Fabienne Beriot

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

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 Pellegrini of selling arms to Malaysian terrorists; however, their plan to expose him failed, and she was killed by one of Pellegini's henchmen.

History
Fabienne began writing professionally in 1985, spending her entire professional career at a magazine called The Objector. 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 Pellegrini's lawyers successfully sued her for defamation, 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 2020, after he breaks into her home while she is out buying groceries. She doesn't appear to be particularly afraid of Assane, telling him that if he plans to steal anything he will be dissappointed. 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 Beriot "doesn't exist anymore." Assane tells her he needs her help to take down Hubert and reveals that Hubert 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, so she 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 tells 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 enjoyable for her. Fabienne plays the tape for Assane; 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 him. She is somewhat disappointed by Assane's decision to present the contents of the tape on a lowbrow talk show, 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 disguise, she tells him that he has brought "Fabienne Beriot" 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. 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 trouble, 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 later told Assane that “Fabienne Beriot” was no longer existent as a person. However, Fabienne regained her sense of self when she teamed up with Assane.

Fabienne 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 he heard his surname 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