The fifth season of Emily in Paris was full of ups and downs, so we shouldn’t be surprised at all that the season finale was a rollercoaster ride with extreme highs and lows for all of our characters. In fact, the season 5 finale brought about a funeral, a proposal, and a breakup – and those are just three of the biggest moments in the episode.
Warning: Spoilers ahead from the Emily in Paris season 5 finale.
As the finale begins, Marcello and Emily head to Venice to prepare for their special fashion line preview. We then jarringly jump into a funeral as we learn that Princess Jane’s husband has died, an interesting and unexpecting plot line given we hadn’t even really gotten to know him. We’ll leave this storyline here for now, but it comes back into play, so be patient.
Back in Venice, while looking for her passport, Emily finds an engagement ring in Marcello’s bag which she is able to return shortly before he informs her of his dinner plans for them that evening. Emily goes to tell Mindy and says that when she thinks ahead, she can picture them together in her future plans which is such a milestone moment for Emily.
When the dinner rolls around that evening, Marcello goes on about how his life would be so different if they never met and that no matter how the show goes he’s proud. Just then, dessert arrives and Emily begins digging in expecting to find the ring. To her surprise, though, there is no ring to be found.
Putting a pin in that one, Marcello’s fashion show is now in jeopardy as the venue they booked is flooding. Rather than throwing in the towel, they decide to embrace the water and race out to buy rain boots for the guests. The show is a smashing success and Marcello’s mom drops the lawsuit against him, realizing it’s time for her to step aside and allow the next generation to carry the family name into the future.
After his mom’s decree, Marcello informs Emily of his plan to head back to Solitano, and asks Emily to come back with him to start their life together. He doesn’t push her for an answer at the moment, but it’s clear they have different ideas of what they want their futures to look like.
Emily in Paris season 5 ending explained: Who gets engaged and who calls it quits?
As Emily tries to come to terms with what to do, Sylvie encourages her to take the job in Rome and go run an empire alongside Marcello. It’s a push Sylvie gives Emily in hopes of protecting Emily’s future after Sylvie has learned that Savoir is in danger of closing for good due to her husband’s poor financial decisions.
Later that night, Emily admires the ring after a restless night and even tries it on before returning to bed. The following day, Emily and Marcello are joined by Mindy and Nico for a gondola ride which quickly takes an awkward turn. Marcello toasts Emily, before handing things over to Nico, who professes his love to Mindy. At that moment, Marcello reaches for the ring box and Emily blurts out that she can’t marry him and move to Solitano as it’s not her life. The only problem is the ring was not meant for Emily, Marcello has been holding onto it for Nico who proposes to Mindy, a proposal she accepts much to our surprise.
The surprise stems from the fact that the day before, Mindy had agreed to meet with Alfie when she returned to Paris after he gave her a call in which he pleaded with her not to pretend what they had wasn’t real. When Mindy eventually returns to Paris after the proposal, Alfie spots the engagement ring and calls it a big mistake before storming off. When Emily asks Mindy if she still has feelings for Alfie, Mindy’s hesitation speaks volumes, suggesting she might not be over Alfie after all.
As for Emily, following her outburst on the gondola ride, she and Marcello walk along as she apologizes for being presumptuous after finding the ring. Emily explains to him that she’s built a world and life in Paris, to which he quips that while he loves Paris, his love for the city is only because Emily is there. While Emily recognizes that his dream of them building a life together in Solitano is a beautiful dream, it’s not her dream. With that, the pair share a sweet kiss and hug before parting ways – Emily returning to Paris with Mindy and Marcello returning to Solitano.
Following their breakup, Emily heads to Savoir where she informs Sylvie, Luc, and Julien that she’s broken up with Marcello. Sylvie finally comes clean to Emily about everything with her husband and how Savoir almost shut its doors before a white knight entered to save the day. Enter Princess Jane, who stepped in to invest in the company after her late husband left her their palazzo allowing her to sign a deal with the Four Seasons that landed her millions. Not only has Princess Jane invested in the company, but she’s now the co-head of Savoir!
We thought this revelation would be the final surprise of the season, but then came the cliffhanger that will keep us talking until season 6’s arrival.
As the season closes, we see Gabriel on a boat working at his new gig as a private chef, sailing the world. After learning the boat will be docking in Greece for a few weeks, Gabriel gets a text from Sylvie informing him that Emily is back in Paris and has broken up with Marcello, encouraging him to do with that information what he pleases. Well, it seems to inspire Gabriel to reach out to Emily as he pens a postcard inviting her to meet in Greece as the season comes to a close.
Perhaps Emily and Gabriel will be endgame after all! We’ll have to wait to see where the pair’s story takes them next.