Creator on Love Triangle Chaos, Season 6

[This story contains spoilers from the Emily in Paris season five finale.]

Lily Collins‘ Emily is finding what she truly loves in season five of Netflix‘s Emily in Paris, and surprisingly, it’s not necessarily a man.

The new installment of creator Darren Star‘s show sees Paris’ favorite American trying to adapt to her new life in Rome, while also trying to run Agence Grateau’s office in the Italian capital and keep her new relationship alive with Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini).

But when she’s faced with some hurdles with her career, friendship with Mindy (Ashley Park) and romance with Marcello, she seeks stability in Paris. And after 10 episodes of ups and downs, chaos and laughter, Emily realizes her heart ultimately belongs in France’s capital. So when Marcello asks her to come live with him in his small Italian town, she decides that’s his dream, not hers, leading them to go their separate ways in the season finale.

“I think ultimately that’s where her heart was and it kind of clarified for her the fact that she wants to be in Paris and she wants to live there and it’s not a temporary thing,” Star tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Below, Star unpacks Emily’s journey this season with Marcello, Mindy’s love triangle and showing a vulnerable side of Sylvie. He also teases what a potential sixth season would look like with Emily and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo): “I do believe that people can find their way back to each other.”

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Five seasons in, how do you make sure Emily is still growing, maturing and learning, compared to season one Emily, and what conversations did you have with Lily Collins about it?

It’s something Lily wants and expects, and it’s more of what I discussed with my writing team; it’s something we focus on. I think it’s really important that Emily does grow and I think she did this season. It was a more mature season for her, and I also think her French has improved. 

Lucas Bravo previously said he may not return for season five, as he wasn’t happy with Gabriel’s recent decisions. But I see he did return and really goes off on his own this season. What conversations did you have with Lucas about his character’s storyline?

No conversations at all, actually. He just wanted to be part of the season and trusted me that he’d be happy, and I think he was. 

So what did the discussions look like in the writers room that led to Gabriel leaving Paris?

Gabriel was a bit off on his own journey this season. I think there wasn’t really room in the story for Emily and Gabriel; that wasn’t what the season was about. But at the same time, he’s been part of the fabric of the show since the beginning, so it’s a character I didn’t want to see disappear. 

You also included an American-themed Fourth of July episode this season. Why was it important to dedicate a whole episode to Emily’s home?

I just feel like it would be something anybody would think about from the United States, living in Paris all that time. You’d get homesick. We wanted to really play with that, address that. And also, be able to play what it means to be an American in Paris on the Fourth of July. 

Mindy has also found herself in her own love triangle this season, with Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and Nicolas (Paul Forman). Can you talk me through how she got there, as well as that surprising proposal in the finale? 

Mindy went from having sort of nothing to too much, and the idea of Mindy and Alfie was just too irresistible, these two troublemakers who find each other. I suspected they might have good chemistry as actors. They’d have great chemistry with anybody because both of them have so much charisma, and they’re so much fun and outgoing and to see them together, I knew that definitely the sparks would fly. But her heart is also with Nicholas who really hurt her. So there’s a lot of mixed and confusing emotions she has to deal with. 

Even though Emily and Marcello had some ups and downs this season, it initially seemed like they were going to be endgame. What led to the decision to have them ultimately break up in the finale? 

The story was always in my mind that Emily would be faced with this decision of moving with Marcello to his small town in Italy and choosing what that life would be for her, and I think ultimately that’s just not the choice she wanted to make for her life. And even though it really wasn’t put on the table for her, it would have eventually gotten there, and I think she saw there was a big fork in the road for her in terms of what she wanted out of her life. 

Was there ever the idea of Emily doing long distance with Marcello?

I think he was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to be long distance. It was going to be his life there and she was going to join him there. 

When they split, Emily stresses the importance of her own career and the life she’s built for herself in Paris. Is your goal to have Emily represent today’s type of independent woman? 

I think she does. That’s sort of what this exemplifies. That ending is that she really chooses her own life in Paris and her work, and what she’s worked so hard for to achieve. I think ultimately that’s where her heart was and it clarified for her the fact that she wants to be in Paris and she wants to live there, and it’s not a temporary thing. 

As for Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulie), while she always holds herself high and keeps people are arm’s length, we start to see her go through it this season with her divorce from Laurent and then almost losing Agence Grateau. Can you talk about showing a more vulnerable side to Sylvie?

I really wanted to see some more vulnerability with Sylvie. I think you always want to see the cracks in the armor of characters, but you have to find out how to get there. So we really got to see more insight into her personal life and I do believe Sylvia has a lot of heart, especially when it comes to concerns of Emily. 

Some other countries have campaigned for Emily to visit them as well, such as Lisbon’s mayor recently. Would you be open to branching out beyond Paris and Italy? I know Greece is teased at the end of season five, where Gabriel is located. 

It all depends on where the story takes us. It has to be motivated organically by the storyline. But yeah, I would say Greece is definitely teased and I hope Emily says yes to that invitation. 

Following that finale, it sets up an Emily and Gabriel reunion. If the show is renewed for a sixth season, what are your hopes regarding next season’s storyline?

I don’t think that Emily and Gabrielle would be… I don’t think it’ll be an instant relationship, though I do believe that people can find their way back to each other. 

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Season five of Emily in Paris is currently streaming on Netflix.