What the Hell Is Going on With Gabriel in Emily in Paris?

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Watching the next-to-last episode of Emily in Paris Season 5 while under the influence of an edible is not a good idea. The episode, titled “La Belle Époque,” is incredibly bizarre and dreamlike – it honestly felt a little unsettling. The show seems to use this strange sequence to write off Emily’s main love interest, Gabriel (played by Lucas Bravo), though it’s not entirely clear if that’s what’s happening. If you’re not caught up, watching “La Belle Époque” by itself is a good way to see just how wonderfully weird this show has become.

If you’d rather skip to the important bits, here’s what happens in the new season: After causing a bit of a tourist frenzy in Italy, Emily returns to Paris and continues to be indecisive about her relationship with Marcello, who’s a bit of a pushover. He’s trying to launch his own fashion line instead of focusing on his family’s business, which is a distraction. Meanwhile, Emily’s marketing firm takes on a project for an absinthe company, planning a party inspired by early 1900s Paris. This leads to a bizarre side plot where Mindy lands a role as a rat in a remake of Moulin Rouge!, complete with exaggerated features. Emily also has a thoughtful conversation with Luc about nostalgia. Finally, she gets a request from Gabriel, who’s traveling the world as a chef – could she please deliver his forgotten knives to the train station?

Gabriel hasn’t been a major part of the story this season. We learned through Emily that his restaurant faced unexpected financial issues after earning a Michelin star. He then surprisingly decided to switch to vegan cuisine, which his investor didn’t like. Gabriel reacted as usual – stubbornly – and left to become a private chef for a wealthy client. It seems like this storyline is a response to comments made by Bravo, where Gabriel expressed his dislike of filming the show and feeling his character had become uninteresting. (The idea for the vegan restaurant reportedly came from him.) When Emily and Gabriel, sporting some questionable blond highlights, reconnect at a train station, it feels like the show is preparing to move past an actor who no longer wants to be involved.

The situation gets even stranger. Emily and Gabriel share a conversation in a beautiful restaurant inside the train station that feels like a discussion between the show’s creators and the network executive himself. They reminisce about when their lives were more carefree and less complicated, subtly referencing the show’s own journey. Emily apologizes for pressuring Gabriel about getting a Michelin star. Gabriel responds, sounding forced, that she was supportive. He adds that people often look back on the past with rose-tinted glasses, reminding her that things weren’t easy back then either. Despite the oddness of the scene – it almost feels like something is wrong – Lily Collins and Lucas Bravo still have noticeable chemistry. Their connection is far stronger than anything Emily shares with Marcello.

The scene cuts between Ashley Park’s Mindy powerfully singing “Come What May” and Emily and Gabriel facing each other at a train station. Gabriel confesses he followed Emily to Rome after she left Paris, but seeing her appear so happy with Marcello made him change his mind and not interfere. His apology feels insincere. Meanwhile, Mindy’s song swells as Gabriel delivers his lines in a flat, unnatural way. They have a rather obvious conversation about how the term “La Belle Époque” wasn’t coined until after the period itself was over, right before Gabriel boards the train. Emily suddenly remembers she never returned a gift – a set of knives – and rushes to give them to him, handing them over as Mindy’s song reaches its peak. The whole scene is excessively bright, almost as if it’s taking place in another world.

The final 11 minutes of the episode focus on an absinthe party and Marcello’s continued disapproval of Emily’s fashion ideas. These issues are quickly resolved when Marcello announces he’s organized a fashion show in Venice, leading to a happy kiss between him and Emily. This leaves viewers wondering if Emily will choose Italy over France permanently – but probably not! The season ends in a similarly unusual way to the episode before it, though nothing could top the memorably strange scene set to “Come What May.” Everyone travels to Venice, the fashion show faces some problems but ultimately succeeds, and Emily and Marcello seem like a promising couple. However, a misunderstanding leads Emily to believe Marcello is proposing (it was actually Mindy’s boyfriend!), causing her to panic. They have an honest conversation by a canal and finally admit what had become clear: they aren’t meant to be. Emily returns to Paris single, meaning season six will likely introduce a new love interest for her.

The scene shifts to Gabriel, who is cooking for a wealthy client on a yacht. He learns he has a few weeks off in Greece right when he receives a text from Sylvie, a supporter of a Gabriel and Emily romance. Sylvie lets him know Emily has returned to Paris and is single. Sylvie playfully adds, “Do with that information what you will.” Gabriel immediately acts, sending Emily a flirty postcard with the message “You up?” and an invitation to join him on his yacht, playfully labeled “From Greece With Love.” The season ends with a shot of Lucas Bravo posing on the yacht before the credits roll.

So many questions are swirling around the show! Did Lucas Bravo briefly leave, then return for the ninth episode? Will he be stuck playing the only romantic interest for another season, even if he doesn’t want to? And how much will he be paid for it? Will the show move to Greece – maybe for a wedding in Mykonos? Is this change of scenery connected to financial incentives offered by the Greek government? Could all of this be part of a larger deal with France about funding the show, with Darren Star’s award from President Macron also playing a role? Honestly, why is it so difficult to find another attractive European actor who has a good connection with Lily Collins? I don’t have any answers. All I know is that Lucas Bravo seems eager to move on, but the writers keep bringing his character back. Hopefully, he’ll use his earnings from another season to get a great new hairstyle.

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2025-12-20 00:00