A few nights ago, Christina and I watched the last episode of Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau) which ran from 2015 to 2020. Described as “a very unique and captivating series” on IMDb, we fully agree. In fact, this series is probably the best spy show we have ever watched.
During the five seasons, we discover unique characters who, being perfectly developed by the writers, become so believable and realistic. Compared to the typical American shows, Le Bureau des Légendes feels like having actual human beings, with the capacity to fail but also to excel when needed.
My favourite character is Nadia El-Mansour, played by the beautiful and talented Zineb Triki. She is a Syrian university professor who is involved in the negotiations in her country following the war there.
Guillaume Debailly aka Malotru played by Mathieu Kassovitz. He is one of the major spies in Le Bureau des Légendes. He might be the main protagonist but, at no point, do we feel that he is a superman. From the beginning to the end, Guillaume Debailly is in love with Nadia El-Mansour.
Prune Debailly, played by Alba Gaïa Bellugi, is Guillaume Debailly’s daughter. At the beginning, she does not know anything about Le Bureau des Légendes or Nadia El-Mansour. But little by little, she starts understanding what is happening. Prune reminds me a lot of Anya, our daughter. They have the same mannerisms.
I like Raymond Sisteron too, played by Jonathan Zaccaï. He is initially an analyst who quickly becomes an important element of the team of spies, going in the field, being injured, and, interestingly, a Casanova.
Florence Loiret Caille as Marie-Jeanne Duthilleul is also a character we liked a lot. From the very beginning, she is the most stressed one and remains so during the whole show. But she is also very caring and calm.
Other interesting characters, who are fully developed by the writers during the five seasons, include: Daisy Bapes aka La Mule played by Irina Muluile, Marina Loiseau by Sara Giraudeau, Henri Duflot by Jean-Pierre Darroussin and JJA by Mathieu Amalric.
Then, Sylvain Ellenstein by Jules Sagot, César Morin by Stefan Crepon, Laurene Balmes as Léa Drucker and a quite admirable Jonas Maury by Artus.
And Liz Bernstein by Anne Azoulay, Céline Delorme by Pauline Etienne, Andrea Tassone aka Mille Sabords by Louis Garrel and Esrin by Melisa Sözen.
Finally, the two main bad guys: Nadim El Bachir played by Ziad Bakri, a Syrian operative, and Mikhaïl Karlov aka Kennedy by Aleksey Gorbunov. Both are great actors and I commend the people who did Le Bureau des Légendes for having such a great cast. Ziad Bakri, who is Palestinian, is a very believable Syrian and Aleksey Gorbunov is Russian.
Christina and I rated Le Bureau des Légendes 10/10.