The Bureau (original title: Le Bureau des Légendes) is a French espionage thriller television series created and co-written by Éric Rochant and produced by TOP – The Oligarchs Productions and Canal+, which revolves around the lives of agents of the DGSE (General Directorate of External Security), France's principal external intelligence service. Originally aired in France from 27 April 2015, it was launched in the United States and Canada on iTunes on 1 June 2016 as part of a new international "Episodic Cinema" label, quickly reaching the Top Five. In the United Kingdom, the series was released exclusively by Amazon Prime on 17 June 2016. The first season received positive reviews in both France and other countries, and won several awards. The second season has been universally acclaimed, and has even been seen by some as the best television ever produced in France. The third and fourth seasons, respectively aired in France beginning 22 May 2017 and 22 October 2018, have met with further acclaim, with praise for the show's acting, pacing, plot and realism. The series was concluded with fifth season.
Synopsis
The Bureau is based upon real accounts by former spies and inspired by contemporary events, and centres on the daily life and missions of agents within France's Directorate-General for External Security, its principal external security service. It focuses on the "Bureau of Legends", responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents (operating 'under legend') on long-term missions in areas with French interests, especially in North Africa and the Middle East. Living under false identities for years, these agents' missions are to identify and recruit good intelligence sources. The series features intelligence officer Guillaume Debailly, codenamed "Malotru" (literally "Lout") who returns to Paris after six years undercover in Damascus. He has to face the challenge of reconnecting with his daughter, ex-wife, colleagues, and even his old self. But his return to "normal life" proves difficult, especially when he discovers that Nadia, who was his love in Damascus, is now also in Paris. The first season follows his attempts to navigate the rules of life as a spy, and his increasingly tenuous position with Nadia. The second season continues with the same themes, four months later, but also focuses on another character from the first season, Marina Loiseau. She is leaving for Tehran to work undercover as a specialist in seismology, in order to gather intelligence about Iran's nuclear weapons programme. Malotru has been promoted to deputy director but also becomes a double agent on behalf of the CIA. He becomes increasingly desperate to resolve the situation with Nadia, which culminates in serious consequences for them both. Meanwhile, the DGSE has the challenge of a bloodthirsty French jihadist who is publicly taunting France. Season three follows the DGSE's desperate effort to rescue Malotru from ISIS captivity, relying on a would-be ISIS defector and a costly rescue mission that ultimately claims the life of Director Henri Duflot. At the same time, Marina is drawn into a dangerous double-agent operation involving Iran's nuclear programme. Malotru ultimately escapes ISIS custody and is returned secretly to France, but evades DGSE capture. Season four begins with Malotru fleeing to Russia, where he is captured by the FSB and coerced into helping recruit a cyber-specialist; the DGSE struggles to understand his motives. The Bureau is thrown into turmoil as the new internal security chief, JJA, launches an aggressive investigation into its activities — particularly surrounding Malotru. Syrian desk expert Jonas Maury conducts dangerous counterterrorism missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The season culminates in a prisoner-exchange for Marina (also planted in Russia) that conceals a joint DGSE-CIA plan to eliminate Malotru once and for all. Season five reveals that Malotru survived the assassination attempt; he agrees to secretly embed himself inside the FSB as part of JJA's long-term plan to recruit his former Russian handler, Karlov. César remains undercover in Russia's cyber programme and Marie-Jeanne undertakes a dangerous field assignment in Cairo. As JJA's growing paranoia — stemming from his own traumatic history with the FSB — threatens the operation, Malotru succeeds in bringing Karlov to France, but Karlov engineers one final act of revenge before taking his own life. The series ends with Nadia's assassination and Marie-Jeanne — now the Director — deciding to dismantle the Bureau des Légendes.
Cast and characters
Some character codenames are based on Captain Haddock's expletives.
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