Directors: Louis Leterrier and Marcela Said
Composer: Mathieu Lamboley
Release Date: Jan. 28, 2021
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Starring: Omar Sy (Assaine Diop), Shirine Boutella (Lieutenant Sofia Belkacem), Ludivine Sagnier (Claire), Clotilde Hesme (Julliette Pellegrirni) and Nicole Garcia (Anne Pellegrini)
Our rating: B+

“Lupin” is a new French mystery-thriller television series released on Netflix on Jan. 8, 2021. The story follows a thief named Assane Diop who works in a Robinhood-like style of only stealing from the rich. So far, the series has one season out with 5 episodes and expected to release the next season this summer. It will provide a conclusion to the cliffhanger in the last episode of season one which 70 million watchers are waiting to see. This show is a great adventure for anyone wanting to watch a mystery show with a plot that thickens throughout the series.

The story of this show is captivating. From the first episode, the series builds up suspense and shows what the show’s plot is capable of. The first episode introduces a very likable main character who is able to pull off a heist even if it seemed that all the odds were against him. This episode provided a good basis of what the show would be about and how the events would play out. Each episode thickened the plot, revealing more aspects about the story and the characters which would be difficult for the viewer to predict.

The first episode shows the viewer firsthand how much more intellectually strong the main character is versus his adversaries. Assane is tasked with stealing a jewel from the Louvre which is being auctioned off and has to partner up with other people from a different company also trying to steal this gem. After the auction is finished, Assane is knocked out by the people he was teamed up with as they drive off with the jewel. At this point, it seems as if the main character has been outsmarted by his competition, but in reality, it went according to his plan. The show is able to provide an unpredictable plot twist showing us that Assane had actually planned this out and was able to walk out of the museum with the real jewel.

This moment of the series establishes that our main character would not be tricked so easily and would find a way to get things done. Assane is a great protagonist for this series because of his likeable attributes such as his smarts. Another likeable attribute of this character is the fact that he does not use weapons or guns. Most series and films that have to do with heists revolve around people having to fight or kill each other, however this show is different. It provides an aspect to the show that is not seen in other shows with similar plots. Knowing that the main character cannot fight his way out of difficult situations provides a sense of realism to the plot and shows that he is oftentimes vulnerable.

“I really liked this show. It felt like I was watching a French version of Sherlock Holmes who can fight” junior Felix Audouze said.

While the majority of the show was excellent, there are a few aspects that can be improved upon in season two. The first is that other than the main character, the other characters of the show are not developed well enough. Sometimes it feels as if they are merely people introduced to the plot so that Asasne has some sort of obstacle in his way. It would help the plot if these characters had their backstories explained, so the viewer can see the motives of these people.

Also, after the first couple of episodes, the plot of the story becomes a bit too convoluted and difficult to follow. There were many characters that were introduced that had very little connection to the protagonist. Most of these characters had more relation to the father than Assane which is a bit complicated as the dad is not a major role in the story. Hopefully, these concepts are explored more in the next season.

Other than these minor problems, the show is excellent. It has an original and creative plot, likable characters, aspects and mystery and suspense and has great potential for season two. The last episode does leave the viewers on a cliffhanger which are usually overdone and cliche, however in this show it was different from most cliffhangers. This conclusion to season one is a great area to leave the story for the start of season two which can hopefully live up to the expectations of the viewers.