Lupin Finally Returns With Assane’s Boldest Con Yet — Grade the Premiere
Never have I been more thankful for a lengthy “Previously on…” recap than when I pressed “Play” on Lupin’s Part 3 premiere. It’s been over two years since the suave con artist last graced our screens, and in that time, I may have forgotten some plot points — but the people of France have definitely not forgotten about Assane Diop despite his disappearing act.
When Part 3’s first episode begins, it’s 2021, and Assane is hiding out in Marseille with his dog J’accuse. A newscast informs him that while the world has no idea where he is, they definitely know his family’s whereabouts. His wife Claire is being hounded by the media, who believe she has something to do with Assane’s vanishing, while his son is suffering from nightmares and is being tormented by his classmates about his infamous dad.
More from TVLine
Found Boss Talks Lacey's True Identity, Gabi and Trent's 'Undeniable' Chemistry
The Voice Recap: Chair You Have It - Five Singers' Blinds Make the Coaches See Stars
Love Is Blind Sets Date for Season 5 Reunion (But It's Not Live This Time)
Assane covertly meets up with Claire in Paris and suggests that the three of them leave the city together, but Claire isn’t on board. They would be on the run forever. As far as she sees it, the only way Assane can make this situation right is by turning himself in. When he remains silent at the idea, she replies, “You’re not a hero, Assane. You’re a coward.”
But Assane has a plan — a tricky and dangerous one involving the stunt of all stunts, he tells Benjamin. He wants to right his one failure and steal the Black Pearl, which he almost snagged back in 2017 before being captured. (The authorities got the Black Pearl back, but Assane managed to get away.)
“If I have to vanish, I may as well go out with a bang,” Assane declares.
So he hand-delivers a note to the jeweler in possession of the Black Pearl, announcing his plan to steal the gem, right down to the day (Friday, Dec. 3) and time (10 pm) he’s going to do it. (Even though his face is all over the news, Assane still manages to get into the building by being charming and playing off how much he looks like that guy on TV who’s making his life difficult. He even smiles at the security cameras.)
After a newspaper gets a hold of the letter and publishes it, a giant crowd of Assane supporters, who see him as a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts, assemble outside the jeweler’s place on the night of the robbery. BRI agents have been called to stand guard around the Black Pearl, which has laser beams protecting it. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Belkacem and the authorities are monitoring the place on surveillance cameras. When the clock hits 10 pm, nothing happens — until suddenly an alarm goes off and the Black Pearl vanishes. But how?!
As I suspected, that one BRI agent was in on it — but it’s more complicated than that. He’s actually a friend/neighbor of Assane’s from childhood named Bruno. Three days earlier, Assane paid him a visit to settle a debt and present him with an offer. As part of Assane’s plan, Bruno infiltrated the jeweler’s security ranks, feeding him BS that Assane whispered into Bruno’s ear while watching from his perch atop a nearby tower.
“The bigger the lie, the more they’ll believe it,” Assane assured Bruno.
Meanwhile, Benjamin sent the letter to the press so that on the night of the robbery, he and Assane could use the chanting crowds as a distraction to sneak in as BRI agents alongside Bruno. Then at 10 pm, Assane simply reached into the display and took the pearl, slipping out of the room in the hysteria afterward. (Since he was watching Bruno and the jeweler earlier, he already knew the door access codes and was able to change them to block the others from following him.)
Eventually, Bruno catches up to Assane and pretends to arrest him, once again using the crowd to lead him to a car and escape the scene. After they get away, Assane steps out of the vehicle at his stop and proceeds to a rooftop, where he’s spotted by snipers. He backs up to run and leap from one rooftop to another… and ends up not quite making it. (The MCU, this is not.) He dangles from the ledge until he finally loses his grip and falls many feet to the ground, where a group of nearby pedestrians gather over his unconscious body.
Elsewhere, in flashbacks, teenage Assane discovers a postcard from his mom in Senegal, saying he’s better off without her.
Lupin fans, what did you think of the twisty premiere? Was it worth the wait? Grade it below, then hit the comments!
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
