One of the neatest tricks Carême has pulled over the course of this fine first season is erasing Napoleon. He is there, when he needs to be, but he never speaks and the face of the actor playing him is rarely shown. The focus on the power games swirling around Napoleon through the context of food is a fascinating way to examine power and the body and one which might offer an interesting lens for other historical shows.
But of course the great day of Napoleon’s coronation is here, and Talleyrand (Jérémie Renier) is hosting 500 guests for the party. Only Napoleon suddenly changes it to five thousand, meaning Antonin (Benjamin Voisin) must buy all the food in the four central Parisian markets and hire extra chefs to work in military-style tents to keep everybody fed. Though there will be no skimping on the delicacies for the people in the cheap seats, not on Antonin’s watch. Of course the people at the “imperial table” get a little more – and the centerpiece moment of the food is genuinely jaw-dropping, worthy of the standing ovation which Josephine (Maud Wyler) leads for Antonin. In spite of the events in episode two!
But the day job is very nearly secondary to all the interpersonal drama going on. Antonin drops a bombshell on Henriette (Lyna Khoudri), Agathe (Alice da Luz, who does excellent work here with her facial expressions and her smile) drops a bombshell on Antonin, Napoleon drops a bombshell on Talleyrand and Catherine (Sigrid Bouaziz wearing a wonderful gold headpiece), but above all Antonin drops a nuclear warhead on Talleyrand. Their confrontation is remarkably satisfying and shows the benefit of holding onto a grudge until the right moment. Though it does imply our cutie hero has not gotten any better at politics after all. Will his choices here end up being a good idea in the long run – without a second season, who can know. The little coda at the end, which makes clear both Talleyrand and Antonin are about to get overtaken by events, suggests not. And yet, when justice is controlled by men like the odious Fouché (Micha Lescot) it would have been a bad idea to pass up the opportunity to get justice in any way possible.
This episode was largely shot outdoors with large numbers of multicultural extras, providing a sweeping sense of Paris that the focus on the kitchens has often lacked. Pierre-Jean Larroque’s costumes especially get the chance to shine, not least when Antonin invents the super tall toque – the chef’s hat – so that everyone in the outdoor crowds can notice him. Henriette is in those crowds too, dressed in some of Antonin’s old clothes – a reasonable disguise in the age of gender stereotypes – though no one seemingly blinks an eye when Antonin snogs the young person in the top hat and tails. At least, in those moments, he is not wearing the hat. But happiness never lasts long on Carême, not when there are so many other people jockeying for position around you.
Carême has not really gotten the attention which it is due, despite the artistic production being managed by Martin Bourboulon, the man who seems to be single-handedly reinventing how France tells stories about itself. At the Cannes Film Festival this year, his movie about the 2021 fall of Kabul, 13 Days 13 Nights, which tells a modern war story from the French perspective, was brilliantly sharp about how diverse perspectives on a situation are essential to keeping everyone alive. It also verbalised what might well be the French national ethos, “elegance above all.” And Carême is nothing if not elegant. Its focus on fine living and the ways in which the needs of the body overlap with the needs of a nation are valuable entertainments. What happens in Carême has always been so sexy and so startling that it really does offer a fresh perspective on enjoying the world. Please let’s all hope for another season.
Carême is now streaming on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch, on the official site for the title.
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