Gabriel wasn’t around much in season 5 of Emily in Paris — but what does that last scene mean for his and Emily’s future?
During the final scene of the season, which started streaming on Thursday, December 18, viewers see Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) writing a letter to Emily (Lily Collins) inviting her to visit him in Greece, which left the hit Netflix series on a cliffhanger about the fan-favorite couple’s future.
“Gabriel is important. He’s part of the DNA of the show,” director and executive producer Andrew Fleming exclusively told Us Weekly. “When he and Emily are in a scene together, something undefinable happens. They have this chemistry. They do. There’s just something about the two of them that’s very watchable.”
Fleming offered a hint at the dynamic when looking ahead at a potential season 6.
“Looking ahead, they’re part of each other’s journey. Who is to say who Emily is going to end up with, but Emily and Gabriel are going to interact with each other,” he continued. “Stuff is going to happen [but] I really can’t say anything about what’s going to happen next season.”
Season 5 showed Gabriel briefly visiting Rome before returning to Paris. He ultimately accepted a new job opportunity that took him away from Paris, but resurfaced briefly to reflect with Emily about their history before leaving again.
“We want to go on a journey,” Fleming recalled. “At no point was Luke ever leaving the show permanently.”
Fleming also clarified why Bravo, 37, wasn’t around as much as usual. “He did have a commitment. He had a movie that he was doing,” he noted. “So we worked around that.”
Creator Darren Star, meanwhile, said season 5 includes “the right amount” of Gabriel. “He really wasn’t consulted [on Gabriel’s season 5 arc], and he just chose to come back to the show,” Star told Decider on Friday, December 19. “The story line worked out.”
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Star continued, “Because that’s not where Emily’s story was, or where we ever planned it to be in season 5. The story line wasn’t about Emily and Gabriel. At the same time, it was great to have him and keep him in the world of the show.”
Bravo’s limited appearances came after he surprised viewers with his criticism about Gabriel’s arc on Emily in Paris.
“The ‘sexy chef’ was very much part of me in season 1 and we grew apart season after season because of the choices he makes and because of the direction they make him take,” Bravo told IndieWire in October 2024. “I’ve never been so far away from him.”
Bravo claimed he tried to voice his issues. “[But] there is only so much I can do in the limits of a script,” he added. “I tried for seasons to bring nuances but we don’t have much liberty on set. We cannot change a word or an emotion. They know what they want and we just have to comply.”
Before season 5 premiered, a source exclusively told Us that “Lucas is in the show, he’s just organically not as big a story this season.”
Emily in Paris is streaming now.
