“Assane Diop” disappeared from sight for two years, but he returned to appear from the “Netflix” window in the third season of the series “Lupin”. He was overcome by longing for his family and his adventures, at a time when his followers were overcome by longing for him, after the unprecedented success achieved by the first two seasons of the French series in 2021.
In the third season, which launched a few days ago, Diop decides to return to Paris after spending a year in hiding in Marseille. There is his wife, Claire, and his son, Raoul, who spend their daily lives under police surveillance and away from the lenses and pens of journalists. As for him, his pictures fill the streets as the number one wanted man in France due to the thefts he had previously committed, but he is ready to risk his freedom in order to save his small family. But this will not happen before he carries out the largest robbery in his track record. “black Pearl”.
Viewers have known Diop during the previous two seasons of the series, as a professional and light-hearted thief whose charisma justifies many of his illegal actions. He was influenced by the character of the “gentleman thief, Arsène Le Pen,” down to the smallest detail, taking from him charm and circumstance. Diop added a human dimension to the famous literary character “Le Pen,” created by the French writer Maurice Leblanc in 1905. During the first two seasons, the audience followed Diop as he took revenge for his father, who was unjustly accused of theft by his employers, so he committed suicide inside his cell, and the boy spent his adolescence as an orphan.
As a young man, Diop succeeded in his revenge, but an old wound in his heart did not heal. The void that his mother left in his being due to her absence for more than 25 years may be filled during this season. But before reaching his mother’s arms and trying to recover his small family, Diop finds himself in the middle of a successive episode of historical thefts. The rosary begins with the priceless “black pearl,” and continues to include one of Edouard Manet’s most famous paintings, leading to a bracelet studded with the most precious gemstones.
Assane Diop and the Black Pearl (Netflix)
The new season extends to 7 episodes that can be watched in one sitting. French actor Omar Sy delivers a captivating performance, as usual, on both the action and content levels. However, his exceptional presence is not enough to save the first half of the series from some boredom and distraction. It is not until the fifth episode that the suspenseful plot becomes coherent, the excitement intensifies, and the human features behind the events become clearer. Compared to the previous two seasons, the narrative seems weaker and the level of suspense lower.
The screenplay by British writer George Kay goes too far with the fantasy at times. Not all of the events and developments that occur in “Le Pen” are convincing and logical, especially with regard to Diop’s extraordinary abilities and his countless costumes that do not convince the eye in some of his appearances. What the viewer may face in disbelief is the terrible disparity between Diop’s standard level of intelligence and the capabilities of the police who pursue him throughout the series. What is even more astonishing is the strange relationship between Le Pen and police investigator Youssef Qadira, who once again becomes his partner in his plans.
Actor Omar Sy as Assane Diop and actor Sofiane Qarab as Detective Youssef Qadira (Netflix)
The third season of “Le Pen” delves into Assane Diop’s past, and elaborates on flashbacks that go back to the hero’s childhood, through which a lot becomes clear about his present. The two narrative lines run in parallel to reveal the identity of a boxing trainer who took care of Diop after he became an orphan, causing him great harm. In this context, rising actor Mamadou Haidara delivers a remarkable performance in the role of teenage Diop.
Rising actor Mamadou Haidara as Assan Diop as a teenager (Instagram)
The link is close between Diop’s past and his present, and if the boxer “Kelleher” represents the dark side of him, the bright side is assumed by the hero’s mother, “Meriem”, who returns from Senegal after a forced absence of 25 years. Knowing that the mother’s character is pivotal in this season of “Le Pen.”
Among the influential characters are Diop’s wife, Claire, played by actress Ludivine Sagnier, and his son, Raoul (Etan Simon). As for Diop’s mirror, and the one who stands as a fortress behind him and his heroics, he is his close friend and partner in planning and risk-taking, “Benjamin” (Antoine Goy). Benjamin keeps Diop’s secrets, invents hideouts for him, and accompanies him on his dangerous acrobatic thefts.
Diop with his close friend and partner Benjamin Ferrell (Netflix)
The relationship between Asan and Benjamin is an essential part of the human aspect that the story takes. This time, Diop is not only the “super thief,” but he is surrounded by a network of personal relationships that reveal a lot about his feelings. Beneath the thick skin of the outlaw hides a loving husband, a caring father, a loyal friend, and a son who risks his life for his returning mother.
But beyond relationships with family and those close to him, Diop builds a relationship with the people without intending to do so. In this part of the series, he appears as a national hero. In exchange for his pictures hanging in the streets as wanted number one, people gather in a demonstration carrying pictures of him during an attempt to arrest him, and demanding his freedom. For them, Diop symbolizes the social justice that the poor, marginalized and immigrant classes aspire to.
In the third season of “Le Pen,” Assane Diop turns into a national hero that people love and demonstrate in his defense (Netflix)
On the image level, the general shots of Paris are among the most beautiful things the work presents. The French capital appears in its most beautiful appearance, as Diop moves between its streets and above its rooftops with the agility of a bird.
Netflix did not skimp on marketing heavily for the third season of “Le Pen.” How could it not, when the French series ranks third among the most watched non-English-speaking works on the platform, after the Korean “Squid Game” and the Spanish “La Casa de Papel.”
Popular rally around Assane Diop and demonstrations in support of him (Netflix)
The open ending of the third season of “Le Pen” suggests that Diop’s farewell has been postponed. A conclusion confirmed by the author, George Kay, in an interview with Variety magazine, where he said that the series has enough ambitious foundations to be completed if requested.
