April confined, the series not to be missed

The return of the "Bureau des légendes" for a 5th season (Canal +)

For those who do not know the term, a "legend" is the false identity taken by a secret agent to carry out his mission in a foreign country. It is at the heart of the "BDL" intrigue, for the addicts, the French spy series "intelligent and authentic", according to the New York Times, which ranked it third among the best international series produced in the last ten years .

The "Bureau des légendes" owes its success to its creator, Éric Rochant, author of the film "Les Patriotes", which has kept up the pace (American and exhausting) of one season per year. This fifth season focuses once again on the Arab world and takes place this time in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia.

His central character, Malotru (played by Mathieu Kassovitz), both traitor and martyr of the DGSE, returns to haunt the daily life of his spy colleagues after the publication of an article in Le Figaro which gives him up for death (he was allegedly murdered by the CIA with the help of the DGSE in the Donbass) and reveals its identity to the general public.

Bureau of Legends Trailer

After a first episode that takes its time, this new season reflects the complexity of the current world, the internal power struggles in the DGSE and does not hesitate to evoke distant conflicts.

It brings in a new agent (Louis Garrel) who, under the guise of selling spyware, comes into contact with wealthy Saudis and Houthi rebels (supported by Iran), both involved in the war in Yemen. .

"The Office of Legends" season 5 is again showing the full range of manipulation techniques, with the thread, the character of Malotru, the spy who betrayed his camp, then who tried everything to redeem himself before finishing in an opaque fog (we will stop there so as not to spoiler). An obsession that also embodies the head of the BDL, embodied by Mathieu Amalric, who became paranoid and constantly navigating in the gray area. This flagship Canal + series also continues to explore the digital war, which goes hand in hand with human intelligence to destabilize economies.

Interviewed by France 24, Éric Rochant confirmed that this fifth season would be his last. He wanted to "finish in style" by entrusting the last two episodes to the multi-award-winning filmmaker Jacques Audiard.

And love in this universe? It is doomed to rapid unions quickly defeated by the ringing of a telephone, or then damaged by the solitude, the lie and the secrecy necessary for the function. When it is authentic, it is a memory, or a hope. It was however with a love scene that showrunner Éric Rochant chose to open this 5th season. But the phone beeped and a lie followed.

"Dérapages": Éric Cantona at war to find work (Arte)

Alain Delambre (played by ex-footballer Éric Cantona) is an angry man. Facing the camera, with his jail-like physique, he tells his story. Wracked by six years of unemployment, this former HRD, does odd jobs and falls into precariousness. Become depressed, aggressive through frustration, he begins to lose ground.

Hope is reborn when a recruitment officer position arises. But to get this job, he must participate in a somewhat special and unhealthy role play.

Trailer Dérapages

Far from a Ken Loach-style social drama, this series produced by the Franco-German channel connects scenes under tension and incisive dialogues. Pierre Lemaitre, who offers here a free adaptation of his novel "Cadres Noirs", takes us to the realm of the thriller.

In "Dérapages", the main role seems tailor-made for the actor Éric Cantona, who portrays a character on edge, brutal and endearing. Willing to do anything to regain his social status, or even pay to have a job or to work for decayers, he does not hesitate to physically abuse, spy on and threaten employees.

How far can we go to get by? To the point of nonsense, says Pierre Lemaitre by signing a very dark series, which denounces both inhuman management methods and the mirage of finding rewarding work after the age of 50 in France.

And, above all, do not miss the third episode!

"Tales from the loop": science fiction, poetry and philosophy (Amazon Prime Video)

Here is a nugget like the culture department of France 24 likes. In this American series, we discover each episode, a unique story, in the same environment.

The decor reproduces the paintings of the Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag: there is immense nature, the mysterious forest, lost robots, and people who work for the Loop. In French, the Loop, a machine making dreams impossible ... possible such as, for example, meeting in adulthood or meeting the child we were, changing bodies, stopping time.

With his poetry in the framing and his research on symmetry, this very original series is an aesthetic and philosophical proposition.

Tales from the Loop Trailer

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