The perennial question faced by protagonists in fiction — especially, let’s be honest, female protagonists — is whether they are “likable.” It’s both an understandable question (to convince an audience to spend any significant amount of time in their company, one would think it should be pleasant to be around them) and a limiting one (“likable” characters are not the only ones who are interesting and rewarding to engage with).

Emily Cooper, the heroine of “Emily in Paris,” has been widely deemed unlikable, despite her immaculate brunette waves, kooky couture ensembles (courtesy of Patricia Field), and sunny disposition. Lily Collins, who plays Emily, has even felt compelled to defend her character’s “beautiful qualities” in interviews. “To have someone be optimistic, bright, and bubbly — it's sad to think that people would look and go, ‘That’s a lot,’” she told Nylon.

And we have to admit, we’re among those people. Since Emily first stepped a stiletto on the cobblestones of Paris, we’ve found her a bit grating, a bit hard to relate to. Which leaves us with the question: so what? Does it matter that we don’t particularly like Emily, and if so, why can’t we like her? In this episode, we dig into the spunky Chicagoan as a character — her seemingly limited emotional range, her purported work addiction, her truly mind-boggling fashion — and her Parisian hijinks, particularly her slowly imploding love triangle with Gabriel and Camille.

Happy holidays! We’ll see you in 2022.

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We’ve been watching…

“The Sex Lives of College Girls”! Once again I’m a week behind Emma. After everyone from David Plotz of Slate’s Political Gabfest to my brother-in-law recommended it, I had to take Emma’s tip. The first episode feels like it could have been like four episodes, and maybe provided some more backstory, but the central foursome have already charmed me, and so has Leighton’s hot brother. -Claire

“Yellowjackets”!!!!!!! Holy fuck, I cannot believe that my terror of all things horror/gore-adjacent kept me from starting this brilliant show. But since I was stuck in Omicron quarantine — I am triple vaxxed so my symptoms were mild! Get boosted, everyone! — I have had time to catch up on all of the TV I’ve been meaning to watch, including Showtime’s fantastic new drama. “Yellowjackets” follows a high school girls soccer team who are in a plane crash en route to nationals, and end up stuck in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months in the mid-’90s. The show toggles back and forth between the past and present, and it has it all: Gen X icons like Christina Ricca and Juliette Lewis! Exploration of trauma and female rage! A soundtrack that features Hole and Liz Phair and The Cranberries! I bit the bullet and paid for Showtime streaming for this, and I do not regret it. -Emma

We’ve been reading…

“The Days of Afrekete” by Asali Solomon, in which our frazzled hostess is now struggling through a painful dinner party freighted with microaggressions and social gaffes while recalling her college years and her 20s, when she dated women and dreamed of becoming a writer or a DJ. The “Dalloway” resonances are profound. I’ve also started “Zami” by Audre Lorde, a biomythography, to which the title of Solomon’s book is a reference. -Claire

To be perfectly honest, I’ve had some fatigue and brain fog from Covid, so I haven’t read much of substance that’s new. However, I have been reading a lot of good tweets and memes. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

Random music from my Apple Music library! When I hit play on my iPhone, intending to restart Spotify or Overcast, it often has dropped the last app I was listening to from the queue and instead starts playing something from my Apple Music tracks.

Currently, this library contains only purchases I made from Apple, and because most of my music pre-streaming was purchased on CD and then uploaded, my Apple Music consists of the most random shit: three songs from “Red,” one from “Speak Now,” and all of “1989”; “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.; “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan; the Glee cast recording of “Valerie”; songs by Alexz Johnson from the Canadian teen soap “Instant Star”; Anaïs Mitchell and A Fine Frenzy and Eve 6 and Florence + the Machine and Jack’s Mannequin. It’s a hot mess of music I didn’t bother to buy CD albums of from 2004 to 2012, and no matter what song comes up, I’m still into it. It’s an instant time capsule. I listened to Hey Monday and Savage Garden the other night while making beans.

Then I thought about how I was seduced by the streaming era into listening to music in such an unconsidered, frictionless way that I am now 33 and can never remember what music I like. I have no library of records or CDs to browse, just a search bar waiting for me to tap in a request. It sucks! This is why everyone is into vinyl now, right? -Claire

I’ve been catching up on the latest season of “Heavyweight,” Jonathan Goldstein’s beautiful storytelling podcast in which he delves into one person’s past — a trauma, a lingering question, something that’s stuck with them since childhood — in each episode. He’s just so very good. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

More huggie hoops — this time from Ana Luisa, which has a nice selection of plain and detailed choices. I wear these fuller-bodied hoops every day now, and I also love the slightly more interesting look of these beaded ones.

Plus, searching for some tighter tops to pair with mom jeans (the changing of a denim silhouette is murder on the entire wardrobe), I found this mockneck sweater at Urban Outfitters. The chocolate shade I bought is no longer available, but I’m jealous of anyone who can pull off the red and bright yellow ones that remain. It’s such a cute basic, and the huge back cut-out makes it, well, a little less basic. -Claire

I also bought some gold hoops recently, though they’re bigger than huggies. I’ve shouted out Second Wind before for their beautiful masks and mask chains, but they also have gorgeous jewelry! I got their smallest 14k gold-plated hoops, the Alexandra Hoops, and they are perfect.

I’ve also continued to be on an Abercrombie kick, which my 13-year-old self would find incredibly bizarre. They’re still having a pretty big holiday sale, and I got these great Tailored Menswear Dad Pants in off-white, and this Vegan Leather Mini Puffer in white to complete my winter white ~lewk~. Basically I’m stuck at home trying to channel the vibes of a rich lady hanging at the fancy ski lodge. -Emma

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