"An American Auction in Paris" is the ninth episode of Season 1, and the ninth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
"A charity auction, a donated gown, and an avant-garde design duo add up to trouble for Emily as she catches the eye of Pierre Cadault's heir apparent."
— Official Netflix Synopsis
Plot[]
A group of people celebrates a game win in a bar as they spray champagne everywhere. Emily pauses the commercial on the logo, Champère. She finishes pitching the idea to Sylvie and Luc. Luc finds the idea amazing but Sylvie isn't convinced, so Emily invites her to Camille's art gallery they can properly meet. As they walk through the halls of Savoir, it becomes apparent that Sylvie is ignoring Antoine as they still haven't made up after the St. Bart's incident.
Emily attends a lunch with Judith Robertson, a member of the American Friends of the Louvre foundation. They both remark how refreshing it is to speak with another American and they trade remarks about the differences in the French and American culture. Judith asks Emily if she can ask Pierre Cadault to donate a dress to the AFL charity auction, and Emily claims that she will try her best but can't guarantee anything.
To help her cause, Emily calls Mathieu Cadault and invites him to the art gallery that evening so they can discuss work. Once at the gathering, Emily introduces Mathieu to everyone and Sylvie steals him away for a moment. Camille remarks on how perfect Mathieu is for Emily, though Gabriel isn't sold on the idea. When Mathieu returns, he asks Emily to dinner and Camille recommends a lovely bistro.
They walk the streets of Paris with crepe's, as Mathieu took her to his favorite crepe stand in Paris. She compares crepes to pancakes which he finds insulting as his crepes beat American pancakes, but she remarks that he hasn't tried hers yet, and he insists she makes them for him sometime. As they walk she spots a poster for Grey Space, a group of American designers that are releasing a 900 euro sweatshirt. They also have a show at Fashion Week but aren't releasing their show location. She asks about Pierre's collection with Mathieu brushing it off as a difficult time of the year but he can manage Pierre's moods by now. They talk about their lives in an attempt to get to know each other more. They have a pleasant time and Emily eventually approaches the subject of Pierre donating a dress to the AFL. Mathieu teases her about the offer then tells her to come by the atelier tomorrow to see if there's a dress that works.
In the morning, Emily searches the French web for information on Mathieu and sees several articles about him with different women. Sylvie interrupts to remark on how weird it was to see her with Mathieu last night and reminds her of Gilbert Group's corporate commandments against mixing business with pleasure. Emily tells her about the AFL auction and how they're all invited, just as Julien arrives to give Sylvie a purple gift bag from Antoine. She rejects the gift and leaves.
Julien attempts to convince Emily to open it but she refuses, so Luc opens it instead. The gift is a set of rings that they determine are either earrings or nipple rings.
The Savoir group attends the AFL event and Emily introduces Sylvie to Judith. They notice that the Grey Space designers have arrived wearing what appears to be exterminator outfits, but the outfits are actually part of their workwear Spring collection. The Grey Space designers are eager to meet Pierre and Emily pitches them the idea of having a marketing firm, but they decline. when the designers walk away, Judith and Emily learn that Amanda Carrouth's plane can't leave the airport in Dallas due to a storm. Judith was supposed to model Pierre's dress so her husband, the oil billionaire, could bid on it.
Mathieu overhears the end of the conversation but Emily assures him everything is fine. Judith suggests that Mathieu call one of the models on his speed dial, but he thinks Emily would be a perfect choice.
The dress auctions last with Pierre's dress. Pierre waves from his spot at a table nearby. Emily models the dress which Grey Space bids on for 22,000 euros. Pierre finds it odd that rival designers that betting on his dress, but Mathieu ensures him that they're fans. The dress is auctioned to Grey Space for 38,000 euros. Pierre stands to wave his thanks to the crowd, while the Grey Space designers approach the stage where Emily congratulates them. Before she can say anything else, one designer shoots the dress with a paintball gun concealed in his clothing while the other records the stunt. Sylvie spits out her champagne and Pierre shouts in horror before sobbing into Mathieu's shoulder, while Emily stands on the stage mortified, and covered in paint.
Emily wakes up the next morning to twenty-seven missed calls and four new texts. Three of which are from Mindy, Mathieu, and Judith respectively. Gabriel visits her Chambre to bring her the newspaper which is covering the PR stunt. He offers to translate it for her but she declines the offer and leaves for work.
Sylvie confronts her at work as the stunt is bad for Pierre who is being called old. Emily counters that Savoir gained some of Grey Space's followers and Pierre is part of the conversation now more than ever. Sylvie warns that if they lose this client even Chicago will want to get rid of her.
Emily visits the Grey Space shop to confront them about their stunt and let them know that Pierre didn't see it as flattery. They agree to do whatever it takes to help smooth things over. She visits Pierre's house and finds him tapping creme brulee to make himself feel better. The cake splattering is satisfying to him. She tries to apologize for the stunt but he knows it wasn't her fault. She shows him a Grey Space sweatshirt with his logo on it as Grey Space wants to do a collaboration. He is horrified by the proposal and believes the world has gone crazy.
She meets with Mathieu at the bottom of the stairwell where she tells him that Pierre claims to be in his "darkest hour". Mathieu isn't pleased with his uncle's dramatics but is sure that things will blow over in time. She apologizes so he holds her hand and tells her that when the French were in their darkest hour during World War II, they made love instead of hiding. They kiss but she isn't sure she's that French, to he simply responds yet and they kiss again. He excuses himself as he has to work on the fashion show.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Co-Starring[]
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Quotes[]
- Judith Robertson: The irony of how a french fry can make you feel so at home.
- Sylvie: She’s been pitching an entire beverage campaign based on ejaculation and she doesn’t know what the white is. It’s the spray, Emily.
- Sylvie: If we lose this client, even Chicago will want to get rid of you.
- Grey Space Artist: We’d hoped you’d see it as performance art. I mean, that was the intention.
- Emily: No, it felt more like I was being punked by a couple of jackasses.
- Pierre: Emily, I know why this happened. I used to see my clothes on the beautiful women in Paris, and now I dress old ladies. And they’re all dying. My audience is getting smaller and smaller. That’s why they mock me.
- Pierre: Fearless is starting from zero and making something that is all your own. Fashion is not about a concept. It’s about looking beautiful.
Soundtrack[]
| Song | Artist | Scene Description | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| C'est Si Bon | Eartha Kitt | Emily visits the art gallery | |
| Let’s Go To Work | Electro Deluxe | Emily visits Grey Space | |
| Atrocities | Antony and The Johnsons | Emily visits Pierre | |
| Bad Dreams | John & The Volta | End of episode |
Trivia[]
- The dress Emily models for the auction is designed by Stephane Rolland Haute Couture. The first version of the dress gets splattered in paint, but Rolland sent Lily Collins a second dress and shoes to keep after filming.
- With fashion week approaching, Emily convinces Pierre to donate a dress to the American Friends of the Louvre charity auction to increase his press coverage.
- An American Auction in Paris is the only episode of the season not to feature a speaking line from Ashley Park (Mindy Chen). The character did appear in the form of a text message and contact photo, but she didn't physically appear on-screen.
Gallery[]
