Emily in Paris season 5 isn't home sweet Rome, but an Italian holiday from hell — and Marcello is the biggest disappointment of all

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Spoilers follow Emily in Paris Season 5.

The minute I heard Emily in Paris Season 5 was actually going to be Emily in Rome In the first season, I breathed a sigh of relief. After four seasons of Emily (Lily Collins) relentlessly chasing Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), getting into relationships she shouldn't have, and making chaotic work decisions that accidentally made her a PR success story, we needed a change of scenery.

I was desperate for a boost of fresh energy and a sense that the tried and tested format could be updated in a way that still honored the show's foundations. But, God, how wrong I was. As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it—and after watching this entire season, I feel like I accidentally brought to life a crappier version of what we already had.

The worst part is that the show is now faltering because instead of letting the story unfold naturally, the decisions made by its creative team are, frankly, confusing.

At the end of last season, Emily met Italian handsome Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) and was ready to take her career to the next level by heading the new Agence Grateau office in Rome. However, Emily in Paris 5 he abandons his ancestor's plan, unnecessarily dragging Sylvie (Filipino Leroy-Beaulieu), Luc (Bruno Gueri) and Julian (Samuel Arnold) into Emily's new Italian life. On top of that, Marcello turns out to be the most disgusting and offensive guy since Logan (Matt Czuchry) in Gilmore Girls.

We're less than halfway through season five in Rome, and Emily's devilishly hard work there had me practically crying for more of Gabriel's screen time. How have things changed so much in a year without the show?

It's not easy to say, but I truly believe that fabric Emily in Paris Season five was torn to shreds by poor creative decisions. And not just in one area, but in all areas.

Let's start with Rome. In this season's premiere, Emily learns that her dream in the season four finale of leading the Agence Grateau in Rome was nothing more than a hoax. Instead, Sylvie decides to send the entire team to Rome and resume her leadership there, which in turn negates the career advancement of the series' protagonist in the fourth season.

Not only is Emily unsatisfied at work (mostly because everyone around her is determined to make her feel inadequate or fail at their terrible decisions), but her personal life isn't going too well. The Marcello we met in season four is sexy, mysterious and full of possibility. However, in season five, he is selfish, frivolous, and not very interested in building partnerships.

By episode five, all of the above had fallen apart. What's the point of this colossal coup if you're not going to do everything possible for your main character? In retrospect, it all seems pointless and a missed opportunity—but we're only scratching the surface.

For example, despite the spoilers, Mindy's best friend (Ashley Park) is in a relationship with someone she shouldn't be with. When she lies to Emily about this, they get into a huge, albeit unnecessary fight. With every couple flitting between two men at any given moment, the tedious angst is another sign of subpar storyline development.

Netflix series like this. Now that Mindy has joined the romantically hesitant Emily in the worst possible way, investing in all sorts of Emily in Paris relationships have never been so superficial.

The couple's various romances, like their friendships, offer nothing of value, instead only delving into shock factor that doesn't do anyone justice. Emily and Mindy used to have such a healthy, nurturing relationship that has now turned into interference from the mean girls of high school. What happened to girls before boys?

The same can be said for Emily and Gabriel, who are in a difficult position between lovers and friends, although Bravo has almost no screen time. It's as if the show's creators know they made a mistake by sending Emily to Rome and are now trying to furiously backtrack by inserting Gabriel into scenes that later seem less coherent.

Fortunately, there is potential for Emily in Paris Season 6 (which is currently unconfirmed) to remedy this. If that happens, I think season six should be the show's last – and you'll see what I mean when you watch this season finale. If our ultimate goal Emily in Paris In order for Emily and Gabriel to finally live happily ever after, they have one last chance to board the proverbial plane.

Basically, I'm just desperately trying to reframe my past thoughts and bring Gabriel back into the fold of Emily's love life. We thought the change would work, but after it was destroyed, the only option for the show's creative team was to give us something I initially didn't think I needed.

Even Sylvie, Luc and Julien have strayed too far from their beginnings: Sylvie's love life has become one ridiculous, stereotypical joke, while Luc and especially Julian turn pale. Emily is treated poorly too, but at least she looks perfect.

I promise there are moments of light-hearted normality in the midst of this subpar season. For the most part, however, Emily in Paris' The last chapter is très mauvais. However, as long as Marcello never shows his face again, I still have enough reason to look forward to future seasons…

Emily in Paris The fifth season has already been fully released on Netflix, one of the most popular in the world best streaming services.

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