When someone (a receptionist, a café owner, etc.) tells Assane Diop, who has assumed another identity, that he bears a striking resemblance to France's most wanted thief, he replies that it's often remarked upon. Twice in this third season of Lupin, this repartee allows him to dispel suspicion. On-screen, at least.

For, in front of the same screen, the presumptions stack up against Lupin: laziness, routine, repetition, casualness. Only this last flaw befits a gentleman burglar. The others are a sign that Arsène Lupin's new avatar is tiring faster than his Belle Epoque ancestor, as evidenced by Omar Sy's slightly forced nonchalance.

Now that the plot common to the first two parts of the series is complete, it needs a new energy. The authors seek it in repetition rather than innovation. In the role of the object of all desires, a black pearl takes over from the Queen's necklace. Once again, the events surrounding the jewel force our hero to choose between his career as a cat burglar and his duties as a father and husband. Ludivine Sagnier continues to play the valiant role of the unceasingly neglected companion, the mother who must protect her child from the antics of her father, who can think of nothing better than to fake his own death.

Frequent flashbacks once again delve into Assane Diop's childhood, to better justify his propensity for stealing other people's property. The screenplay once again details the genesis of his penchant for burglary, without adding anything new to the extensive background provided by the first two seasons. In this past, the figure of his mother (Seyna Kane, then Naky Sy Savané) takes center stage, until it resurfaces in the present.

Arsène Lupin connoisseurs will find a familiar setup here, featuring the Cagliostro character. For the moment, however, the Countess imagined by Maurice Leblanc fails to live up to her promises. Pressed forward, the story makes a mockery of the dilemmas and remorse that are supposed to plague the characters. Rather than play on the contradiction between light entertainment and melodrama, Lupin (the series and the character) prefers to pirouette by scheduling spectacular exploits at regular intervals.

As usual, the protagonist's tricks and subterfuges are explained by cards like "two days earlier," which announce an explanation. There's no need to go to such lengths to explain the plot, as the strings are so thick that the most clumsy of yes-man security guards would have cracked the enigma.

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