How the Cliffhanger Ending of Emily in Paris Season 5 Could Be Setting Up the Series’ Romantic Endgame

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Another season of Emily in Paris, another will-they-won’t-they cliffhanger ending.

The fifth season of the popular romantic comedy-drama, created by Darren Star, is now available on Netflix. It follows Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), an American living abroad, as she travels between Rome, a charming Italian village, Paris, and Venice, while dealing with the challenges and joys of work and love.

Season 3 begins with Emily now in Rome, having landed a new role leading the Italian branch of Agence Grateau and enjoying a relationship with Italian fashion heir, Marcello. Things get complicated when her former Parisian love interest, Gabriel, arrives hoping to rekindle their romance. Seeing Emily with Marcello, he unexpectedly returns to Paris without a word. However, after some setbacks force Sylvie to close the Rome office, Emily and the team head back to Paris, bringing Emily and Gabriel back together.

Throughout most of the fifth season, Emily focuses on building a relationship with Marcello, despite a short period where they split up. Meanwhile, Gabriel gets a job as a private chef for a wealthy billionaire, Thomas Heatherton, and travels the world. However, Gabriel unexpectedly returns to Paris for a few hours in episode nine and shares a lunch with Emily, giving fans who hope for them a glimmer of possibility. Though Gabriel confesses he followed Emily to Rome and wishes her happiness with Marcello, the chemistry between them is still clear—especially during a poignant scene set to Mindy’s emotional performance of “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge. Despite this connection, the episode concludes with Emily and Marcello finally saying “I love you,” suggesting Emily is ready to fully commit to Marcello and move on from Gabriel.

Back in October 2024, Tom Sandoval expressed concerns about returning for Season 5 of Vanderpump Rules, stemming from dissatisfaction with how Gabriel Coric’s character had evolved. He told IndieWire that he felt increasingly disconnected from Gabriel, who initially reminded him of his younger self. Sandoval explained that Gabriel started as a confident and charming character in Season 1, but later became portrayed as consistently lost, manipulated, and unaware of what was happening around him. Sandoval found it difficult to film scenes with a character he once loved, as he watched Gabriel’s personality change drastically, feeling like the character was being diminished.

I was so relieved to hear Bravo is definitely back for this season! Star recently told Deadline that he thinks everything was just a big misunderstanding, and that the actor never actually meant to leave the show. It’s great to know he always intended to return!

While Gabriel sailing away at sunset and Emily starting a relationship with Marcello seemed like a fitting end to the chef’s story, it wasn’t quite the case. The finale suggests Gabriel’s story isn’t over. Emily discovered an engagement ring in Marcello’s suitcase during their Venice trip and immediately shut down any proposal, realizing she didn’t want to leave her life in Paris to marry him and move to Solitano. However, it turned out the ring wasn’t for Emily at all – it belonged to Nico, who then proposed to Mindy, creating a very awkward situation.

Emily’s argument effectively ends her relationship with Marcello, and she goes back to Paris by herself. Meanwhile, Sylvie texts Gabriel – who has just found out he’s unexpectedly free for a few weeks in Greece – to let him know Emily is single. Gabriel instantly decides to send Emily a postcard, pretending to be on a voyage without her and suggesting they meet up in Greece.

After so many seasons, it seems almost certain that Emily and Gabriel will eventually end up together. Hopefully, the next season takes Emily to a new city – perhaps Athens!

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2025-12-18 14:06