‘Lupin’ Season 4 ending explained: Is Assane Diop still alive?
You’d think four years in prison would convince Assane Diop to leave the heists alone, but mate, never forget, this is Lupin. The most-awaited heist thriller on Netflix, Lupin returned on October 23rd with Omar Sy back as the gentleman thief, and it’s been such a crazy season that by the finale he’s been shot protecting the son who betrayed him. The best part is nobody saw that coming.
Assane is meant to be taking his son Raoul to Senegal, a trip he has promised for years, but just then, someone starts robbing museums under the Lupin name. The evidence points to him, and the bigger shock here is that all this is happening despite him being locked up. To make things worse, Captain Sofia Belkacem is injured during a robbery. So Assane escapes prison to find the copycat just when he is close to getting out.
It turns out the culprit is Adèle Kapoor, a young hacker who turns out to be his daughter with Juliette Pellegrini. She wants his help stealing the French Crown Jewels, and on the other hand, Raoul watches his dad make time for someone else after years of broken promises. You can see why the lad’s fuming.
Then Raoul and Adèle appear to be kidnapped, only for Assane to discover his son helped arrange it with Hubert Pellegrini, the man who ruined his father’s life. The confrontation ends with a helicopter escape and Assane taking a bullet, but the question is, is he even alive?
Is Assane Diop alive at the end of ‘Lupin’ season 4?
Well, Netflix has left us in a right state with this one, because Assane’s death isn’t confirmed in the season four finale, although there is no denying that he’s in serious trouble when the show ends. After Raoul tells his father he is leaving with Pellegrini, he heads towards a helicopter, and the police arrive with their weapons drawn. Assane sees that his son is in the line of fire and throws himself in front of the shot, taking a bullet to the chest. The same son who has helped lure him into this trap, mind you, and Assane doesn’t hesitate for a second when he realises Raoul could be killed.
Claire, Benjamin, Adèle and Juliette rush towards Assane as he lies wounded on the ground, but the episode ends before anyone can establish whether he’s going to survive. And that’s the maddening part, because we’ve watched this man escape situations that should have finished him off ages ago, including the elaborate fake death he staged in Part 3, so there’s bound to be some suspicion that he’s got another trick up his sleeve.
Assane could survive his injuries, of course, and given how much of Lupin revolves around his ability to escape disaster, it wouldn’t be a massive shock if he returned. But there’s a difference between hoping he makes it and having proof that he does, and as things stand, the series has left his fate hanging.
Why did Raoul betray Assane, and what does the ending mean?
Raoul’s betrayal seems mad when you consider he is sided with Pellegrini, of all people, but the guy’s been carrying years of resentment. Assane keeps promising to put his family first, yet there’s always another scheme getting in the way, and even their long-awaited trip to Senegal falls apart. There’s only so many broken promises someone can take.
On top of everything, Adèle’s arrival makes things worse, as Raoul watches his father devote time to a daughter he never knew existed. Feeling pushed aside, he helps Pellegrini escape imprisonment in Malaysia and takes part in the staged kidnapping, forcing Assane into a confrontation where he’s asked to choose between his children. Assane refuses, but Raoul takes it as another rejection and leaves with Pellegrini.
And that’s what makes the ending so bitter, because despite everything Raoul has done, Assane takes a bullet to save him. He’s made a right mess of being there for his son, but there’s no doubting how much he loves the lad, and watching Raoul leave while his father lies wounded is an even sadder way to finish things.
Even if Assane survives, getting his son back from Pellegrini won’t be easy. With Part 5 still unconfirmed, there’s plenty left unresolved, and for a man who can steal just about anything, winning back Raoul’s trust might prove his toughest job yet.