Emily in Paris recap: Episode 9, ‘An American Auction in Paris’

During a charity auction, Emily winds up attracting Pierre Cadault’s heir apparent in Emily in Paris Episode 9. Plus, drama unfolds with a donated gown.

Pierre Cadault’s heir apparent Mathieu returns to make a bid for Emily’s heart in Emily in Paris Episode 9. To start, Emily showcases her plan to market Champére for their newly acquired château. The spritzing sensation is already a hit in America where Emily sent it to one of her favorite Chicago bars. To introduce the team to Camille, Emily invites them to Camille’s art gallery in the Marais.

Julien delivers phone messages to Emily and Sylvie after their meeting. Antoine calls for Sylvie, likely to discuss the planned scent for the Zimmer hotel, but Sylvie is still dodging his calls since the St. Barth’s fiasco. Emily gets a call from a Texan woman named Judith Robertson, part of the American Friends of the Louvre organization.

More from Netflix

• Snap your fingers, Mattel to release Wednesday dolls and collector sets in 2024!
• Show Snob’s Premiere Review: Watch, Pass, Wait and See (December 4, 2023)
• Show Snob’s Premiere Review: Watch, Pass, Wait and See (November 27, 2023)
• 5 TV Show Advent Calendars you’ll want this holiday season (2023)!
• Miss Face Off? 2 seasons are available to watch on Netflix!

She takes Emily to lunch at the very American Ralph Lauren restaurant. Emily gets excited over the English menu and cheeseburgers. What Judith is really after is access to Pierre Cadault.

They hope to auction off one of his dresses at their upcoming fundraising gala. Emily points out that he is selective with his brand, but as the event sounds like it will be good press she promises to see what she can do.

Emily in Paris Episode 9 recap: Emily gets to know Mathieu better.

After lunch, she calls Mathieu and invites him to Camille’s gallery to discuss the auction. There, Camille immediately notices that Mathieu is attracted to Emily and encourages her to pursue him. He’s rich, handsome and dates all sorts of celebrities, what’s not to like? Gabriel, who is clearly jealous, points out that money isn’t everything, especially since Mathieu never had to work for it. He’s obviously making a pointed jibe at Camille and Emily intervenes before they escalate into arguing.

She argues that she and Mathieu are just in business together, nothing more. Someone should tell Mathieu that then, because he’s clearly into Emily. He invites her to dinner in front of the salty couple and Emily accepts, claiming they’re just going somewhere quiet to discuss business.

In reality, they take a romantic stroll through the Parisian streets while eating crepes from Mathieu’s favorite crepe stand. Emily tells him a little about her American life, hoping she’s not boring him. Of course not!

Then she pauses when she sees an advertisement for avant-garde streetwear designers who call themselves Gray Space. They’re a big deal in America, especially because they like to host secret shows and are currently planning a new hoodie that costs 900 euros.

Using the ad as a segue, Emily asks Mathieu if she can get a dress for the AFL auction and he agrees to look into it for her.

At work the next day, Emily invites Sylvie to the AFL gala. She makes a snide comment about the Louvre not needing more American friends just as Julien arrives with a package for her. It’s from Antoine.

”Send it back.”

Before doing so, Luc and Julien open the gift revealing pearl jewelry. Emily assumed they’re earrings, but Luc says they’re nipple jewelry? I can’t see Sylvie with piercings so I’m guessing he meant tassels? Either way, Emily is in disbelief. Her naivety has gotten a bit old.

Emily in Paris Episode 9 recap: Gray Space sabotages Pierre’s dress.

The AFL gala is extravagant as you would expect and everything is going according to plan, even Gray Space attends. It seems like the evening might go off without a hitch until Judith gets a call from the model who was supposed to wear Pierre’s dress for the auction. Scrambling for a back-up plan, Mathieu volunteers Emily for the role, and she does look gorgeous in Pierre’s elegant white dress. Gray Space bid over 38,000 euros on the outfit, only to approach Emily onstage and splatter her with gray paint.

Photographs of Emily in the soiled dress are headline news in the next circuit and Emily is mortified. Gabriel stops by her apartment and encourages her to take a day off of work, but she can’t. At the office, Sylvie tells her to fix the mess because if they lose Pierre as a client even Chicago won’t want her. Emily tries to spin it in a positive light pointing out that most of the articles aren’t talking about Pierre in a bad light, just comparing the old guard with the new.

”Because you think being referred to as ‘old’ is a positive?”

Emily’s plan is to get Gray Space and Pierre to collaborate. They design a new sweater with Pierre’s logo in their signature splatter paint, but Pierre hates it. Emily finds him moping in his bedroom slapping — but not eating — creme brulees with a spoon (and they say Americans are wasteful at the beginning of the episode!).

Pierre worries that he’s just old news now. His clothes used to be adored by the masses, now his audience continues to shrink. Yet he’s not willing to embrace change and give the Gray Space sweaters a chance.

Emily in Paris Episode 9 recap: Mathieu and Emily kiss.

Upon leaving Pierre’s room, Emily runs into Mathieu, who asks her how it went. She tells him Pierre is having his “darkest hour,” to which Mathieu rolls his eyes. Then he tells her the French often get through their darkest hour by making love, and kisses her.

”I don’t think I’m that French.” Emily murmurs between kisses.

He smiles at her and then excuses himself to finish producing his fashion show. Hey, at least this love interest is of age and single — as far as we know.

What did you think about Emily in Paris Episode 9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

All ten episodes of Emily in Paris Season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.