While I was scrolling through my Netflix account last week, I noticed a show called Lupin had made it into the US Top 10 list. Intrigued, mainly because I hadn’t really seen all that much in terms of promotional material for the series, I did some digging. And then I immediately binged the entire first season. The first French language Netflix original series released in the US, Lupin is smart, sexy, fun, and, at only five episodes, a totally accessible series. And, while it is in French with English subtitles, if you are part of the subtitle averse group, you can also have the series dubbed (although I’m a staunch advocate for watching shows in their native tongue to ensure all the key vocal inflections of the performance are intact).
So, what’s Lupin about? It follows Assane Diop (Omar Sy, who is the quintessential leading man and I suspect this series will open up a whole host of doors for him), a man on a quest for revenge who mirrors his actions to those of Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief and fictional character from a book series created by Maurice Leblanc. It’s a pretty genius set-up: each episode sees Assane co-opting a plot line from a Lupin tale, adapting it to fit his particular needs, and finding out a new piece of the puzzle as he gets closer and closer to enacting his revenge. So, for those who love an episodic approach to TV, there’s a fun story each episode to follow. And for those who prefer their television serialized, you can enjoy the season-long arc. Everyone wins. Assane is smarter than most, but not so perfect in his execution that he doesn’t end up leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for one intrepid detective to follow – although no one is willing to believe that the skilled thief they are all chasing is an Arsène Lupin copycat. It’s the perfect balance of a cool arc and common sense – after all, as fun as Ocean’s 11 was, didn’t you find yourself a bit annoyed that Danny Ocean got away with such a perfectly crafted scheme?
But the key to making the series work lies in the casting of Sy as Assane. If you didn’t have a leading man who could be convincingly charming, obviously smart, and still unassuming when the situation called for it, well, none of the show’s fun twists and turns would matter. In Sy, the series has uncovered a superb leading man, whose open smile could charm the pants off pretty much anyone (and does throughout the series), but Sy also manages to tease out the less palatable elements of Assane, making sure we understand that while we should be rooting for him – and that he’s right in trying to right this wrong – his efforts aren’t always the correct way to go about things. Assane isn’t a purely good hero – there’s some morally gray elements to the character that make the series far more interesting. How far is too far? How much risk is too much? And how many people is Assane willing to sacrifice to achieve his goals?
Season one of Lupin simply sets the stage for what’s to come. There are some very cool heists, some incredible slight of hand, and just enough information presented to us to let us know that something was indeed rotten in Paris 25 years ago, when Assane’s world was forever upended by events outside of his control. Guilt, misplaced or otherwise, drives much of his actions in season one, and it’s clear how and why he feels that way – even if what happened isn’t his fault. But I, for one, am eager to see how Assane “Lupins” his way out of things in season two – if he can get the revenge he’s trained and waited so long to achieve, or if he’s finally overplayed his hand once and for all.
Season one of Lupin is currently streaming on Netflix.
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