Lupin writer on devastating Ben twist: "He's got to make tough calls"
"Benjamin knows he wouldn't have done that for a very, very good reason."
In Netflix's Lupin, countless people have been bamboozled by Assane Diop across the show's three seasons, but not once did we think his closest confidante Benjamin Ferel, who has been instrumental in so many of his schemes, would also be relegated to that category.
In episode 4 of the latest chapter, Assane was ordered to steal The Red Sea, a sapphire-encrusted bracelet that belongs to the wife of a real estate mogul. Fail to do that and his mother Mariama would be killed by her captors.
In order to get his hands on it, he enlisted the help of Ben, who not only created a replica of the bracelet so that Assane could master undoing its particularly tricky clasp, but who also attended the gala with his partner-in-crime, where they posed as cloakroom clerks, enabling them to slip in unnoticed and hopefully pull off the heist.
But little did Ben know that while Assane would get his bracelet, he himself would be leaving in handcuffs.
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After Assane removed the bracelet from Tara Xang's wrist, he purposefully dropped it on the ground, which Ben thought was a careless mistake when, in fact, it was all part of the plan. He then snatched it and ran outside, following Assane's instructions to the letter.
The bracelet was attached to a drone, which then made its way to Manon, with Ben then attempting to flee the property via the maze.
But as we know now, Assane had blocked the exit, leaving his mate to take the fall for the theft while he was free to continue focusing on his mother's rescue.
Read more:
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"I hope they [viewers] will be disappointed in Assane and heartbroken [he betrayed Ben] because they're thick as thieves, they're smart as thieves," co-creator and writer George Kay told RadioTimes.com exclusively. "It's doing over your best friend for your family.
"Friends and family, those are the things that are important to Assane, and that he keeps getting wrong."
Kay continued: "But in the end, he's got to make these tough calls. And what I love about it, and hopefully it comes across later in the season, is that deep down, Benjamin knows he wouldn't have done that [unless he had] a very, very good reason, so he lives in hope and faith, Assane, to remedy it."
Kay also revealed that it took the team a "long time to find the right chateau and right maze for that whole sequence", adding: "We almost found the location and worked back. We can't do this scripting unless we've got the perfect labyrinth for him to get lost in and get trapped in and get isolated, and I'm really proud of that episode."
Lupin seasons 1-3 are available to stream now on Netflix – Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
