Jostling In Jail
We begin episode 2 of Lupin with Assane being brought in to prison. He’s introduced to his new cellmate as Assane’s time appears to be up. We then cut back 2 days earlier as Raoul looks around the jewelers. In the back, Assane learns from his friend Benjamin, who owns the place, that this necklace has never been pulled apart. This means that Pellegrini and the family lied about it going missing. But why? Before they can ponder that further however, the duo are interrupted by Raoul showing up. Elsewhere, Juliette greets her Mother who warns the girl to be careful. Downstairs, Juliette receives a note, telling her to meet at Luxembourg Gardens at 2pm with no police. Along with the note happens to be a single diamond. Dressed as a delivery driver, Assane rocks up by the shoreside. He covers up Juliette’s microphone and obscures his face, knowing she’s being watched, and admits he stole the necklace. He wants answers. It turns out Juliette and her Father both came up with the idea of separating the gemstones to drum up publicity. She pleads with Assane to hand over the necklace and admits that Assane’s father signed a confession confirming he was guilty. Realizing the jig is up, Assane takes off on his bike and evades the police, who are baffled by a number of other delivery drivers showing up at the same spot. It turns out Assane has switched disguises and manages to get away without being spotted. Going back through his Father’s belongings, Assane remembers Babakar telling him that spelling is very important. Within his letter to Assane are the words “Comit” and “libraryes” – which don’t seem like accidental mistakes. Assane figures out that the former refers to a man in prison with the same surname – Etienne Comit – and library is a straight translation. Both of these could potentially lead to his Father’s innocence being proven. In order to do this though, Assane infiltrates the prison, switching places with a man named Djibril, to get closer to Etienne. Juliette meanwhile, comes under fire from the Inspectors who question whether she actually knew Assane or not. She deflects the line of enquiry though and asks the Captain to find the necklace. In flashbacks to 1995, we see Assane approached by Dumont, who tells him to pack his things and leave. As he does, he bundles the Arsene Lupin book in his bag and tries to evade Dumont. Try being the operative word though, as he’s eventually captured. That capture sees him brought into juvenile prison where he’s handed a bible and forced to settle in. Assane refuses to play with the other kids as he receives a letter from his Father; a letter sent while the police cleaned out his cell. The inspector gently mentions Andresy School, the best private school in France, and a donor who has paid for him to receive the best education there. Back in prison, Assane meets Comit after getting himself stabbed in the stomach by a dope-hungry gang demanding he deliver. He explains to Comit that he’s Babakar’s son, allowing Etienne to speak openly. It turns out Babakar was alone in his cell and under surveillance. Etienne wasn’t there but tells Assane to look through his belongings where a book lies that holds the clues he seeks. Back at the police station, Youseff Guedira continues to research into Arsene Lupin and decodes the names to realize they’re all anagrams for Lupin. There’s a clear connection between the thief and the fictional detective but for now, he doesn’t have much else to go on. Back in prison, Assane looks through Etienne’s belongings and finds a Lupin book. Using this, he decodes a message reading: “An innocent trapped by Anne Pellegrini.” Assane heads back to Etienne and thanks him for his help, promising to do his best to clear his Father’s name. Back in prison, Assane is found in the showers after hanging himself. The nurses rush in to take him to hospital as we learn Assane concocted all of this on purpose to find a way out of prison. Assane eventually shows up at Pellegrini’s apartment and tells Anne she’s responsible for framing his Father. It turns out she forced him to sign a confession. This was supposed to guarantee him a shorter sentence but unfortunately the judge was too harsh and he was put away for a long time. Babakar then hung himself as he couldn’t cope with the guilt and shame. That “generous donor” that brought Assane to the prestigious school happens to be Anne Pellegrini too. The officer who lied and betrayed his family happens to be none other than Inspector Dumont. The very same Inspector Dumont from Assane’s past. As he gets researching, Assane learns that the Inspect is currently working for the Paris Regional police. The game is afoot!
The Episode Review
Lupin returns for a slightly longer episode this time and 50 minutes of drama that slows the pacing down slightly after such a breathless opening. However, the plotting is good and the flashbacks – although slightly overlong – works quite well to flesh out the full story. With more information surrounding the past brought forward and the cat and mouse game between the police and Assane underway, the ending here leaves the door wide open for the future episodes.
