emily gets karmic payback in episode 2
In addition to the incredible bit of advice Mindy serves up, Emily learns Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and her friends have been keeping her in the dark. Her French class paramour left for London in the first episode of season 3, but he’s back in Paris working a new job in episode 2. Antoine (William Abadie) appoints him the new CFO of Maison Lavaux, which Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Camille (Camille Razat) were privy to, but not Emily.
“You’ve kept things from me before, didn’t you?” Camille tells Emily when she confronts her about withholding the truth. Slay, Camille, slay.
Later at an amicable but awkward dinner, Alfie says he connected with Antoine at the going away dinner Emily missed. He admittedly hid the news from Emily because he felt like they weren’t on the same page, nor did Alfie want Emily to think he was returning to Paris for her.
“I put myself out there and you left me hanging,” Alfie says. Come on, Cooper.
Sylvie’s new company loses their biggest client
Perhaps the most important thing to mention in this recap is the battle between Sylvie and Madeline, who both want the biggest and best clients in Emily in Paris Season 3. After realizing she won’t be able to find a president to fill Sylvie’s position that isn’t Sylvie, Madeline agrees to offer her the job back during a Pierre Cadault (Jean-Christophe Bouvet) event.
Madeline grovels, says she took for granted what Sylvie brought to the company, and ultimately asks her back as the president of Savoir. Sylvie, the queen of petty, tells Madeline she doesn’t fit at an American company, much like Madeline doesn’t fit into the French designer she’s wearing. This is the ultimate faux pas, though, because Pierre announces his brand has been acquired by the family-owned conglomerate JVMA. Since they handle all of their marketing in house, Sylvie and her micro-firm are out their one and only client.
Following this bombshell, Sylvie meets with Nicolas de Leon (Paul Forman), who offers her and her team a job with JVMA. But as Luc (Bruno Gouery) reminds Sylvie, “it’s not easy starting a new business.” She declines the JVMA offer to pursue other luxury clients on her own.
Dionne Warwick’s ‘Alfie’ saves Emily’s shot at love
We can’t get through this recap without mentioning singing legend Dionne Warwick for whom the Emily in Paris episode was named. Only a grand gesture can save what’s left of the romance between Emily and Alfie and she gives him just that by performing “Alfie” amid Mindy’s set at the Fête de la Musique.
Regardless of how corny it is, Emily’s gesture works. But how long will it be before she disappoints Alfie again?
Watch Emily in Paris on Netflix.
