It looks like Ukraine’s culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko won’t be renewing his Netflix subscription anytime soon. The minister recently shared his displeasure over the portrayal of a Ukrainian character named Petra, in season 2 of the hit show, Emily In Paris.

The minister who was a fan of the first season took issue with a scene where Petra, played by Daria Panchenko, shoplifts during a trip with the main character Emily, played by Lily Collins. During the episode, it was also heavily implied that Petra has a poor sense of fashion and is constantly afraid of being deported.

Taking offense to this, Tkachenko wrote on Telegram “In Emily in Paris we have a caricature of a Ukrainian woman, which is unacceptable. On the other hand, it is also offensive. Will Ukrainians be seen as such abroad? Who steals, want to get everything for free, be afraid of deportation? That should not be the case.”

Repeat Offender

This isn’t the first time the Emmy-nominated Netflix show has landed itself in hot water. During its first season, the show was blasted for relying heavily on regional stereotypes, with the French characters showcased as beret-wearing, chain-smokers who frequently cheat on their partners.

A sentiment echoed by a renowned French critic, who said “Frankly, watching Emily in Paris there’s plenty to feel insulted about. When they decided to caricature us, the authors didn’t hold back … no cliche is spared, not even the weakest.”

Collins, who also serves as a producer did note that the show will be seeking to correct some of the perceived errors in its second run, saying “For me as Emily, but also as a producer, after season one, hearing people’s thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we’re living in and what is right, moral and correct and should be done. I wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on.”

While the second season of the show was received with mixed reviews, its first season was almost viewed by 58 million households, making it Netflix’s most popular comedy series of 2020.

The second season was the platform’s #2 most popular show worldwide the week it debuted, according to Netflix.

(Image Sources: Netflix, UNIAN)