The French hit series Lupin is back on Netflix
The Netflix original series, produced by Gaumont Télévision and created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan, had become the most-watched French series ever on the streaming platform after the launch of Part 1 in January 2021 seen by 76 million subscribers within its first 28-day release. A day after the release of Part 2, Lupin has already entered Netflix’s Top 10 across the globe, if it isn’t in first place, like in France, Belgium and Germany, the series is within most countries' top 5.
Part 2 of Lupin is just as riveting as the first five episodes of the series, which introduced the character of Assane Diop (played with such smooth charm by Omar Sy), a gentleman thief and master of disguise like his idol, the fictional character Arsène Lupin created by Maurice Leblanc. Assane’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre), the man who wrongly accused his father for his own pecuniary gain, is now taking its toll, putting his family and himself in harm’s way.
With plenty more misdirection and surprises in this Part 2, fans of Lupin will not be disappointed by the next five episodes, which continues where the story left off in Part 1.
As a reminder, Part 1 of Lupin had ended with quite the cliffhanger. Assane took Raoul (Etan Simon) and Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) on a special trip to the pretty seaside town of Étretat where an Arsène Lupin festival is taking place. They were unfortunately followed by Leonard (Adama Niane), one of Pellegrini’s henchmen. Episode 5 of Part 1 ended with Leonard kidnapping Raoul, and detective Youssef Guedira (Soufiane Guerrab) calling out Assane by addressing him with the name “Lupin.”
Episode 1 of Part 2, or Chapter 6, opens with Guedira, the only one in the whole police force who figured out who Assane is and his Arsène Lupin inspiration. Receiving a reminder on his phone that December 11 is Maurice Leblanc’s birthday, Guedira heads to Étretat. The series shows him taking the same train as Assane and his family. The first few minutes of this first episode thus joins the dots as to how Guedira suddenly appeared behind Assane on the Étretat beach calling him “Lupin.”
Fortunately, Guedira witnessed Leonard forcing Raoul into a car and can thus tell Assane the direction he drove off. Without telling Assane who he is, Guedira accompanies him in his pursuit of Leonard and his son Raoul. Will Assane catch them up? Part 2 thus begins with quite an explosive chase scene, and sets the tone for the remaining four episodes.
Much like Part 1, the storyline could be a little tighter at times. Some of the twists and turns in this second part of the series appear too convenient, like easy fixes to push the story along. But this won’t deter you from being glued to the series, and potentially binge the whole five episodes in one go. This is due largely to a great cast—from Hervé Pierre’s vile money-hungry businessman Pelligrini, Antoine Gouy’s portrayal of loyal friend Benjamin Ferel, to its charismatic leading star Omar Sy of course who creates a captivating character. The other great star of the series is the city of Paris. While Part 1 opened in the Louvre, Part 2 takes viewers to amazing locations across the iconic City of Lights, including the Musée d’Orsay and its great clock, the Chatelet Theater where the first Arsène Lupin stage play was performed, the top of the Buttes Chaumont park and the rather creepy maze of the Catacombs. The only big tourist site which seems to be missing is the Eiffel Tower, but that’s perhaps for Part 3.
Lupin continues to be such an excellent series, with its clever nods to Maurice Leblanc’s work, and will leave you looking forward to the already commissioned Part 3. The five episodes of Lupin Part 2 were directed by Ludovic Bernard and Hugo Gélin, and is now available to stream, or binge, on Netflix since June 11.
