Keller is not happy when he discovers that the money Guédira had given to him for the painting was fake, and he only becomes madder when he learns that Manon is in jail. As Revenge by Proxy, he orders remaining Mook Ferdinand to kill Claire as she's leaving her workplace. Ferdinand tries, but Claire spots him and gets away in a cab. She's terrified by the ordeal, however, and asks "Coach Alex" to drop Raoul off at their apartment, before inquiring whether he'd be willing to check for intruders. Alex agrees, and once he's established that the apartment is safe, Claire invites him to stay for dinner. After Raoul heads off to bed, Claire, whose gratefulness has seemingly morphed into arousal, attempts to kiss Alex, but he turns her down. The following morning, Claire realizes the truth—her son's coach is actually Assane in disguise.
In the meantime, Mariama manages to escape captivity. When he finds out, Keller hits the roof and shoves Ferdinand off of a balcony in a rage. Mariama, meanwhile, places a coded ad in The Objector instructing Assane to meet her at a metro station close to the Palais Garnier. Assane and Guédira both figure out the meaning behind the message, and Assane reunites with Mariama while Guédira can only look on in shock (as Belkacem, wary of his loyalties after discovering he worked with Assane, has neglected to send reinforcements).
Assane's rendez-vous with Mariama keeps him from attending a basketball game Raoul's team is playing against a rival squad. Although they lack a coach, Raoul rallies his teammates to play anyway, much to his mother's delight. That night, Claire lies contentedly in bed, proud of Raoul and having apparently accepted and embraced her Single-Target Sexuality for Assane. However, her mood changes to terror when she hears an intruder begin to break down the door to the apartment. It's Keller, come to finish what Ferdinand couldn't.
Episode credits:
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- Almost Kiss: Claire makes a pass at Assane, as "Alex," but just as her lips are about to meet his he turns his head away, much to her mortification.
- Apology Gift: Assane gets a steak dinner with fries sent to Benjamin in prison.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with a closeup on Claire's terrified face as she hears Keller begin to break into her and Raoul's apartment.
- Big Damn Reunion: A tearful Assane finally gets to reunite with his mother at one of Paris' metro stations.
- Conveniently Timed Guard: When Ferdinand attempts to chase Claire out of the department store, he gets stopped by a pair of guards at the door because he's triggered the security system. (It turns out that Assane, who was closely monitoring the situation, discreetly slipped a pair of panties into his jacket pocket.)
- Cop Hater: Manon reveals herself to be one, behaving with haughty indifference when Belkacem attempts to interrogate her.
- Custom Uniform: At the basketball game, Raoul and his teammates are kitted out in Chicago Bulls jerseys. The opposing squad wears Detroit Pistons jerseys.
- Dare to Be Badass: Assane's decision to go meet Mariama for the first time in decades means that he misses out on Raoul's big game...which is awkward since he's supposed to be the team's coach. Raoul and his peers are given the opportunity to forfeit, but Raoul decides to assume the leadership role, encouraging the other boys that they can still win even without "Alex."
- A Day in the Limelight: Although many of the episodes in Part 3 have B-plots which center on Claire, this time she gets to be a lead in the A-plot.
- Eye Take: Claire, when she realizes the true identity of "Coach Alex." To the point where Raoul feels the need to ask her if she's all right when he notices her ashen appearance.
- Fakeout Escape: Mariama ties her bedsheets together and dangles them out of the window of the small room where Keller and company are holding her hostage. When Keller sees this, he freaks out, not realizing that Mariama is still inside the room hiding under the bed. It's only after Keller goes out to look for her that she escapes.
- Genre Shift: Several scenes in this episode seem like they could be straight out of a romantic comedy.
- Hidden Depths: Mariama turns out to be a skilled manipulator, much like her son.
- Incredibly Obvious Tail: Ferdinand's initial attempt to kill Claire sees him follow her through the streets in a conspicuously threatening manner. She spots him easily and manages to escape in a taxi.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Belkacem, who is finally convinced that Assane is alive, chews Guédira out for covertly working with him to recover the stolen painting. She's set up as the bossy stick-in-the-mud who is spoiling all the fun; however, any police department that takes itself even remotely seriously would no doubt consider that if one of its detectives went rogue and started collaborating with a notorious wanted criminal—and then lied about it to his superiors—he'd merit severe disciplinary action, possibly even a firing.
- Lethal Chef: Oh, Claire...Pasta with ketchup? Really?
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: As Ferdinand is being loaded up into an ambulance after Keller pushes him off of a balcony, he flags down a police officer and informs her that Keller is the one who has the black pearl.
- Naughty by Night: Claire reveals this particular side of herself after Raoul heads off to bed on the evening that Assane/"Alex" comes over for dinner. When Alex pledges to ensure that she and Raoul remain safe (seemingly a turn-on for her), she adopts a Coy, Girlish Flirt Pose before attempting to kiss him. She's embarrassed when he turns her down, but nonetheless asks him to help set up her alarm system, and watches as he does so with a look that's best described as extremely horny.
- The Tease: After realizing that "Alex" is actually Assane, Claire receives a phone call from him, and mischievously toys with him by pretending to come on to "Alex" in a very forward fashion while claiming that she's moved on from Assane.
- The Tell: Assane has a habit of placing ketchup bottles in the fridge with the cap down. When Claire spots an upside-down ketchup bottle in her fridge the evening after she has "Alex" over, she quickly figures out who he really is.
- Villainous Breakdown: Keller has an extended one as all of his plans start to go wrong. He's furious that Manon has been sent to prison and in retaliation orders Ferdinand to do away with Claire; however, Ferdinand repeatedly fails at his task. Things only get worse for Keller when Mariama escapes on his own watch. In anger and frustration, he grabs Ferdinand and hurls him off a balcony.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We never actually learn who was victorious in the basketball game. Claire certainly seems happy afterwards, but this could just be due to her excitement and pride at Raoul stepping up to lead his team in Assane's absence, or relief that he's seemingly earned the respect of his peers, irrespective of whether or not they won.
