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The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode

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‘The Crown’ Season 4 Recap: Most Important Moments from Each Episode

The Crown S4. Picture shows: Prince Charles (JOSH O CONNOR) and Princess Diana (EMMA CORRIN)

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Rivalry, jealousy, and personal affairs are at the forefront of The Crown season 4. 

The series delivered its best and most controversial season yet, which was to be expected with the arrival of two iconic figures: a young Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) and “The Iron Lady,” Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (X-Files‘ Gillian Anderson).

We’re breaking down the biggest moments episode-by-episode! 

 

Season 4 Episode 1 – Gold Stick

Lord Mountbatten aka Dickie, Prince Charles’s closest confidant and mentor, and Prince Phillip’s surrogate father, was spending time in their holiday home in the Republic of Ireland when the boat he took out during their outing exploded into smithereens.  Two members of the IRA took credit for the assassination. The bombing took the lives of Mountbatten, 14-year-old Nicholas Brabourne (Dickie’s grandchild), and Paul Maxwell, a friend of the family who worked on the boat. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia and her husband, Lord John Brabourne, survived along with one of their twins, Timothy. Lord Brabourne’s mother, the dowager Lady Doreen Brabourne, died of her injuries the next day. 

While the series sticks close to facts, it does sensationalize parts of the script. In the episode, Charles reads a letter from Mountbatten after his death, in which he’s scrutinized for continuing to have a relationship with Camila, a married woman. This is a pivotal moment because it convinces the heir to throne to follow his duty rather than his heart and pursue Diana, a sweet, innocent, well-tempered woman who will make a good Queen.

The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode

The Crown S4. Picture shows: Princess Diana (EMMA CORRIN) and Prince Charles (JOSH O CONNOR). Filming Location: Kensington Town Hall

 

Season 4 Episode 2 – The Balmoral Test

Diana truly impresses Prince Phillip when she accompanies him on a morning hunt, spots the stag, and helps him put it outs of its misery with one shot. Phillip shares the joyous news with the rest of the family, who all give Charles the nod of approval to marry Diana. 
 
Charles tells Camila that Diana “passed with flying colors,” but doesn’t want to marry her because she’s just a child. There’s a 16-year-old age-gap between Diana and Charles. 
 
 
Season 4 Episode 3 – Fairytale
 
A royal engagement kicks off episode 3, though Prince Charles’s “it’s done, I did it” comment after the fact is far from romantic. 
 
Lady D, on the other hand, was ecstatic and celebrated with her friends soon after, which may have been the last moment of happiness and normalcy in her life. After picking out the ring, moving into the palace, starting her royal training, and announcing the engagement publicly, Diana soon learned that she was in for a life of loneliness and always being second-best to Camila.
 
She was quickly disillusioned from her “fairy tale” life when she discovered that Charles rang Camila every day during his six-week trip but didn’t even bother to contact her once. 
 
All of this culminated in Diana’s real-life battle with bulimia. The Crown, which had trigger-warnings ahead of the specific episodes, didn’t shy away from vividly showing her bingeing on food before throwing it all up in the bathroom.
 
When Charles returns from his trip, she confronts him about the cheating during their wedding rehearsal, which is witnessed by Princess Margaret. As someone who was denied her true love due to the family’s “duty,” she immediately called out the lack of love between Charles and Diana. “How many times can this family make the same mistake,” she questioned, but it fell on deaf ears as Prince Phillip, Queen Elizabeth, and the rest of the lot were convinced that the process was sound and with time, the two would learn to love each other. 
 
While we see Diana in the iconic wedding dress, the episode didn’t feature the wedding because Peter Morgan said you can just watch it on Youtube. And that, friends, is true. 
 
The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode

The Crown S4. Picture shows: Princess Diana (EMMA CORRIN)

 
Season 4 Episode 4 – Favourites
 
At a time when Britain was facing rising unemployment and a struggling economy, the fourth episode focused heavily on the 1982 Paris-Dakar rally and showed Prime Minister Thatcher as a mother rather than a politician. Her “favorite son,” Mark Thatcher, his French co-driver, Anne-Charlotte Verney, and their mechanic went missing prompting a huge search and rescue mission. A plane spotted them roughly six days later and brought them back to safety. 
 
The Queen was taken aback by Thatcher’s comment about her “favorite” child, but Prince Phillip assured her she too had one. This prompted her to schedule lunches with each of her children to figure out which one she liked most, but instead, she learned that they were all lost and questioned whether she’d been a good mother. 
 
 
Season 4 Episode 5 – Fagan
 
It shouldn’t be easy to break into Buckingham Palace, let alone sneak into the Queen’s bedroom, but Michael Fagan, a disillusioned Brit with nothing to lose, successfully did so twice in 1982.
 
The episode paints the picture of what life was like in Britain for Fagan and many others as it juxtaposes the royals’ lavish parties and celebrations with the rest of the world dealing with soaring unemployment due to Thatcher’s war in the Falkland Islands. This showed just how far removed the royals were from reality and the struggles of the everyday people.
 
Fagan, specifically, lost his job as a painter/decorator, lost his wife, custody of his kids, and simply couldn’t get back on his feet again. 
 
When no one would listen to his grievances, he decided to facilitate a chit-chat with the Queen by breaking into the palace and waking her up around 7 a.m. While there are mixed reports about how the situation went down in real-life, according to the episode, Fagan got to express his dismay with the current state of Britain, which registered with the Queen. 
 
Fagan was committed for a psychiatric evaluation and spent three months in the psychiatric hospital. He still lives in London to this day. 
 
The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode

PICTURE SHOWS: Queen Elizabeth II (OLIVIA COLMAN). Filming Location: Lyceum Theatre

 
Season 4 Episode 6 – Terra Nullius 
 
The royal family begins to learn just how unhappy Diana is in the marriage as rumors that she’s “doing things to herself” begin to circulate. 
 
Charles and Diana embark on a very important tour of Australia, but it’s a bumpy road as Diana fumbles an interview, refuses to be separated from her infant William, and looks “weak and fragile,” according to her husband, who is still phoning Camila from abroad. 
 
With tensions boiling over, the two realize they cannot continue on this path and have an honest heart-to-heart where they express their love for each other and vow to make this marriage work. Charles is so serious about it, he even ignores a call from Camila. 
 
But all of that goes right out the window when Diana steals the show and captures the heart of the nation. This was supposed to be Prince Charles’ big moment, but all eyes are on Lady D. Prince Charles is so jealous and resentful that he doesn’t even acknowledge that without Diana, they would have likely lost all support in Australia and New Zealand. Any and all love that they had for each other early on in the trip fizzles out entirely and he goes crawling back to Camila. 
 
Back at Buckingham Palace, Diana gets an audience with the Queen and tells her how Prince Charles resents her, but instead of support, the Queen informs her that she was milking the spotlight and overstepped. It’s not the first or last time the royal family makes Diana feel as if she’s solely responsible for her failed relationship or blames her for being loved by the people. 
 
 
Season 4 Episode 7 – The Hereditary Principle
 
The Crown tackles many tough subjects, but episode 7 focuses on Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret’s institutionalized family. At first, the scenes from inside a mental hospital may be confusing to audiences, but it all comes into focus after Princess Margaret has lung surgery in 1985 and loses yet another lover, Derek Jennings, aka Dazzle. 
 
While the duo has a fling in the episode before he breaks things off to join the priesthood, it’s unclear if the relationship happened in real life.
 
Margaret spirals into a bit of a depression, so Prince Charles convinces her to go see a therapist, who mentions that she’s heard through the grapevine that mental health may run in the family. 
 
That’s when Margaret learns of Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, her and Elizabeth’s cousins, who were hidden away to protect the monarchy from the shame of the disease.
 
The records show that both Katherine and Nerissa died in the 40s and 50s, but Margaret convinces Dazzle to visit the mental institute and check it out firsthand. He informs her that the women are still alive and fully aware of their familial ties to the crown. He also says that there are a total of 5 cousins institutionalized. 
 
Margaret confronts her mother, who explains that the idea of one family having blood rights to the throne was already so fragile that they couldn’t let the public know about the mental illness and question the integrity of the bloodline.
 
A follow-up therapy session reveals that the genetic fault came from Aunt Fenella, the wife of the Queen Mother’s brother John Herbert Bowes-Lyon, and thus, would never have directly impacted the bloodline of the crown. Margaret deems what her family did unforgivable, but despite feeling completely empty inside and broken by the system, she assures Dazzle that being apart of the royal family is her happiness. 
 
The Crown Season 4: Best Moments from Each Episode

The Crown S4. Picture shows: Margaret Thatcher (GILLIAN ANDERSON). Filming Location: Elstree (Stage 7)

 
Season 4 Episode 8 – 48:1
 
The episode sees Thatcher and the Queen clashing over apartheid in South Africa. 48 of the 49 of the commonwealth nations backed the sanctions, including the Queen, but Thatcher was opposed as she thought they’d damage Britain’s economic interests. This meant that the negotiations were brutal as Thatcher kept refusing to sign before eventually caving, which led to this great quote: “in the ring with the Queen, the Iron Lady melted.”
 
Michael Shea was the Queen’s press secretary, who came to warn the palace that “Today” was set on running a piece about the fraught relationship between Thatcher and the Queen. He advised that they put out a statement shutting the rumors down, but the Queen decided that she wanted to leak the story as she didn’t agree with Thatcher’s policies. 
 
As expected, when the news broke and detailed the ideological rift between the two leaders, it was scandalous, especially as it broke the Queen’s rule of never passing political comments on options. 
 
Despite the story running against the advice of Shea, the Queen’s private secretary made it very clear to him that he was to take responsibility for the leak. Shea was identified as the “palace mole” and forced to give up his position serving the royals. He started a new chapter as a novelist writing political thrillers. 
 
The tension between these two powerful women also overshadowed the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and you know how the royals are about not getting their time in the spotlight. 
 
 
Season 4 Episode 9 – Avalanche
 
Speaking of the spotlight, Diana seemed to steal it again when she tried to surprise Prince Charles with a performance of “Uptown Girl” at a gala during his 37th birthday. As usual, it led to a pretty explosive fight between the couple, which caught the Queen’s attention. Princess Anne clued in her mother about Diana’s several affairs with her bodyguard and riding instructor. 
 
During a ski trip with friends soon after, Prince Charles gets swept up in an avalanche. Both Diana and Prince Charles made it out alive, but his close friend, Major Hugh Lindsay was killed. The avalanche puts plenty into perspective for the royals. 
 
When the Queen summons them for an audience, Prince Charles is ready to inform his mother that he wants to end the marriage and finally be with the woman he loves — Camila. But before he can even get a word in, Diana informs Elizabeth and Prince Phillip that almost losing Charles in the avalanche made her realize just how much she loves him. 
 
Princess Diana truly commits to making the marriage work — she cut off ties with her other lovers, moves into Highgrove, and plans a special surprise for her and Charles’ 7th wedding anniversary. The same cannot be said for Charles, who continues his dalliance with Camila and found himself repulsed with Diana’s gift for their anniversary, a video of her singing a ballad from “Phantom of the Opera.”
 
Anne tries to convince Charles that Camila will never leave Andrew for him and that their relationship is nothing more than a fantasy, but Camila assures him that she loves him.
 
So, Charles begins ignoring all of Diana’s calls eventually pushing how towards solitude and loneliness. He hopes he’ll get her to slip up and have another affair, which she does as she runs back to Major Hewitt.
 
 
Season 4 Episode 10 – War
 
After learning about the affair, Charles immediately ran to his mother to tattle on Diana in hopes that it would finally lead to a separation, but the Queen was having none of it. 
 
He also made sure that everyone believed Diana wasn’t mentally stable enough to go on a trip to New York by herself. The family made Diana doubt herself and feel like she couldn’t do anything right. 
 
However, her trip was a smashing success. She received even more love from the people in America than she did in the U.K. She visited many low-income places that weren’t on the radar of American politicians and made the front page after treating aids patients like actual human beings. Of course, this didn’t sit well with Charles, who assumed the whole trip was Diana’s way of once again stealing all the thunder. 
 
Even worse, the coverage made Camila realize that she could never compete with Diana or be as loved as the Princess of Wales, which made Charles lash out at Diana for upsetting his mistress. 
 
Margaret Thatcher was betrayed by her longest-serving Cabinet minister,  Sir Geoffrey Howe, when he gave a scathing speech during his resignation. This was later seen as the catalyst for a leadership challenge that found her withdrawing from the position after 11.5 years. 
 
The Queen, who grew to respect Thatcher as a woman and a politician, awarded her the Order of Merit for getting England back on track. 
 
Phillip had a brutally honest conversation with Princess Diana about getting her priorities in order and explained that they all feel like outcasts in the royal family. 
 

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

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Virgin River Holiday Episodes Season 5 Episode 11 and 12 Review – Father Christmas

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Virgin River Holiday Episodes Season 6 Episode 10 and 11 Review - Father Christmas

Virgin River is getting into the spirit of the holidays!

While most of Virgin River, including Mel and Jack, were under the impression that this was the “best Christmas ever,” even despite a few hiccups with the “extraordinary” family dinner they planned, if you’ve ever seen an episode of this series, you were likely waiting for the other foot to drop. 

**Warning—spoilers from the episodes ahead!**

Things on Virgin River are typically perfect—until they aren’t, but it’s also a very accurate reflection of real life; it’s made up of a blend of good and bad moments, many of which help you realize just how lucky and thankful you are. 

Virgin River Season 5 Episodes 11 and 12, titled “The More the Merrier” and “Father Christmas,” gave fans the very first Christmas in the quaint and charming town, and, if you’ll believe it, Mel and Jack’s first Christmas together. Is it just me or is the timeline exceptionally slow on this show?

Then again, Charmaine made a pointed joke about the length of her pregnancy, which honestly feels like it has spanned decades at this point, so the birth of her twins, which yes, finally happens during this momentous episode, ends up feeling slightly rushed. 

The fact that she has a quick labor isn’t just great for her—it’s a blessing for Mel and Doc as it allows them to get back to all their Christmas Eve shenanigans without missing a beat. 

Despite all that transpired between Mel, Charmaine, and Jack, Charmaine still finds a source of support within them, especially Mel, who stands up for her when Calvin arrives at the clinic when Charmaine goes into labor. Mel might be the only person in town now who knows the identity of the father of Charmaine’s twins, and she’s all too content with keeping it to herself. Personally, I’d be as bad of a secret keeper as Hope, blabbing the news to Jack at the earliest convenience. But Mel is a trusted source who can keep a secret, especially with the patient confidentiality at play. Though, hopefully, Charmaine decides what she’s going to do about her little Calvin problem sooner than later because he seems adamant about being part of those boys’ lives. It’s true that parenthood changes people, sometimes for the better, but Calvin’s caused so much pain in town that I don’t know if it’s possible for him to turn over a new leaf. 

The good news is that come Virgin River Season 6, Charmaine won’t be pregnant anymore, and we can close the book on the longest TV pregnancy ever. 

Mel’s quest to find her biological father was a huge part of the Christmas episodes. Through love letters unearthed by her sister Joey, Mel found out that her mother had a secret love affair with a man named “Champ” in Virgin River, thus making her connection to the town much more significant. 

Together with Jack and her new bangs (love ’em!), she set out on a merry scavenger hunt to uncover her dad’s identity, eventually learning that he won the 1976 Lumberjack Games in town before finding his name: Everett Reid. If you’re slightly disappointed that this isn’t someone we already know, well, join the club. It feels like a missed opportunity… for now, though I’m waiting to hear Everett out fully before I officially cast my judgment. While he initially denied being Mel’s father when she first approached him, even though it was obvious that he was lying, Mel didn’t question it, simply focusing on the people who chose to be in her life—her chosen family. 

And there are plenty of them, including Doc, who agreed to walk Mel down the aisle during her wedding to Jack. 

However, at the end of the episode, Everett arrived at the cabin and changed his mind about wanting to be in Mel’s life. He explained that the initial shock of seeing her—his daughter who looked just like the woman he loved and lost—threw him for a loop. And it’s understandable considering Mel essentially ambushed him without any warning. He needed time to process and think about what it was that he wanted out of this new relationship.

Everett then says that he has to tell her something, but naturally, the episode ends right before he gets the chance, leaving fans on a cliffhanger till next season. What could it be? Is Everett dying? Has he been following Mel’s whole life from a distance? Did he know she was in Virgin River?

And how is it that there is someone in Virgin River who has managed to keep his identity a secret? Living in a secluded cabin has its benefits, but how has he managed to fly under the radar for so long? The fact that no one knows him is kind of a hard sell for me… at the moment, at least. 

Who Is Mel’s Father in ‘Virgin River’?

Jack and Brie were dealing with family matters head-on as their parents, fresh off of a divorce, came to town and immediately started bickering. Brie was running interference before Jack stepped in and basically used one of their old plays against them—sit in your room and don’t come out until you’ve talked through everything. By the end, they emerged as friends, with dad accepting of mom’s new relationship with Javi, as they both acknowledged that they needed to make an effort to bring the family back together. It was a sweet moment showcasing that things don’t always pan out the way we hope in life, but we have to be open to making things work for the sake of the children, even when they are grown adults.

In the end, the big family dinner that Mel wanted was able to happen—and everyone enjoyed themselves. 

Mel not only got the gift of jewelry this year, but Jack also went out of his way to give her the gift she’s been asking Santa for ever since she was a little girl—a pony! A dog named Pony that is. 

Maybe it was the spirit of Christmas but Jack was so fun, silly, and cheery throughout the episode. He wasn’t carrying the weight of his past and trauma, and it was refreshing to see him almost act like a little boy again around everyone he loved and trusted. I need more of this Jack in the future, please. 

The biggest mistake that the series has ever made was driving Brie and Brady apart. I mean, why? What was it for? No one benefitted from it. Brie and Mike just don’t have the same chemistry, unfortunately. They are cute, but it’s nothing compared to the electricity between Brady and Brie, even when they see each other in passing. 

Brady makes a great family man with Lark and Hazel, but I couldn’t get invested in the relationship either, and it turns out that there was a good reason for it—Lark is playing him completely. 

In the final—and biggest twist—of the episodes, Lark answers a call from Hazel’s dad, Jimmy. Yep, you know it’s bad news when Jimmy, from prison, calls to check in on how things are going and Lark informs him that “Brady doesn’t suspect a thing.” I hate everything about this, solely because of how hard Brady’s been trying to become a better man and distance himself from this life. He thought he was finally coming out on the other side after helping to take down Calvin and Melissa, but all of that is about to blow up in his face because he let his guard down.

Lizzy and Denny are expecting a baby girl, a genuinely uplifting storyline that has warmed the hearts of everyone in town, except Lizzy’s mother, who was initially distraught by the news and assumed her daughter was throwing away her life. Lizzy managed to convince her mother that this is what she wanted—to be a mom and have a fulfilling career, and from where I’m standing, Lizzy has a good head on her shoulders. She’s come a long way from the girl who arrived in town initially. And quite frankly, she cut her mother way too much slack!

Doc figured that the annual tree decorating competition was the perfect time to repropose to Hope—and their love definitely inspires everyone around. There’s so much to celebrate these days! 

Virgin River Holiday Episodes Season 6 Episode 10 and 11 Review - Father Christmas

Virgin River. (L to R) Annette OÕToole as Hope, Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins, Kai Bradbury as Denny, Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie, Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in episode 512 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Muriel and Cameron are going strong, with everyone in town acknowledging their deep connection and chemistry. However, when Cameron’s ex fianceé blew into town as part of her apology tour during her recovery process, it forced Muriel to look at their relationship a little differently. If Cameron stays with Muriel, he’s giving up the possibility of having a family and children in the future. And while he says he’s okay with that, Muriel wants him to be sure as she doesn’t want him to resent her for it in the future. Nothing would break her heart more than taking this opportunity away from him. Cameron promises he’ll think about it, but it definitely seems like he’s made up his mind about what he wants out of life and who he wants to spend it with. The life he imagined with his former fianceé once upon a time is long gone now that he’s met Muriel—but I’m glad that she’s prioritizing his happiness rather than being selfish, proving that she’s a mature adult who just wants to be realistic about their relationship rather than allowing herself to get swept up in the moment. These are real issues that need to be addressed. 

And finally, Wes’ death is about to blow up Preacher’s life now that the body has been identified. In case you need a refresher, he helped bury the body after Paige accidentally pushed her abusive husband down the stairs in self-defense. Had they just reported his death at the time, it would’ve likely been a lot less problematic than what they are facing now, but considering that Wes was a respected cop with a lot of pull on the force at the time, the self-defense claim might’ve not held up at the time either. 

Kaia realizes something is wrong based on the call and questions him about it immediately, though it’s unclear if Preacher will come clean to her. She is the fire chief now, so it’s likely better for him to tell her upfront in the privacy of their home, but will she be receptive? This is a huge bomb dropping on their otherwise idyllic relationship, particularly after she accepted a new job to stay in town and be with him. Do you think she’ll stand by his side or will this be the demise of their relationship? 

What did you think of the holiday episodes? Did you enjoy the festivities? Do you think everything with Mel’s dad will turn out okay? Share your thoughts! 

Who Is Lark on ‘Virgin River’?

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‘Lupin’ Season 4—Everything We Know

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Will There Be a 4th Season of Lupin

Lupin is a high-stakes series about a gentleman thief, Assane Diop (Omar Sy), who is exceptionally crafty at what he does and usually does it in the name of revenge.

For two seasons, he’s managed to evade police while rallying support from the public as a sort of Robin Hood figure, which makes watching his escapades unravel throughout the city of France all the more enticing. Assane/Lupin has never met his match, though police officer Guedira (Soufiane Guerrab) has come the closest to figuring out the tricks of the trade, making Lupin respect him even more. 

After a two-year hiatus—yes, they really made fans wait that long—Lupin has finally returned for a seven-episode third season on Oct 5, 2023. 

But is the story over? It seems like it’s far from it. And while there’s no word on whether a fourth season is in the works just yet, with Lupin, who masterfully chooses his destiny, there’s no shortage of inspiration or trouble that he can get into. The third season did a good job of weaving Assane’s backstory into the present-day plot, giving audiences a fresh mystery to follow after Assane successfully got revenge on Hubert and Juliette, the people from his past who wronged his late father. 

For Assane, family is everything, and everything he’s done has been for family, so it’s safe to say that there’s plenty more story to tell when it comes to France’s most notorious thief. 

When the third season concluded, it left the door wedged open for a potential fourth season as it reintroduced Hubert, who may be Lupin’s greatest foe, back into the mix. Turns out, Hubert is Assane’s prison cell neighbor, which is bound to get very messy as the idea of revenge comes back into play. 

It was necessary for Assane to accept his fate after all the pain and suffering he caused, with paying for his crimes being the only solution out of this mess not only for himself but for his family, but there’s no reality where viewers will simply accept that the storyline ends with Assane Diop in prison. 

We need to see how Assane gets out—because we know that he always has an escape plan, and he’s just waiting to put it in motion. 

The decision to renew the series for a fourth season will also hinge on how well the third season is received—but much like the good people of France, the rest of the world can’t get enough of Lupin and we’re eager to see where he goes next. 

If Netflix makes any decisions, we’ll update this post accordingly with all the information! 

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Lupin Season 3 Review – Catch Me If You Can (Episodes 1-7)

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Lupin Season 3 Review 7 Episodes

The third season of Lupin should be called the many—and ever-changing—looks of Assane Diop, a chameleon in the streets of Paris who’s able to pull off just about any look—from a head-to-toe pink suit to a Chad army uniform to a full Dennis Rodman makeover, and many more in between. There’s a reason why he’s considered the master of disguises.

Warning—this review contains spoilers from Lupin Season 3!

And piggybacking off of that, it’s so easy to become whoever you want to be if you just believe in yourself and have the confidence to sell the story. It’s how the gentleman thief—inspired by the fictional character Arsène Lupin—the most-wanted man in all of France whose face was plastered on every single newspaper, was able to blend in public, stepping out and showing his face to all of the people who were so obsessed with his “voice of the people” persona yet barely bat an eyelash when he was standing in front of them. Lupin doesn’t just talk the talk, he plays the part and sells it. It’s part of the fun that keeps audiences guessing for seven episodes this season, wondering how it will all end for him, if he’ll ever slip up, or if there’s any piece of the puzzle he hasn’t accounted for (spoiler alert—there isn’t. His forethought is absolutely incredible). 

The one thing that does catch him off guard, however, is the season’s new villain. At the end of season 2, Assane brings down Hubert (Hervé Pierre) and Juliette Pelligrini (Clotilde Hesme), the father-daughter duo who framed his father—with the former also framing him for murder—before disappearing into the night.  However, it turns out it’s not easy being the family of a criminal, and when he saw the public’s obsession with his escape and how the media began to hound Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) and Raoul (Etan Simon), he was inspired by Lupin staging his own death. 

He was able to pull it off without a hitch, even digging his way out of a coffin and through a tunnel with Ben (Antoine Gouy) and Jacques’ help, bxut a wrench was thrown in his plans to disappear off the grid when someone kidnapped his mother and forced him to do their dirty bidding, first telling him to hand over the Black Pearl (which he so masterfully stole in the first episode of the season), before making him steal a Monet painting and a very rare and expensive diamond bracelet directly from the wrist of the heiress wearing it. 

The fact that someone somehow one-upped Assane is shocking, but it’s far from the only jaw-dropping moment this season. Audiences are equally as stunned when Ben, Assane’s loyal-to-a-fault right-hand man is caught red-handed with the aforementioned bracelet in his hand as it’s revealed that having Assane lose everything and hurt the ones he loves most is the true goal for this season’s villain.

This is a deeply personal vendetta and one that’s intriguing as it connects directly to his past growing up without a father and yearning for the love of his mother. The flashbacks take us to 1998 when Assane finds his people at Keller’s gym alongside his good buddy Bruno. Keller isn’t the good guy he claims to be, quickly making it clear that he uses manipulation tactics to make all the kids dependent on him. With such a focus on how much control Keller had over Assane’s formative years, it’s not exactly a surprise that Keller ends up being the bad guy in the present day, especially when the translated closed captions use his name even before the reveal is made clear on screen. That, however, doesn’t water down the impact of the twist as fans still find themselves wondering what Assane could’ve done to Keller to make him crave revenge of this caliber.  

Lupin Season 3 Review 7 Episodes

LUPIN_S2-0055.cr2

The truth is, if Assane kept better tabs on his enemies—and he has a lot of them—he likely might have been able to get ahead of this one, but the suave criminal doesn’t have time for all of that nonsense. 

Because that’s the thing–even when the stakes are as high as Keller threatening to kill Assane’s mother Mariama, it never stops being fun. Assane thoroughly enjoys what he does and he never seems to worry, as Claire happens to point out, even though we know he definitely worries in his own way; he simply doesn’t show it, turning those anxieties into actionable moments where he’s able to control the narrative before it controls him.

He’s also able to use his understanding of human behavior to get people to do what he wants and needs, without them even realizing that they’re being manipulated or tricked, as is the case of Youssef Guédira (Soufiane Guerrab). Despite every bone in his body telling him not to help Assane, he goes through with it because Assane makes a compelling point and promises to give himself up in exchange for his assistance. On a surface level, it seems like Guédira agrees to help Assane because he wants to be the victorious police officer who not only retrieves all the valuable possessions but also brings in the big fish, but on a deeper level, we know it’s because Guédira is actually a huge fan of the Lupin character, and, in turn, Assane, and can’t pass up yet another opportunity to be an accomplice and work alongside him.

There’s a level of loyalty with Assane in that he never breaks a promise. He might put those he loves in questionable situations—like allowing Ben to get arrested with the bracelet—but he always takes care of them in the end, which is one of the reasons why he eventually turned himself in and allowed Guédira to be the arresting officer. He owes him this one favor, and if he’s to allow himself to get caught, he wants the person who gets the credit to be someone who deserves it; someone he sees as somewhat of an equal and who he admires. Aside from Ben, Assane never met his match, until Guédira came along. He’s one of the few people able to keep up with every single hint and clue because he figured out the rules that Assane plays by.

Guédira was the first person to link Assane to the Lupin stories, finding the connection between Assane’s escapades and Lupin’s. It served him well in the second season, so you’d think by now his colleagues would put aside their skepticism and simply acknowledge that Guédira is onto something. It was nice to see Guédira redeem himself when he arrested Assane because of how little faith everyone had in him and his theories, particularly Sofia Belkacem (Shirine Boutella). She constantly bashed Guédira’s suggestions and tips, dismissing and shrugging them off as nothing more than an obsession when she should be utilizing him considering he’s the only person who was ever even remotely close to catching Assane, and he’s definitely gotten closer to him than anyone else has.

Lupin Season 3 Review 7 Episodes

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Did things look bad for Guédira when he was caught on an unofficial undercover mission as Justin Avisto?  Yes. But did Guédira attempt to prove himself many times after, even giving her a lead in the case? Also, yes. 

Guerida deserves better—and quite frankly, I was really shipping him with Fleur. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of a development in their relationship.

One of the biggest letdowns of the season was Assane’s decision to transform into Alex, Raoul’s new basketball coach who got all too close to Claire and allowed her to develop feelings for him. It’s one thing to want to keep tabs on your family, especially when their safety is a concern, but it’s another to completely mislead them in such a way. Claire eventually caught on when she got confirmation that Assane was still alive, and I’m surprised she wasn’t more upset. My guess is that she would’ve been had his presence not protected her from a hitman, plus she was overcome with emotion at seeing him alive and well after being led to believe he was really gone. 

In a way, he was protecting his family by being “around” even when he couldn’t be, but how did he find all that time to play both roles and never skip a beat as he hunted down the people trying to destroy him and kill his mother? It was one of the more unbelievable storylines, that’s for sure. 

Assane’s attempt at stealing the Black Pearl—his first and only ever failure—was the most riveting master plan as it was so exceptionally executed, right down to faking his own death. He had to know that it was going to be a hard sell, even if he was in the casket when Guédira forced them to open it. Anyone familiar with Lupin’s story would expect him to fake his own death. 

It was thrilling to see his plan in action, but it’s seven better to see it deconstructed from top to bottom after seeing him succeed.

The Black Pearl robbery came with the highest stakes as he informed the jeweler and the police of the robbery—the exact date and time—in advance. Not only did he require backup from Bruno and Ben, he also needed the police to be on the premises, watching like hawks, and playing along to his cat-and-mouse game, in addition to the chaos of the crowd to aid in his great escape. It was all meticulously calculated into his plan. 

Assane somehow manages to always be in the thick of the action and within a cop’s reach, while also vanishing before anyone even figures out what he’s up to.

It was also rewarding to meet Bruno in the present day and see that he was still available whenever Assane needed him considering how much time we spent with him via flashbacks, how vital he was during Assane’s teen, and how they were bonded for life by shared trauma.

Lupin Season 3 Review 7 Episodes

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As for Keller’s motivation after all these years, he was simply upset that he spent 25 years in prison for killing a cop during a botched robbery that he forced Assane and Bruno to commit on his behalf and against their will. Bruno may have taken the shot at the cop out of fear, but it was really Keller who pulled the trigger as the situation was of his own making; he deserved to pay the ultimate price, and the fact that he thought otherwise was simply his ego and inability to confront the truth—and Assane made sure to underscore that when he set Keller up to get cornered by the police once again for his crimes (the ruthless attempted murder of the hitman he pushed off the roof). 

Keller was doing good things but holding it against people—he was a devil in disguise, a dangerous gang leader masked as a safe haven. Bruno eventually opened up his own boxing studio—that did have the youth’s best interest at heart and called it Lupin’s Gym in honor of the friend who always had his back. 

One major highlight this season was Diop’s journey to finding his mother. We’ve seen how far he was willing to go for his father, but his mother was largely out of the picture until now when we learned of her story—and that the craftiness of thievery runs in the family.

Mama Diop was forced to steal after being released from prison in Senegal, and she was quick with it, just like Assane. Not only did we see them reconcile their relationship, but we even saw them work a mark together, which was a pure delight. The anxiety may have reached new heights this season, and through it all, I genuinely have no idea how Assane stayed calm, but it’s clear that life is a game to him—and it’s a game he plays well. He’s finally found his perfect partner in crime.

And finally, Assane Diop’s arrest, which wasn’t how anyone wanted his story to conclude, but it was necessary. From the get-go, Assane was ready to risk it all for the “big one,” alluding to the fact that he was ready to put this lifestyle, this chapter of it, to bed. 

He’s a man of his word, delivering on his promise to Guédira in a slightly different way, even when he had every chance to escape and make a clean getaway with his whole family finally together. Assane knew that he owed it to his loved ones to do better; he didn’t want them living a life as runaways solely because of the mess he made. Claire once said the only solution was to turn himself in, and she was always right—so he did.

The plan was for Assane to pay his time, repent for what he’s done, and wipe the slate clean, but I’m sure he has an escape plan in his back pocket for a rainy day…like when it’s revealed that his cell neighbor is Hubert, his biggest enemy, for example. 

Assane gets the message loud and clear, and the man he put behind bars now has every reason to make his life a living hell. 

How will Assane respond? What’s next for the gentleman thief who always keeps us on our toes? He was in his prime this season—one of the strongest seasons to date—but this development sets the scene for more to come. 

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