It’s the beginning of a new year, and for Hollywood, that means another awards season. To get into the spirit of the season, I’ve been looking back on some of the most memorable TV shows I watched this year. One in particular immediately stood out to me: Lupin.
This French Netflix series centers on the fictional character Arsène Lupin (played by Omar Sy) and is set in modern Paris. It currently only has three seasons, with about 5-6 episodes per season. The first two seasons of the series are very well made. They consistently maintain a great balance between action and drama, and characters have motivations and values that make sense.
Lupin, also known as “the gentleman thief,” could be described as somewhat of a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood. While the show’s heist scenes are a little predictable (Lupin almost always comes away unscathed), they are different enough from each other to leave you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next.
The supporting characters also work well within the context of the story. They all have clear identities and their own feelings and ideas instead of just following Lupin all the time. These characters amplify the main plot points of the show without taking away from the intended outcome. It is clear the creators of the show have worked hard to create a realistic and connected world in Lupin.
However, the most recent season has fallen short of the very high bar the first two seasons set. While it was still very entertaining to watch, it left me wondering what had gone wrong.
Like the first season, the third leans heavily into Lupin’s past, showing flashbacks from his childhood at least twice each episode. While this was effective in the first season when viewers knew basically nothing about the characters, it is far less effective in the third season and honestly just feels like it’s being used as a narrative crutch. The flashback technique as it’s used here seems lazy, like they ran out of present day motivations for Lupin and decided to lean into his past for ease of writing.
Another issue I have with the third season is the drastic change in antagonists. The first two seasons focus on Lupin working against an influential family, the Pellegrinis, because of something they did in the past to him and his family. However, in the third season, they are almost nowhere to be found, and there’s no explanation for that other than that Lupin seemingly stopped them altogether.
However, despite its flaws, Lupin is a fantastic show. It’s a great action series with complex themes and characters, which has become a rarity in most action films and movies. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys drama, action, or solving a mystery, and I give it four out of five stars.
★★★★☆
