Summary
Episode 3 oozes class as Assane is back to his best — this series is nearly as good as part 1 so far.
This recap of Netflix’s Lupin season 2, episode 3 contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
From the first time Assane “bumps” into Juliette, you can tell this was all part of an elaborate plan from the lead character. We know him too well by now. Let’s recap!
Episode 3 begins with Claire asking Assane to run; suddenly, men run down the stairs looking for him. Claire and Raoul argue about Assane; Raoul thinks he was awesome in saving him, but Assane doesn’t want him to think like that, stating he put them in danger. Assane is listening in the loft. A few days later, Assane meets a friend, and he’s mad that Claire ratted him out to Hubert Pellegrini. Assane wants to go after Hubert Pellegrini and attack him like he attacked his son — he rings Guedira and asks to meet him; they are playing their game of Lupin.
Meeting Juliette
Like the previous two chapters, episode 3 moves back to 1995 to show the young Assane. He’s performing magic tricks and hustling people on the streets. He bumps into a young Juliette, who wants to arrange to meet the next day. In the present day, Assane meets Juliette in a restaurant “by accident,” but Assane does not believe it is a coincidence. Juliette believes their fathers’ past is poisoning things and thinks it needs to stop — she wants him to join for food. The pair reminisce about their past, and Juliette tells Assane that he’s reasonable now. And then, like mischievous kids reliving their younger days, they dine and dash, and then they steal a scooter. The next day, Juliette tells Assane that she loved last night and that they aren’t twenty anymore — she states that they can’t stop time.
Juliette’s package nearly gets her in trouble
When Juliette returns home, she receives a news alert that says, “Pissarro stolen from Musee D’Orsay.” It’s big news in France. She then opens the package she has received, and it’s the painting that has been stolen. It says, “sometimes, you can stop time, A” — Assane sent it to her. Suddenly, officers come over and ask her about the painting as they believe they received a package — she manages to throw them off. She then meets Assane, who seems impressed with himself. Juliette is wondering what he is up to — he tells her he wants her and that he made the wrong choice with Claire. Juliette asks Assane to prove it and asks him to steal a bracelet from his ex (she’s recently got a bracelet off her new boyfriend Marc that Benjamin provided).
Hubert did not approve of Assane in 1995
We already knew Hubert was a racist, but episode 3 beefs that notion even more.
Assane speaks to Benjamin about the bracelet and that it is a rare piece, and that if he wants it, he will have to steal it. Back in the flashbacks of 1995, Hubert has an issue that Juliette is going to meet a black boy — he forbids it as “we don’t have anything in common with those people.” Juliette had no choice but to stand him up — Assane waited near the river for her.
Obtaining the bracelet
Assane sneaks into Claire’s house to get the bracelet. He sneaks into the bedroom and sees Claire in bed with Marc — the bracelet is on his ex’s wrist. He manages to take it. The next day, he gives it to Juliette, and she’s impressed. Assane asks if they can start over with no more lies and that he’ll return the painting. He’s happy that they are allowed to be together. Juliette tells him to stop obsessing over her father. Assane brings up that his father was framed 25 years ago by her father, and he suggests that she asks her mother about it for the truth. He also gives the contact details of cop Guedira. After the conversation with Juliette, he returns the bracelet to Claire and the stolen painting to the museum.
Assane’s real plan
And then, like in part 1, Lupin season 2, episode 3 shows Assane’s ultimate plan, which is clever and intrinsic as always.
We return to the start of the episode, with Assane saying he will go after Hubert Pelligrini, but by using his daughter. He planned to meet Juliette in the restaurant, and she has no idea she was manipulated. He had paid the waiter beforehand to “dine and dash” and planned to steal the scooter. Assane wants Juliette to believe she’d do anything for him, even if that means betraying her father. And as for the painting, Assane made her feel like it was stolen and manipulated the Notre-Dame fire news video to make it sound like it was about the painting — Benjamin sent her fake news notifications.
Juliette betrays her father
And so, Juliette visits her mother (Anne Pellegrini) and asks for the truth regarding her Hubert and Assane’s father. The mother reveals all regarding the past. Juliette tells her mother to tell the truth about her father and talk to the police. She gives him Guedira’s contact details as a trusted cop that she can talk to. Assane’s plan worked.
The ending
Anne Pellegrini meets Guedira to talk about Hubert. As the episode ends, the police enter Hubert’s house and arrest him on suspicion of fraud and obstruction of justice. They also have a search warrant. While he is cuffed and escorted out of his home, news spreads quickly that Hubert Pellegrini has been arrested.
Assane decides to meet Juliette even though Benjamin advises against it. He meets her near the river where she stood him up years ago. They kiss each other near the water.
Lupin season 2, episode 3 oozes class as Assane is back to his best — this series is nearly as good as part 1 so far.
Additional points
- Hubert redirects the foundation gala funds for his own benefit — he tells the man (Courbet) sorting it out for him that Juliette doesn’t know about it.
- Claire introduces Benjamin to Marc, a man she is dating.
