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Privileges, a new French drama on HBO Max, takes place in and around a five-star hotel in Paris, one that caters to high-roller clients, from billionaires to pop stars. But it also has a rehabilitation work-release program with the prison system, and we get a perspective on the cutthroat world of the hotel from one of those inmates.
PRIVILEGES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A woman in a prison shower. Her body has tattoos and scars on it.
The Gist: Adèle Charki (Manon Bresch), who is in prison on attempted murder charges, has been applying for work-release jobs, following the requirements to show she’s become a model inmate. But she keeps getting denied. The social worker at the prison tells her that there is one lead left, but she doesn’t like placing inmates there because they tend to wash out quickly. It’s at the Citadel, a five-star luxury hotel in the center of Paris.
On her first day, Adèle is told that she needs to be back to the prison precisely at 8 PM or she’ll be considered a fugitive. Her girlfriend Déborah Sérour (Eva Huault) takes her there, and she ends up sprinting around the corner to the staff entrance. She reports to Esther de Louvey (Anne Azoulay), the head concierge, who tells her she’s going to be a bellhop; the best way for her to do well in this job, says Esther, is to pretty much be invisible. Don’t interact with the guests, and don’t do anything to make her presence known. When Adèle reports to head bellman Michel (Alain Cauchi), she finds out how hectic the job is, due to the high level of service they provide to their guests.
In the meantime, the hotel’s general manager, Édouard Balzaim (Melvil Poupaud), makes sure the high rollers have unforgettable stays. So when the floor where a huge pop star is staying is leaked to fans and press, Édouard orders his staff to find a boa constrictor to match the tattoo that the pop star has. He also introduces himself to Adèle when he sees her as he goes outside for a smoke. He’s well aware of who she is, and advises her that the biggest rule to follow is that, when it comes to keeping their guests happy, there are no rules.
After a guest accuses Adèle of stealing his watch, even though she didn’t take anything, she is informed that the hotel will always take the guest’s side, even if there is no evidence she took anything. Thinking that her job is already in jeopardy, she comes to work the next day and overhears Esther and her staff trying to figure out the snake problem. That leads her to ask a fellow bellhop named Yan (Sandor Funtek) to take her to a place where she knows she can get a boa.
Photo: Caroline Dubois/HBOWhat Shows Will It Remind You Of? Privileges has shades of both Industry and Sweetpea,
Our Take: The key to the plot of Privileges is that Adèle, having ingratiated herself to Édouard via the risks she took to get the snake — including risking her work-release parole — gets fast-tracked on the staff. When Édouard tells Esther to not only keep Adèle on staff but to train her to be a concierge, Esther strenuously objects, reminding him of how that turned out “the last time.”
That means that it’s likely this isn’t the first time Édouard has taken a female work-release employee under his wing, and the results have always been disastrous. It’s probably the reason why the social worker at Adèle’s prison is reluctant to send inmates to the Citadel.
It’s those little clever details that make Privileges a compelling watch. Sure, the thrust of the story is going to be how Adèle is going to navigate this high-pressure environment, and how things at the Citadel are probably even more brutal and cutthroat than prison was. There is also going to be the factor that her sudden rise in status at the hotel also comes with a rise in her circumstances, with Édouard likely showing her a lifestyle that she couldn’t even fathom. How she reconciles that with the idea of returning to her cell every night is going to make for an interesting dynamic.
But what the first episode excels at is setting up all of the little storylines that will be explored throughout the first season. Édouard overworks himself to the point where he’s risking his health, he’s dealing with the hotel being taken over by a tech bro who is overruling his decisions, and his relationship with Michel goes beyond boss/employee. Adèle’s relationship with Déborah almost immediately changes after Édouard takes an interest in her. And there will certainly be complications between Adèle and some of her colleagues, like Yan and others.
Photo: Caroline Dubois/HBOPerformance Worth Watching: Manon Bresch’s character, Adèle, is determined and tenacious, which makes us wonder just how she ended up in prison to begin with. Despite her background, Adèle seems to fit right into the world of the Citadel.
Sex And Skin: The guest who accuses Adèle of stealing his watch is naked, and the escort he has in his room is pretty darn close.
Parting Shot: Instead of taking a shower back at the prison, Adèle is taking a bath in a room at the Citadel, as a thanks from Édouard.
Sleeper Star: Sandor Funtek’s Yan (or is it Yak? We’re not quite sure) is a wildcard, someone who is sent out to get guests all sorts of things, including the “package” Adèle delivered to the room where she’s accused of stealing a watch.
Most Pilot-y Line: The scene where Adèle speeds through the streets of Paris in a stolen dirt bike, trying to escape the police while a huge snake was slithering out of her uniform top, was a bit too slapsticky for the tone of the show.
Our Call: STREAM IT. The first episode of Privileges sets up a whole lot of story threads and potential explosive relationships that promise to be both sexy and dangerous, all in the elegant setting of a luxury hotel in Paris.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
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