Emily in Paris: The Main Characters, Ranked by Power

The second season of Emily in Paris arrived just in time for holiday binge-watching and brought all the fashion, love triangles, and hilarious cultural mishaps that made season 1 addicting. Now, following the Season 2 success, Season 3 and 4 have been confirmed!

In Season 2, the power struggle between Savior and its parent company, The Gilbert Group, reaches a tipping point. Power not only shows up in business dynamics but also makes its way into the personal lives of characters and their relationships. Consequentially, power is a consistent theme throughout season 2. Power is a person’s ability to achieve what he/she wants and the series focuses on power in terms of wealth, success in romance or career, and the ability to direct others. Which character in Emily in Paris truly has it.

10 Alfie

Alfie, one of Emily in Paris‘ best new characters, is missing out on all the power. Not much in his life is working out the way he wants it to. The poor guy does not like Paris or his job. He admires Emily’s work and love for the city and regularly expresses how much he wishes he loved his job and where he lives too. He is rightly suspicious of where Gabriel and Emily’s relationship stands. In the end, Alfie gets to go back to his hometown, but will the girl of his dreams want to visit him?

9 Mathieu Cadault

Mathieu, AKA French Jude Law, does not appear much past the first episode. Unfortunately, he does not have romantic success this season. When he overhears Emily talking to Gabriel, he immediately ends things and hands over a free trip to San Tropez. At work, Mathieu is basically his uncle’s personal assistant and is constantly tending to his every need and mood. He answers calls at all hours and is always putting out fires. If Mathieu appears in season 3, it would be great to see more of what he wants to achieve in life for himself instead of for his uncle.

8 Mindy

Mindy is one of Emily in Paris‘ most likable characters. Although she has not achieved career success yet, Mindy is taking life into her own hands and going after what she really wants, to become a singer. Throughout the season she joins a band and begins to build a following. She starts the season monitoring the bathroom at a club and ends the season singing for large crowds. She deserves credit for wanting to make a career on her own instead of resting on the success of her family. When she truly makes it happen for herself and owns who she is and where she comes from, she will really have some personal power and find success.

7 Gabriel

This boy’s dreams become a reality when he gets to open his own restaurant. Chef Gabriel gets to pick the paint colors (the original color!), curate the menu, and turn the music down until 11 PM, but ultimately, he answers to Antoine. Gabriel has limited power due to his lack of financial resources and emotional dependence on Camille and Emily. Great news, Gabriel has a lot of great ideas and Antoine is starting to see that and respect him more and more. Gabriel has the same level of success in his dating life as he is primarily waiting around on Emily all season to make a decision. Gabriel chooses Camille in the end after Emily turns him down, although there are many hints at a potential poly relationship between Gabrielle, Camille, and Emily in the future.

6 Pierre Cadault

Pierre creates “revolutionary” fashion moments with his couture clothing and has his face plastered on luggage. Although he does not seem to be able to manage much of anything, his talent allows him to hire people that can manage his business (and his emotions). Pierre typically has a meltdown and then his team puts him back together and help him pull off spectacular events.

Somehow Pierre always comes out on top in this show with his entrance at the Revolution fashion show in the final season as proof. If he was able to pull all of his success off on his own, he would be ranked higher on this list.

5 Emily

In season 1, Emily does whatever she wants at the expense of others. In her work life, she is constantly undermining Sylvie to carry out her ideas (usually with Sylvie later stepping in to save the day). And in her personal life, Emily’s romantic relationships are a mess and negatively impact both her work and friendships.

She starts to see this and begins to make changes in season 2 which allow her to step into her personal power. Her never-ending stream of creative ideas at work becomes more grounded this season as she settles more into the culture and way of life in Paris. She learns the language, builds local connections, and adheres more to French culture. This gives her more respect as she is regularly requested by clients (unless her love life gets in the way!) and she ends the season with two job offers! If only Emily could transfer this success into her love life.

4 Camille

Emily’s ultimate “frenemy” makes multiple power moves throughout season 2 as she works to win back Gabriel after learning about his affair with Emily. Camille’s power lies in being able to manipulate people into doing what she wants without them knowing. Whatever advice Camille’s mother gave her, worked. Throughout the season she uses her friends, business, and family to push Gabriel and Emily apart and get close to Gabriel again. She even convinces Emily to make a pact to not date Gabriel while secretly maneuvering behind the scenes. In the end, Camille moves in with Gabriel and somehow manages to keep Emily on friendly terms. With these skills, Camille is definitely one to keep an eye on in season 3.

3 Madeline Wheeler

Madeline arrives in Paris with the confidence that she will be welcomed with open arms and that her French co-workers and clients will be impressed by her title, “Director of Marketing, Gilbert Group” and her attempts to speak French. However, her lack of social awareness is her major downfall. The big boss from Chicago may hold power in the corporate office in the US, but in France, she is easily ignored. Despite her inability to influence the Savoir staff, Madeline has the power to hire and fire and she does just that… almost. Sylvie quits at the same time Madeline decides to fire her. In her last appearance in the final episode, Madeline has not learned from the experience but instead intends to hire young staff that she can “mold” into the company’s way of working.

2 Antoine

Antoine, the wealthy perfumer may not be a popular character, but he is a clever and accomplished businessman. He knows what he wants, goes after it, has the wealth to make it happen, and usually finds success (although he does not manage to snatch up Emily!). The season follows his investment in Gabriel’s restaurant as it prepares to open and then hosts its grand opening event. There is a power struggle between Antoine and Gabriel as they have different visions for the restaurant. However, by the end of season 2, he not only has the restaurant/nightclub he wants but he also gets to keep his Sylvie discount when she opens her new firm.

1 Sylvie

Sylvie is the ultimate winner of season 2 and comes out on top as the most powerful character. When Madeline makes her surprise visit to the Paris office, Sylvie formulates a plan. She has a vision for Savoir that is exclusive and strictly French. Although she increasingly values Emily’s input and has warmed up to her “American” marketing style, she is not ready to submit to outside influences from above. The show paints this as a difference in culture but in reality, Sylvie does not want to be held accountable and hates working with Madeline. In a surprise ending, she secures finances and her clients’ loyalty to open her own firm leaving the Gilbert Group staffless. Will Emily join Sylvie and stay in Paris in season 3?

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