Lupin – Season 3 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Chapter 3

A man sneaks on a property as episode 3 of Lupin season 3 begins. There, we see a group of men gambling. Cisco, one of the men, threatens his opponent and kills him. Meanwhile, the man who snuck in steals a fancy car and rolls away. 

The car is Cisco’s. His men begin searching for it but the thief abandons the vehicle at an open area and Assane settles in. He gets the car back to Cisco and calls himself Delangle.

Cisco’s men take him, just as Cisco asks Diop his information. Diop says he was in prison and hands Diop a deck of cards, saying he is dead unless he pulls an ace on the first try.

The scene cuts to two days ago, right back to the end of episode 2 where we saw Assane leave the pearl in the church at his mom’s bidding. Ben is suspicious that someone is pretending to be Diop’s mother, but Assane himself wants to believe it is really her.

Assane is determined to find out the truth. Just then, that burner phone beeps with a message asking Assane to bring a Manet painting at the specified location within three days. The message mentions Cisco.

Back to the present, Assane draws an ace and wins Cisco’s trust. He says he worked as a driver prior to his prison and Cisco hires him as one. After Assane leaves, Cisco says he doesn’t trust Assane but he will be useful. Assane reveals a seven of hearts from his pocket.

As he exits, he finds a door ajar. He ventures in and ends up in a plush room where he sees the Manet painting. There is an ailing woman in the same room, which happens to be Cisco’s mother. The two make small talk and Cisco’s right hand man arrives.

Assane leaves but not before working his sly hand on the right hand man’s jacket. On the other hand, we have Claire visiting Ben asking if Assane is really dead. Cisco’s right hand man is following Assane.

Guidera and Fleur play with the possibility that maybe Assane isn’t dead. Sofia interrupts their discussion and Fleur says she is Guidera’s girlfriend.

Back in Cisco’s den, Cisco hold Assane at gunpoint and asks him who he truly is. Assane stands his ground, while Cisco’s right hand man Kad says that no one in the nearby places knows anyone named Delangle.

Assane says that Kad is the snitch instead, pointing out that Kad called someone and two minutes later Assane was arrested. When Cisco redials the number, Ben picks up but pretends to be a police inspector.

Cisco asks Kad to draw an ace or he will kill him… and Kad draws an ace.

Assane goes to Ben just as Sofia reaches the shop and asks Ben’s whereabouts on the night of the Black Pearl heist. The two exchange heated words but Sofia does eventually leave.

Ben shows Assane the chart of all heists that Assane has conducted so far. Assane receives a text that he has 2 days (to return the painting). Raoul still believes that Assane is alive.

Assane makes a prosthetic mask and voice modulation device. He disguises himself as Alex, Raoul’s new coach. Claire watches as Alex begins his training with the team.

Cisco inform his team about their next heist, just as Assane gives his two cents about the exit route. Cisco is convinced, while Assane goes to pick a new set of wheels for the heist. As he does, he asks for a few modifications from the car seller.

The scene then cuts to Assane in 1998 at the boxing club. When Assane is in need of money, that is the first time he begins of think of stealing, taking inspiration from Lupin.

In the present day, he is preparing at Cisco’s place for the heist when he gets a reminder message again. In 1998, the scenes show Bruno and Assane’ first attempt at stealing from houses.

In the present, Cisco, Assane and the team leave for the heist. The whole ordeal is over within minutes but not before the cops surround them.

Assane manages to get everyone to safety, and they go into a car wash, which washes off the car’s orange color. The guys have changes and the police are none the wiser.

Cisco asks Assane to pick an ace again. Since Assane changed the deck of cards, the one in Cisco’s hand is a smoke bomb. Benjamin helps Assane with this., allowing our protagonist to unlock the safe and take the Manet painting. 

Cisco finds himself surrounded by cops when he wakes up. In 1998, Bruno dashes into a man and steals his wallet. Assane takes the same wallet back to the owner but not without leaving with a souvenir of his own.

Delangle is yet another nickname used by Lupin in a heist of a similar nature that Assane just pulled off. Fleur once again crosses paths with Claire, who is visibly unhappy. In 1998, Assane wins the trust of Bruno’s godfather which does not sit well with Bruno.

Assane sends over the same Manet painting to Cisco’s mom. But at the same time, we also see him dealing the painting with a mysterious man. The man threatens that they will maker her suffer first.

The man warns Assane to keep the phone with him all the time. Ben bugs the painting and Assane follows the mysterious man upon Ben’s instructions. Ben warns Assane to not go inside but Assane does not listen.

The Episode Review

After this episode, the mystery about Assane’s mother has only intensified. Poor Claire and Raoul are still living in semi-belief that Assane could be alive. The whole Black Pearl agenda is now forgotten, and Assane’s only goal right now is to reunite with his mother and ask the questions he has been waiting to get answers for.

The pacing and the unravelling of the mystery are excellent as usual here, keeping things engaging throughout. What if Assane’s emotions towards his mother turn out to be his Achille’s heel? We’ll have to wait and see!