Rarely do we get a Black character with such wit and charisma on TV. Hell usually the Black guy is the first one dead! Now here we have a whole series about a Black man outsmarting everyone in his path?
And we’re getting a part 2, so look at Netflix doing something right for once!
My imposter syndrome wouldn’t let me share my thoughts about part 1 of Netflix’s dope ass Lupin series for some reason when the show dropped months ago, but I decided tonight to just let it go, and hit publish! No matter what!
So Here Are My Thoughts On Part 1 Of Netflix’s Lupin Series
As mentioned before, part 1 of Netflix’s Lupin series is basically about a Black man outsmarting everyone in his path. And of course it’s because he read some book his dad gave him a hundred times as a kid! This book, the same book the series was based on, Arséne Lupin: The adventures of the Smartest Gentleman-Burglar, was basically his comfort blanket as an at risk kid who lost his dad due to white people white peopling!
So from the moment Assane Diop’s dad gave him the book, he began reading it.
And when his dad died, he got shipped off to a home for at risk youth and then a white private school, where he was one of the few, if not the only Black kid around. So you can bet his head was stuck in that thang a lot!
Think of it this way — his book was his crutch, the way folks with social anxiety hang tightly to their smartphones in a crowded area, in an attempt to look like they’re busy talking to someone else so they feel less awkward in social settings. Having that book made him feel safe. He was used to it, he loved the story, and it was given to him by his dad, the only parent he had left, before he died.
So it was sentimental, but also great for reading when folks were near by so he didn’t have to engage.
Not only is there this sentiment that a Black boy actually reads (praise the lord for that)! He’s also not some criminal ass kid doing dumb shit as the media loves to portray.
Assane is this smart ass, private school kid now grown up full with rage and vengeance. But instead of letting his rage guide him, he uses what he knows to guide him and comfort him. The book is how he creates his revenge blueprint and it’s the freak ‘copy and pasted’ straight out a textbook type of genius we usually see in a Stephen King killer.
His smartness is usually only reserved for white characters, like in Mr. Mercedes, who always get out of trouble.
If you’ve ever read a Stephen King detective mystery, you know that the killer is super duper smart and never leaves a trail behind.
The case is only cracked when someone even smarter, who happens to randomly know some crazy piece of information comes along, and helps solve the case.
Much like Youssef Guedira, the detective you’ll root for, despite loving Lupin, because you hate seeing the guy who’s right get treated like a mad man just because his interests are a tad bit different than the rest of the bunch.
Shit, had Youssef not read Lupin himself he wouldn’t have noticed the resemblance to the crimes and the book and they wouldn’t even know who Lupin was! Put some respect on my man’s name son! Stop it!
But yeah it’s cool as hell to see a Black man outwit everyone, including the white folks who thought they had outsmarted the world.
And can we talk about how this man would go to hell and back to make these wyipipo pay? Like I’m sure he literally would, if he could! And in a way he sorta did? You’ll see for yourself when you watch the series.
The last time we got this kind of genius from a Black character I think was Olivia Pope and Papa Pope in Scandal?
Even HTGAWM wasn’t this damn smart!
But we all know just like in the Stephen King stories, killers are eventually caught so I’m assuming Lupin will eventually be as well?
However I’m pretty sure he’ll still manage to wiggle his way out of it!
And that once he’s finally gotten his revenge he’ll vanish and live a normal life with his kid that his dad can be proud of.
And look if that’s not how this story ends then maybe I just don’t need to watch part 2?
Cause that’s the only ending I want for Lupin. It’s the one we deserve to see on screen. It’s the one White folks are given all the time and it’s time that we were given the same luxuries.
Awww thank you!!! It's so good!!