Emmanuel Macron wants “Emily in Paris” to abandon the Rome storyline

After consecutive seasons of love triangles, misunderstandings and outright deception, Emily in Paris finally has a promising plot to move forward. Emily (Lily Collins) trades her on-again, off-again relationship with Chef Gabriel for a whirlwind romance with Marcello, the rich Italian boyfriend who kidnapped her to Rome. She's also taking on more responsibilities at work as she prepares to open the Rome office for Agence Grateau – and is even bringing her best friend with her. It's a victory for everyone except Gabriel and apparently also for French President Emmanuel Macron.

“We will fight hard. And we will ask them to stay in Paris,” Macron said diversity in a recent interview. “Emily in Paris in Rome makes no sense.” The president's wife, Brigitte, made a cameo appearance during an episode of the recently released fourth season of Emily in Paris. “I was super proud and she was very happy about it. It's only a few minutes, but I think it was a very nice moment for her. I think it’s good for France’s image,” he added.

Macron joked that he was “less attractive” than his wife, which stopped him from appearing on the popular Netflix series. But that hasn't stopped him from plotting against Emily's search for true love for his own benefit. “Emily in Paris is extremely positive in terms of the attractiveness of the country,” he said. “This is a very good initiative for my own company.”

Luckily for Macron, Emily's move to Rome doesn't mean she's giving up on France entirely – but if the fact that her French has barely improved in four seasons is any indication, she'd probably be better off with Italian would start from scratch. When Emily in Paris was renewed for a fifth season in September, creator Darren Star told Netflix TUDUM: “Emily will be present in Rome. That doesn’t mean she won’t be in Paris, but she will be present in Rome.”

While Macron is holding back for Team Gabriel, Collins is betting on Marcello himself. “Marcello is a completely different adventure that we want for Emily because ultimately we want Emily to have a better work-life balance,” she told TUDUM. “We want Emily to be able to smile without any problems. We want to see them beyond their vacation mode. And it’s coming at exactly the right time.”