I love it. I hate it.

We’ve finished Season 4 now and there have been countless reviews and critiques of the show over the years. It’s been called stupid, cringe, clever, self-aware, self-deprecating, ‘a comedy’. Even with that kind of commentary it keeps getting renewed.

Here’s what I learnt from watching Emily in Paris.

The premise of the show

It’s about an American woman working for a multi-national marketing agency. She’s got her life planned out and she loves her job working in the Chicago office.

Suddenly everything is upended. Emily gets sent over the Atlantic to work in the Paris office for a year!

She doesn’t speak French at all in a country that is notorious for a language superiority complex. Moderate chaos ensues. She and her beautiful friends live, love and lust all over France.

My thoughts on Emily in Paris as a whole

Dialogue = Frequently terrible.
Locations = Gorgeous albeit cliché.
Acting = Has its moments.
Fashion = Notable but impractical and generally ridiculous.
Plot = Questionable.

Did I watch every single episode of every single season so far? Yes.

Why?

It isn’t perfect but that doesn’t matter

Why would I keep watching this show even with the bad scorecard I give it? Why go back for more?

Nothing revolutionary, especially in the realm of film and television.

It’s escapism.

Yes the plot is unbelievable and the scriptwriting can be repetitive and tawdry. The locations however are fabulous. I don’t know about you but I for one would like to go there. How amazing that I could post the most inane and basic commentary on Instagram #lechefhot and the first lady of France would follow me. I could have a whole bunch of rich avant-garde friends and acquaintances doing amazing things at all times. All expenses paid trips and dinners and galas. No money worries. Absolutely kicking goals at work day in day out. And of course always around sexy people.

Kinda makes up for the crappy dialogue.

How we decide what’s ‘good enough’

What’s my point?

They went to air with a show that isn’t perfect and they know it. It’s never going to win awards.

But Emily in Paris is possibly one of the most anticipated shows on Netflix alongside Bridgerton. It generates cultural commentary on what being in a marketing role is really like (most of the time, absolutely nothing like that). It inspires memes and reels and the odd blog post. It gets people talking.

So now let’s look at ourselves through the same lens.

How often do we as business owners put things off until we think they’re perfect?
We’ll sweat over a millimetre on a layout.
Get involved in decisions (and delay them) when we should leave them to someone else.
Postpone a launch because we don’t have the perfect tagline yet.
Continue to struggle with a task we hate doing because we want to prove something.

How do you break that cycle?

I don’t know about you, but I find the quest for perfect to be quite frustrating.

Perfect can be used as a crutch to support ineffective working habits or the failure to make a decision.

Perfect can be an illusion like a mirage in the desert. No matter how long you tinker away chasing it you’ll never get there.

In my early career I was terrified of things not being perfect and would take any and all feedback to heart. I’d make it mean something about me. I’ve since learnt to take most mistakes in my stride.

I personally address my perfectionism streak in a few ways. Proper planning. Adequate deadlines. Research. Proof-reading. Being conscious of the pay-off. Knowing when to step away.

This blog post is a prime example. I’ve spent too much time on it. It’ll never be perfect and even if it was it doesn’t mean anyone will read it.

And I understand that.

Final note: be like Emily

In terms of refinement and sophistication, a show like Emily in Paris will never match a show like The Crown.

But they exist for entirely different reasons.

Like the show creators themselves (I imagine…) Emily would never let the public perception of the show affect her zest and plucky attitude. She does what needs to be done, makes the moves she needs to make and is learning to recognise a healthy work-life balance.

There’s times when you need to dot every single i.

And there’s times when you need to let something fly with what you have now and #mindthemerde.

Know the difference.