Paris is Always a Good Idea Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Marcos Was Nearly Perfect, But Not For Chelsea

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

Paris is Always a Good Idea has been a fun limited series, blending romance with character development.

Hallmark + excelled at finding the perfect men to portray Chelsea’s former love interests. Colin (Stephen Hagan) and Sebastian (Julien Marlon Samani) were romantic and sexy.

However, Alejandro Albarracín played Marcos Vera with ease. Marcos was handsome, charming, and only wanted to make Chelsea happy. 

Paris Is Always a Good Idea Season 1 Episode 5 highlighted how Chelsea inspired Marcos to become a better person. Even though he seemed nearly perfect, he wasn’t her perfect romantic match.

However, Marcos offered Chelsea another tempting offer, one that saved two other things she loved most. We’ll discuss whether it was worth it or if she should have found another way.

A Different Kind of Inspiration and Attraction

Oh, to live in a Spanish castle and learn about wine. I could feel at home there, too. This has been one of my favorites of Hallmark‘s travel offerings since each location looks so authentic.

Chelsea looked happy learning about the wine and food pairings, but she didn’t fawn over Marcos Vera like the other women. That surprised him.

I loved that Chelsea was so outspoken, stating that some of his money could be better allocated.

I never expected him to listen to a virtual stranger, donate his car, and begin biking around town.

But Chelsea inspired Marcos, and against her better judgment, she fell for him. He was different than the others since he listened to her ideas. They had an intellectual attraction as well as a physical connection.

In many ways, Marcos was the one who got away. He treated her more like an equal, and Chelsea was tempted to stay in Spain.

She felt at home there with her friends and him. Everything changed when her mom died, and I could understand why Knightly needed her to get closure with Marcos.

The two seemed perfect together and hadn’t spoken in ten years.

Marcos Was Like Prince Charming, But Chelsea Loved Knightly

Marcos was the perfect gentleman. He was excited to reunite with Chelsea and proud to show off how the vineyard had changed.

I appreciated that he wanted to focus on the present without wallowing in why she left. He learned so much from her and focused on making the vineyard more organic, which was his main goal.

While Chelsea was delighted that he actually heard her all those years ago, she admitted she was dating someone. Part of me thought Marcos liked the challenge, yet he never crossed the line.

While he wined and dined her at his beautiful Spanish castle, it wasn’t so much about romance as it was collaboration. Marcos wanted Chelsea to help him run a new foundation, funded by his inheritance.

Chelsea had only dreamed of doing something like that, and it would help so many people, but she missed Knightly terribly.

It was almost comical how lonely he was without her, and how much he wanted her to return.

Knightly assumed he wouldn’t even make it in the running, since he was an unreliable catch who only mounted up more debt as he continued to help his sisters. However, that only made him more appealing to Chelsea.

She knew his heart and soul, and she’d sampled his lips and could vouch he was an irresistible kisser. That’s who she wanted.

Sometimes, Love Meant Unexpected Sacrifices

I felt for Chelsea. She loved Knightly and knew how hard he worked to support his sister. She understood it better than most since Annabelle used to play club soccer, and team sports cost way more now.

Knightly didn’t appreciate charity, and Chelsea thought he’d rather lose his job than know she sacrificed hers for him. While I understood that, it hurt watching her walk out, pretending she chose Spain over him.

She needed to, but Knightly looked so crushed because he believed she was different from the other girls he dated. He thought she would fight for them.

Chelsea belonged with Knightly more than anyone.

They both valued their families above all else. I wondered if Knightly already knew he was fired when he tried to convince her that their relationship was more important than work.

I didn’t think so, meaning he would eventually realize she gave up everything for him. But until then, Chelsea felt heartbroken, knowing she followed her heart, but he would never know.

Glenn Got His Happy Ending…Will Chelsea Get Hers?

Chelsea has evolved so much from the beginning of Paris is Always a Good Idea. She understood that people can fail in love more than once and was grateful that her dad found Sherrie.

That was a romantic, cheesy proposal, but at least it was a private family affair, not a restaurant with all those balloons. 

Sherrie loved it, though, since she wanted to be part of the family. Chelsea credited knowing Knightly for her growing acceptance of Sherrie and her marriage to Glenn.

I loved that Chelsea wrote a journal of her thoughts about her relationships. It only showed how dedicated she was to Knightly. There is nothing like being involved in a wedding to make you introspective.

While Paris is Always a Good Idea has tried to fool us into thinking that Chelsea ends up with someone else, I suspect that absence made the heart grow fonder.

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Somehow, Knightly will learn what Chelsea did for him and his family and travel to Spain to fight for her.

I also wonder if Chelsea used some of Marcos’s foundation to help fund the ACC so fewer workers lost their jobs.

These two may work hand in hand as Knightly and Chelsea fight for their happy ending.

Over to you, Hallmarkies.

What was your impression of Marcos?

Did Chelsea make the right decision?

Do you think Knightly and Chelsea will reunite in the finale?

Let us know in the comments.

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