Ashley Park Explains That Mindy Twist In The Emily In Paris Season 5 Finale
“I think that this is the first time she’s choosing the easier path.”
Spoiler alert: This post discusses the Emily in Paris Season 5 finale.
Congratulations are in order for Mindy Chen — or, are they? Emily’s bestie stole the spotlight in the Emily in Paris Season 5 finale when she agreed to her on-off boyfriend Nico’s surprise proposal. The engagement scene tapped into a lot of complicated feelings for Mindy, and Ashley Park explains why her character may be feeling “unsure of herself” while making such a big decision.
In one of the season’s final moments, Nico proposes to Mindy while they’re on a gondola in Venice accompanied by Emily and Marcello. When Park initially read the script, she was more focused on what was going on with Emily. Before Marcello handed the ring over to his buddy, Emily assumed it was her boyfriend who was about to propose.
“When I first read that scene, I was like, ‘Oh, poor Emily, no.’ Because one of our favorite scenes to shoot was when Emily discovered the ring and came to Mindy. It felt very nostalgic of them on their park bench, where they used to have all these heart-to-hearts,” Park says. “So I think that Mindy was concerned about her friend in that moment. She was really thrown off her feet; it was a true surprise to Mindy.”
In terms of saying yes to Nico’s proposal, Park says it’s a bit out of character for Mindy.
“Mindy's never picked the easy path for herself. She could be at home being an heiress and have everything she wants, but she's always had that gumption of going for broke, not really knowing what she's doing, and going full throttle with it anyway,” Park says. “I think that this is the first time she’s choosing the easier path. Maybe it’s because she's feeling a little shaky from the rift she had with Emily and she's unsure of herself for the first time romantically. Someone shows you a big old ring on a gondola, you take it.”
Park’s remarks seem to tease a further exploration of Mindy’s situationship with Alfie, who would likely represent the more difficult “path” in Park’s analogy. Looks like yet another love triangle is on the horizon for Emily in Paris.
