Fabienne Beriot

Fabienne Bériot was a character in the first part of Lupin. She is portrayed by Anne Benoît.

She was a 57-year-old journalist whose exposé on the Pellegrini family led to her being sued by Hubert Pellegrini and getting blacklisted by her fellow journalists. Fabienne later helped Assane accuse Hubert of selling arms to Malaysian terrorists; however, their plan to expose him failed, and she was killed by Léonard, one of Hubert's henchmen.

History
Fabienne began writing professionally in 1985, and spent her entire career at a magazine called The Objector, gaining significant acclaim for her work. Her specialties were articles exposing corrupt people, such as politicians and pharmaceutical labs. She became infamous for her 1996 book Dirty Money: The Pellegrini System, which revealed the corruption and criminal activity that Hubert Pellegrini had engaged in. Fabienne faced immense backlash when Hubert's lawyers successfully sued her for defamation, ultimately ruining her career. After this she largely became a recluse, living alone with only her dog, J'accuse, for company.

Part 1
Fabienne first meets Assane in the fall of 2020, after he breaks into her home while she is out buying groceries. She does not appear to be particularly afraid of Assane, telling him that if he plans to steal anything, he will be disappointed. Assane tells Fabienne he has not come as a burglar, but rather a fan, and asks her to sign his copy of her book. She refuses, claiming that Fabienne Bériot "doesn't exist anymore." Assane tells Fabienne he needs her help to take down Hubert and reveals that the entrepreneur had framed his father for the theft of Marie-Antoinette's necklace, resulting in his imprisonment and subsequent suicide. However, Fabienne remains certain that Hubert cannot be stopped, and tells Assane to leave.



Shortly after their initial meeting, Fabienne drives to Assane's house and tells him that she has changed her mind, pointing out that since Hubert effectively destroyed her career, she has nothing left to lose. Assane happily accepts her help and invites her into his house. He informs Fabienne that the necklace theft happened in 1995; Fabienne remarks that this makes sense, since Hubert's company was on the verge of collapsing that year. She tells Assane that there is a videotape in the archives of The Objector that will ruin Hubert.

Working together, Assane and Fabienne steal the tape from the headquarters of The Objector; afterwards, Fabienne remarks that doing this was an enjoyable experience for her. The two watch the tape together; it contains footage of Hubert selling arms to a group of Malaysian terrorists who went on to blow up the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur, killing eleven people (of whom eight were French nationals).

Fabienne is present when Hubert gives his press conference about the contents of the tape, loudly asking him whether he feels that he has responsibility for the Kuala Lumpur attack. Hubert becomes visibly enraged and refuses to answer. When she arrives back at her home, Fabienne tells Assane that she was followed by one of Hubert's henchmen, but that she managed to lose his tail. She is somewhat disappointed by Assane's decision to present the contents of the tape on the lowbrow talk show The Other Edition, but attempts to go with him to the taping. Assane tells her to remain at her house for her own safety. While Assane is applying his "Salvator" disguise, she tells him that he has brought "Fabienne Bériot" back to life.



Fabienne is disappointed when she sees that Hubert's associates have managed to doctor the tape before it can be played on air, removing any footage that proves his guilt. Shortly afterward, she hears a knock at the door. Upon opening it, she finds out that Leonard, the man who had previously attempted to follow her, has managed to track her down. Leonard forces his way into the house and pins Fabienne against a wall, telling her that he will kill her if she does not give up Assane's location. Defiantly, Fabienne retorts that "a good journalist never reveals her sources." Later, when Assane arrives at Fabienne's house, he finds her hanging from a noose, dead.

Personality and relationships


Fabienne was an intrepid and morally upstanding person, whose personal values were reflected in her work. She took her job very seriously, regarding popular news shows such as The Other Edition as fake journalism. Fabienne’s focus was on exposing corruption and corporate malpractice, and she always took the side of the underdog. Her idealism ultimately landed her in a sea of difficulties, since the publication of her takedown of the powerful and well-connected Pellegrini empire led to a defamation lawsuit which destroyed her career.

Having based much of her identity around her work as a journalist, Fabienne was crushed by the blacklisting. She became a recluse, and even claimed that “Fabienne Beriot” was no longer existent as a person. However, Fabienne regained her sense of self when she teamed up with Assane.

Fabienne, who had never been married, considered herself unattractive, and spent her last years with only her dog J’accuse for company. She maintained her hatred for Hubert Pellegrini, teaching J’accuse to bark whenever his surname was spoken. Her brief alliance with Assane was the only meaningful relationship she had during this time; it was strong enough that Fabienne chose to give up her life rather than reveal Assane’s location to Leonard. Assane was crushed by Fabienne’s death, and ended up bringing J’accuse home with him.

Appearances

 * Part One


 * Chapter 4

Quotes
"I have nothing anymore. Therefore, I have nothing to lose."

- Fabienne on deciding to help Assane

"A good journalist never reveals her sources."

- Fabienne defies Leonard's threats

Trivia

 * Fabienne was partly inspired by the character of Lee Israel in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me.
 * Although Fabienne's date of birth, as seen when Assane looks her up online, indicates that she was 57 in December 2020, the newspaper read by Claire on the train from Le Havre reports that she died at age 58.