NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Lupin part 3 episode 1.
Lupin is back on Netflix and continuing Assane Diop's (Omar Sy) story after he went into hiding and started living far away from his wife and son. But with the police and the media piling pressure on them to find out where Assane's got to, he decides to return to Paris to make them a crazy proposal: leave France altogether and start a new life elsewhere. However, the ghosts of the past are never far away, and an unexpected return turns his plans upside down.
Let’s take a look at how Assane sets his plan in motion in the first episode of Lupin part 3.
Back to Paris
Before telling us about the present, Lupin takes us back in time. Viewers are introduced to the Black Pearl, a priceless Tahitian pearl in transit through Paris. Assane hijacks the transport by leading the man in charge of the pearl to change his route, and Assane manages to take the precious object from him while riding the subway. On his way out, Assane crosses paths with the police, marking one of his only failed thefts.
Back in 2021, we find Assane in Marseille, hiding away from Paris with his dog, J’accuse. Watching the news, Assane hears about how the police and the media won’t leave his wife, Claire, and their son, Raoul, alone in order to find him. Upset that he is causing them to suffer, Assane decides to act and returns to Paris.
Assane messages Claire to meet him outside the hospital she works at. When she sees him, Claire doesn’t hide the fact that she is mad at him for being responsible for everything she and Raoul are going through. Assane tries to convince her that he has a plan and offers that they leave France together. Claire, however, tells Assane she would rather he turn himself in, but the gentleman thief is not keen on that option.
Time for a new plan
After seeing Claire, Assane goes to see his friend Ben and tells him what happened. He explains he has a plan to make things right, but that it is a dangerous one. Soon enough, we start seeing this plan unfold.
It starts with Assane going to a high-end jewelry shop called Maison Everlin. He drops off a letter and manages to convince an employee that he isn’t the thief she has seen on television, he just looks like him. Somehow, they buy it, and Assane leaves as she delivers the letter to her manager. The latter reads it and finds out Assane plans on breaking into Maison Everlin to steal the Black Pearl. The police are called; when Captain Belkacem arrives at the scene, she meets with a BRI agent before ordering that the letter be kept secret so no one knows Assane Diop is on the loose once again.
Meanwhile in another part of Paris, at the L’Objecteur newspaper, journalists are bickering over who gets to make the front page with a story about Diop. Of course, one of them will be informed about Assane’s letter to Maison Everlin, and they’ll publish it.
Assane's heist
Lupin often goes back and forth between Assane’s childhood and the present, and this new season continues this trend, flashing back to the summer of 1998. It’s the end of the school year and Assane has to go to his old apartment to collect some mail. He finds a postcard from Senegal that was sent by his mother. In it, she refers to him as “Sani” and says he will be better off without her. Assane is surprised but runs into his friend, Bruno, before he has time to process his mother’s words.
Back in the present, Belkacem goes to see her colleague, Youssef Guedira, to get his insight on Assane’s letter. Once again, he tells her of the link between Assane and Arsene Lupin, but Belkacem is not convinced by this theory. At Maison Everlin, the BRI agent goes over the security with Mr. Imbert, and makes him change all the security door codes before assuring him that protecting the pearl is a matter of national pride.
The night of the robbery arrives. The police are ready for him, and a large group of people have gathered at Place Vendome to see if they can spot Assane and show their support.
When 10 pm strikes, nothing happens at first and the cops are relieved, but alarms soon start blaring. Belkacem and her team spot a suspicious cop making his way through Maison Everlin. They catch up to him and the BRI agent arrests Assane before taking him outside to a police car.
The plan is revealed
How did Assane get caught? We cut back to three days earlier. This time we find Assane visiting an adult Bruno, who turns out to be the so-called BRI agent we’ve been thinking was an actual cop. Assane walks him through his plan, which includes Bruno pretending to be with the BRI, convincing the Maison Everlin’s manager to change the security codes, show him how the Black Pearl is protected, etc. It turns out that all the while Bruno was at the jeweler’s, Assane was watching from the top of the Colonne Vendome, feeding him instructions.
Meanwhile, Ben warned the press about the robbery, because Assane wanted the Place Vendome to be packed with people the night of the heist as a distraction. This allowed him and Ben to sneak inside Maison Everlin dressed up as BRI agents. Then Assane stole the pearl but his arrest was made by Bruno and Ben, who took him out to a police car for everyone to see.
The trio then escapes in plain sight and Assane is dropped off a few streets away. He decides to disappear into the night through the Parisian rooftops, but the police are on his heels. He runs away and when he tries to jump from one building to another, he falls. As the episode ends, witnesses of the accident run to help, and things don’t look good for Assane.
That’s it for the first episode of Lupin part 3. Curious to know what’s next for Assane Diop? All episodes of this new season are now available on Netflix. For more shows to enjoy, check out our top picks for the best Netflix shows you should be streaming right now.
