Fashion, food, and flirtation are the primary love languages of "Emily in Paris," all tripled in season three No one, not even a fan like me, would put Darren Star's romantic comedy in the category of great shows (although it is one of Netflix's best shows) It's "un petit plaisir," or "a little treat," as the characters describe the fast-food dishes in the first episode

A little, very pleasant treat, but not empty calories either Season 3 of "Emily in Paris" is richer and more nourishing thanks to the focus on characters other than the protagonist's junior marketing executive, played by Lily Collins

The irrepressibly chic Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) has grown beyond her horribly snarky boss to almost a co-lead Her career and love life are as fascinating or more so than Emily's And Mindy, played by Ashley Park, now has a brighter spotlight (and more musical numbers)

Of course, this is a show called "Emily in Paris," so a lot hangs on the (often bare) shoulders and giblets of the lead Collins is as effervescent and charming as ever, but Emily's magical marketing tricks are hilarious Then again, this Netflix show is by no means rooted in realism It is essentially a modern-day fairy tale, and this "Emily in Paris" Season 3 review treats it as such Because once you fall in love with the show, as Emilie herself does in Paris, you will want to stay with it

When a show has a character's name in its title, it is a given that that person will get most of the screen time and participate in most of the storylines; this was not the case with "Andor," one of the best shows of 2022 The same was true of "Emilie in Paris" until its third season

Yes, Collins still gets significant screen time and Emily is involved in many plots But season 3 wisely broadens its horizons to elevate the other characters, namely Sylvie and Mindy

Sylvie has always been an important figure on the show, mostly as Emily's boss In the third season, Leroy-Beaulieu did a beautiful job of turning Sylvie into her own persona, unrelated to Emily After leaving Savoir in glory, she set about creating a new agency where she could call all the shots Leroy-Beaulieu is in top form, balancing Sylvie's intelligence and sex appeal

Also, Sylvie's love life is more fully explored, and is more interesting and complex than any of the other characters Her relationships with her younger boyfriend Eric (Søren Blegendal) and her not-quite-ex-husband Laurent (Arnaud Binard) are the main driving forces, but other past relationships are also implied and could become stories in future seasons

In Season 3 of "Emily in Paris," Mindy's ambition and love take center stage several times She delivers several great songs and performances, most notably the memorable duet "Shallow," which also serves as a romantic turning point The park has a natural and gentle atmosphere, and Mindy often serves as a stronghold for Emily

But as I said, giving Leroy-Beaulieu and Park more playing time makes the show less of a monologue and more of an ensemble Gabrielle's scenes with Camille (Camille Lazat), Antoine (William Abadie), and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) take her beyond the confines of being Emily's handsome love interest

Speaking of Alfie, I thought he might not be long for the show, since Emily and Gabriel are clearly the endgame However, Laviscount has managed to make an impression in the role of basically an obstacle

Like another of Starr's films, "Sex and the City," "Emily in Paris" has always focused on the outfits While I doubt that any real person would have such an array of outfits, I decided a long time ago to follow the show's wardrobe choices Fashion is art

Fashion is also used as a driving force in the plot of "Emily in Paris" Season 3, as Sylvie and Madeline (Kate Walsh) show up to an event wearing the same dress This highlights the differences between the women, not only in physical form but also in essence Or when Mindy decides to wear an outgoing dominatrix flight attendant outfit to a date with Nicholas (Paul Foreman) It represents her regaining control of her romantic life after being ghosted

It's not just the clothes that are visually pleasing on this show Season 3 of "Emily in Paris" continues to use actual locations in Paris and France, incorporating more "food porn" with shots of delicious-looking food at Gabrielle's restaurant and other locations

Emily doesn't pretend to be anything other than an American living in Paris who doesn't speak French well And the show never pretends to be anything other than a lighthearted, escapist rom-com, dressed in outrageous fashion

The workplace element's insistence on portraying Emily as a marketing whiz sometimes makes me cringe At least the show seems to acknowledge how annoying she can be as a co-worker, and yet, more than once, she saves the day with her too-good-to-be-true ideas

Emily and Gabriel's "will they or won't" relationship is getting a bit tiresome, and this question needs to be answered in a meaningful way soon The cliffhanger at the end of the season makes me worry that the situation will continue unresolved

But despite the show's inherent shortcomings, this review of "Emily in Paris" Season 3 shows that it has taken a big step forward (in pinwheels) by weaving in the inner lives of characters not named Emily The result is a more colorful and seductive tapestry