Fictional Podcast: “Arsene Lupin: Unseen”
Hosts: Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser
Date: September 3, 2025
Episode Theme: A Locked Room Heist, a Master Thief, and the Hidden Cost of Friendship and Class
Based on Maurice LeBlanc’s Arsène Lupin stories, retold with a fresh, modern tone.
Episode Overview
This episode centers around one of the most famous tales of Arsène Lupin, “The Queen’s Necklace.” Jason brings the classic heist story into a modern, conversational framework, exploring themes of loyalty, justice, class, and the enduring mysteries of a “locked room” crime. The story toggles between a glittering French aristocratic estate, a tense train ride, and a parlor-room mystery as the brilliant, elusive Lupin moves through layers of deception and compassion.
Major Discussion Points & Insights
The Theft of the Necklace (00:25 – 10:00)
- Setting the Jewel’s Importance:
The Count de Droux Soubise treasures the Queen’s Necklace, a relic of a bygone monarchy. Despite their dwindling fortunes, the family clings to this necklace as a symbol of status and identity. - The Heist:
After a rare night of splendor at an elite party, the Count secures the necklace, only for it to vanish by morning. Suspicion falls on servants and especially Henriette—a family friend, fallen on hard times, now living with her young son in humble quarters. - Emotional Fallout:
Intense suspicion, humiliation, and ultimately, cruelty strip Henriette and her son Raoul of their last shelter. They’re cast out, further underscoring class divisions and the personal consequences of public shame.
Quote:
“Eight pillows. Every time the Countess searched the room, Henriette had to pay for the pillows she had bought. Eight pillows. It was all the money she had in the world.” – Jason (09:45)
Arsène Lupin on the Train: Shifting Identities & Daring Escapes (12:53 – 27:30)
- First-Person Tension:
The narrative jumps to Guillaume Berlac, drawn into a cat-and-mouse game with an unidentified stranger (the alleged Lupin) and a worried couple on a train to Rouen. - Locked-Room Style Action:
A sudden, calculated attack leaves Guillaume and a woman bound and robbed. The thief leaps from the train as it slows in a tunnel, leaving chaos behind. - Police Pursuit:
Quick-thinking deduction and a dramatic car chase (with period-accurate road rage and horns) fail to nab Lupin, who cleverly evades his pursuers. - Twist:
Guillaume realizes the thief isn’t Lupin—he himself is Lupin in disguise, outwitting both his quarry and the police.
Quote:
"You are not Arsène Lupin. ...Because I am." – Lupin-as-Guillaume, confronting the faux thief (27:23)
Salon Mystery: The Case Reopened (29:30 – 38:30)
- Years Later, a Parlor Game:
Decades after the theft, now as Chevalier Floriani, Lupin enters the Count’s orbit once again—this time, at a genteel dinner party. With Socratic wit, he urges the Count to retell the story of the missing necklace. - The Mystery of the Locked Window:
The crux: the necklace vanished from a locked closet inside a locked bedroom, seemingly impossible. Only an almost-invisible hole in a window’s transom, obscured by style, cracks the case. - Revelation — The Real Thief:
Floriani proposes that Henriette’s six-year-old son, Raoul, not a seasoned criminal, managed the theft to save his destitute mother. The method: using the transom, perhaps a bridge made from shelves in their kitchen, the child surreptitiously removed the jewels, hiding them in his schoolbooks.
Quote:
"It was obviously the son taking care of her. Even if she never knew. Even if, as he turned to crime to soothe her...she was so innocent as to thank the people who cast her out when she needed them most." – Chevalier Floriani (Lupin), (37:00)
Grace and Regret: The Final Confrontation (38:30 – 40:45)
- Guilt & Forgiveness:
The Countess, recognizing her own role in Henriette’s downfall, seeks forgiveness. - Chevalier’s Mercy:
Floriani (Lupin) gently assures her of forgiveness, hinting at his own childhood identity—his eyes and mannerisms triggering a glimmer of recognition in the Countess. - Restitution:
Days later, the long-lost Queen’s Necklace is mysteriously returned to the Countess, with a note signed simply by Arsène Lupin—who, in breaking the law, restored balance and dignity.
Quote:
"For the briefest moment, the Countess saw the eyes of the young man she recognized, one who spent all of his time reading and tending to his mother in the quarters just across the courtyard from her own." – Jason (40:13)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Class & Cruelty:
“The Countess waited for her friend to come to her in tears and pleading. But when she didn’t...the Countess could only shrug and fire the woman.” (10:31) - On the Locked Room Conundrum:
“If the window or transom didn’t have a patched hole—maybe with paper or putty, but a hole that would be invisible unless you were looking for it—Floriani would give them a thousand francs and never speak of this again.” (34:15) - On the Price of Mercy:
“If either of them were here...I would beg their forgiveness.”
“He said he was certain that she would be forgiven.” (39:45) - On Arsène’s Code:
“We cannot too highly commend such a delicate and chivalrous act.” – Quoted from the Paris newspaper, read by Jason (41:25)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:25 – Story introduction: the legend of the necklace
- 09:00 – Henriette blamed; cast into poverty
- 12:53 – Train robbery set-up; Lupin’s appearance
- 18:00 – The escape and tactical pursuit
- 27:23 – Lupin reveals himself and outsmarts the police
- 29:30 – Dinner party, Chevalier Floriani challenges the cold case
- 34:15 – The locked window solution bet
- 36:15 – The child thief theory and emotional reckoning
- 39:45 – The Countess’ regret and appeal for forgiveness
- 41:25 – Necklace's return, Lupin’s signature
Tone and Style
- Narrative Voice: Playful, sharply modern, yet respectful of the original’s suspense and emotional stakes. Jason and Carissa break up the tension with wry asides and pointed social commentary.
- Mood: A deft blend of psychological depth, light sarcasm (especially at aristocratic airs and detective tropes), and genuine empathy.
Episode Takeaways
- Classic tales still pack emotional punch, especially when they interrogate privilege, justice, and personal responsibility.
- Arsène Lupin emerges not as a mere criminal, but as a mythic figure who rights wrongs in his own, morally ambiguous way.
- The story’s heart lies in the pain of those cast out unjustly, and the hope that restitution—even decades later—can still matter.
Next Episode Teaser:
In two weeks, Jason and Carissa begin a three-part retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” leading into their season finale.