(Credits: Netflix)

Now that season five of Emily in Paris is just three weeks away, it’s time for us to recap what happened in season four of the show. Well, it basically said, “Bienvenue to emotional damage,” and then threw Emily into wintry Paris, where everyone looks gorgeous but also extremely stressed. And honestly, it fits. Because season four was not cute brunches and accidental viral marketing moments anymore. It was adulthood finally hitting Emily. And she is right in the middle of it, smiling through the meltdown like a professional.

Everything felt a bit heavier in season four, and please don’t confuse that for sad. Just heavy. Imagine the moment when your life stops being a vacation, and suddenly you realise you probably need a plan; it’s exactly that. This season, Emily realised that she cannot charm her way out of everything, even though she absolutely tries.

And the finale. Oh my god. Nothing explosive. No giant twist. Just a shift that feels way more personal. A city change. A man on a mission. Another man gracefully exiting. A best friend singing her heart out in Rome. If Paris is in the rearview mirror, Rome is on the horizon. And standing right between them is Emily.

So yes. Let’s break down what actually happened because a lot went down, and all of it matters.

What happens to Emily at the end?

Emily’s whole finale is basically one long “right place, wrong time, but also right time” situation. Her holiday fling with Marcello in the Alps turns out to be more than a cute story for her Instagram grid. He is tied to a serious Italian luxury cashmere brand, his family has real influence, and the whole thing instantly becomes both personal and professional. Sylvie, who has now fully mastered the art of turning Emily’s mess into agency profit, sees the opportunity and pushes her to chase it properly.

Emily leans into it, obviously. She travels to Rome, makes her pitch, and ends up impressing Marcello’s mother, who is not easily charmed. That win leads to something much bigger. Agence Grateau secures Italian clients, and Rome becomes more than a holiday backdrop. While Sylvie takes the big swing and makes Emily head of the agency’s new Rome office. Not a consultant, not a temporary assistant, but the actual boss of an entire branch.

For Emily, this is huge. For the first time since she flew in from Chicago with one suitcase and blind optimism, she is not just adapting to someone else’s plan. She is stepping into a role that she earned. The finale does not present it as a clean break from Paris. It is more like an expansion. Rome is a six-month commitment, a whole new city. But Paris still has her friends, her tangled love life, and her emotional history.

Emily and Gabriel: Are they finally together?

Season four finally forces Emily and Gabriel to stop pretending their connection is just an unfortunate side effect of living on the same staircase. They say the thing out loud at last. They love each other. Everyone knew that already, but hearing them acknowledge it changes the energy completely. The problem is that the timing, as usual, is a mess.

Gabriel goes through an entire character upgrade this season. At the start, he is juggling three heavy things at once: a possible Michelin star, impending fatherhood, and his feelings for Emily that keep slipping out around the edges. When Camille exits and the pregnancy scare resolves, he is left with two clear priorities: his restaurant and his heart. For once, he chooses growth first. He fixes his kitchen, faces his ambition properly, wins his star, and only then realises that he is ready to fight for Emily instead of pretending to bump into her by accident.

By the time he reaches that clarity, Emily is in motion. She is building a life in Rome. She is pulling away from old habits and trying very hard not to build her future around a man who took four seasons to figure himself out. The final moments hint that Gabriel is heading to Rome, finally chasing her instead of being the one who is conveniently nearby. It does not confirm a reunion, but it sets them up for something more equal than their original situation.

Emily and Alfie: Is it really over?

Alfie spends season four walking around with a bruise on his ego and a crack in his trust, and honestly, he earns the right to be upset. What went down at the wedding in season three did real damage. He is not the type to cling to drama, but his view of Emily shifts. This season gives him more depth. Under the jokes and the charisma, he is someone who actually expects honesty from the people he loves, and once that is gone, it is difficult to pretend.

Their breakup at Roland Garros is theatrical in the way only Emily in Paris can pull off. Centre court, a huge crowd, a kiss that doubles as a goodbye. The important part comes later at Christmas, when they have a more grown-up conversation. They finally admit that being together means Alfie constantly standing in the shadow of Emily’s unresolved bond with Gabriel, and he is not willing to live in that position forever.

The show closes the door on them without slamming it. They still care about each other, but they let go before resentment rots the whole thing. It feels like one of the most emotionally mature choices anyone has made all season.

Who is Marcello really, and what does he mean for Emily?

Marcello is not just a pretty Italian man who appears in the Alps to keep the plot cute. He is a walking turning point. At first, he feels like a fantasy element: the charming stranger, the flirtation, the one that got away. Then the show pulls him back into Emily’s life. He is connected socially to Nicolas, and his family runs a high-end Italian label that becomes central to Agence Grateau’s expansion.

For Emily, he represents something different from Gabriel and Alfie. Gabriel is history, guilt, and years of chemistry. Alfie is stable and honest. And Marcello… he is a possibility. With him, she is not trying to fix old mistakes or prove she can be loyal. She is getting into something new where her career and her personal life intersect in a way that does not automatically feel wrong.

The season does not label him as “the one”, but it shows him as a serious presence. He opens doors she did not even know were available. Through him, she meets clients and earns responsibility that is not just handed out of pity or desperation. He is not just a love interest but a bridge to Emily’s life forward.

What happens to Mindy at the end?

Mindy spends the season reaching her limit with men who want to manage her rather than stand beside her. Nico starts to look less like a partner and more like a glittery version of the controlling father she walked away from. His decision to sabotage her Eurovision chance by licensing the band’s song is the final straw. That move wipes out her big professional moment and exposes exactly where his loyalty lies.

After that, she runs to Rome with Emily, but it is not an escape so much as a reset. The performance in the street, where strangers record her singing an original song, becomes the emotional high point of her arc. No stage, no contest rules. Just Mindy doing what she does best and being seen for it.

How does Sylvie shape Emily’s ending?

Sylvie has one of the most satisfying evolutions in the show, which is very little talked about. She starts as Emily’s sharpest critic, the person who cannot stand her optimism and marketing experiments, and ends up seeing her as a genuine asset. Season four pushes Sylvie into uncomfortable territory with the JVMA scandal and her own past, forcing her to test how much she is willing to compromise for power.

Emily’s role in her life shifts from annoying intern to indispensable partner. Emily helps with clients and supports her through messy professional politics. But most importantly, she refuses to leave even when Sylvie makes her life difficult. By the finale, Sylvie does not just tolerate her. She trusts her with an entire office in another country. That promotion is practically a love letter in Sylvie’s language.

Making Emily head of Rome is a strategic choice, but it is also an admission. Sylvie knows the agency would be weaker without her. Handing her the Rome project is a way of telling her that she believes in Emily.

So is Emily really moving to Rome?

Yes, but in a very, how to say it, well, Emily way. She is moving without fully leaving. Professionally, she is stepping into Rome with a proper job title, where there are clients who need her and a boss who believes in her, so overall it looks happy. However, emotionally, she is still tethered to Paris by friendship and a chef who finally decided to grow up.

The ending is less about choosing one city over the other and more about showing that Emily’s world has expanded. She is not just “the American in Paris” anymore. She is becoming someone who can hold more than one thing at once. Season four leaves her walking straight into that challenge, which feels exactly right for a character who never really belonged in a small box in the first place.