Hello my Movievaures ! I hope you had a great week and that you enjoyed my last article on Harry Potter Studios. I thought it will be interesting to talk about this experience knowing that Fantastic Beasts 2 will be released in a few days.

However, today I will not speak about any kind of magic world, but about one quite real… well at least very ressemblant to reality: Le Bureau des Légendes. This French show definetely needs more attention and I’m sure you will love it.

I already wrote an article in French about the first season (here it is for the frenchies reading this article).

It actually quite impressive to see how French shows are becoming more and more interesting to watch, with very good plots and excellent acting.

Le Bureau des Légendes is part of this extraordinary new trend of “real” type of shows in which different parts of the plot are related to real facts. To make it quick without spoiling everyting, this show follows the story of different spies called “Clandestins” working in the DGSE (foreign intelligence in France) who live in immersion in foreign countries and operating “under legend”, ie under a false identity fabricated from scratch. Everything starts when Guillaume Debailly (or Paul Lefèvre his spy name), the main character, comes back from a 6 year mission in Syria and has to abandon all the life he built there. However, against the DGSE rules he does not seem to want to give up his legend or the person with whom he fell in love.

I’ve just finish season 4 of this show and all I can say is that the quality of the storyline, the acting, and the overall work of creation has not disminuished since the first episode. You really get attached to this characters, that seem completely incredible and badass (don’t forget they are spies) but still remain very humain in their actions and feelings. Mathieu Kassovitz, Sara Giraudeau and the other actors are just amazing in their jobs and when you are French, or know someone who is, you can easily recognize their French manners and culture, specially knowing that a lot of them are in foreign countries.

The decor, even if does not seem extraordinary, surprises me by its veracity and accurancy. We always imagine the secret services to be in this amazing tech buildings, with everything white and secret passages. The reality (at list in France) is that they work in old offices, with a lot of paper and in confined spaces. But this what I love with this show; it feels so true but at the same time so far away for what we know about secret foreign services. The characters are both admirable for their actions and intelligence, and also hated by their human weaknesses.

The whole plot (without saying too much) is based on how one of the most performant and intelligent agents, is willing to sacrifice everything he built, because he cannot be separated from his old himsel; his legend. And without being dramatic, this show just show how everything can be planned from the beginning to end, every detail, every person, and however fail, because humans are full of flaws and surprises.  And of course,
I can not forget to say that this show deals with the most topical and complex subjects such as terrorism, international relationships and counter-espionage. Subjects that can sometimes annoy or create tension, but which are at the heart of current issues, almost every day.

In short, give it a try, you will like it. Is not because it is a French show that is not worth watching it. Break the barriers you have about everything you think you know on spying and you will not be disappointed. If you like the style of Making a Murderer or True Detective,  this almost desperate reality, you will love Le Bureau des Légendes.

For the Frenchies, if you want to have a more detailed review on the show you can watch Captain Popcorn’s last video on this show.

That is all my Movievaures. I hope you enjoyed this article and that you will try and watch this amazing show. In the meantime, feel free to comment about which “not american” show you like the most. See you next time for a new article on Fantastic Beasts 2 (I’m so excited !!!).