Apple TV’s new French-language show, Careme, is inspired by the life of 19th-century French chef Marie-Antoine Careme. Known for creating eye-catching ‘pièces montées,’ Careme was one of the most prominent chefs during his time. In the series, Careme is not just portrayed as a brilliant chef but is also imagined as a spy responsible for certain critical historic events. In the first two episodes, we get a sense of how Careme used talent, intelligence, and, well, seduction to free his adoptive father, Sylvain Bailly.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Careme agree to work for Talleyrand?
Sylvain Bailly had lost his daughter to Napoleon’s army, and naturally Careme despised the ruler as well, but when Careme discovered that Napoleon needed medical assistance, he prepared an herbal paste that cured the First Consul. After Napoleon discovered that Careme was a chef working at Bailly’s, he offered the young boy a chance to work at the Tuileries Palace. Careme declined the offer, but Bailly begged him to reconsider. After all, only the rich could afford his grand creations, and Bailly was aware that Careme’s talent would greatly improve if he worked at the palace, but Careme stuck to his decision. All of a sudden, one day, Bailly was arrested by Napoleon’s men, but before he was taken away, Bailly asked Careme to find Talleyrand at the Hotel de Galliffet. Talleyrand agreed to help have Bailly released, but in return, Careme had to accept Napoleon’s offer. Careme didn’t know why Bailly was arrested, but he was convinced that his father was innocent. Since Talleyrand was conspiring against Napoleon, Bailly perhaps hoped that he would help him with his release. Even though Careme was against the idea of directly working for Napoleon, he learned important lessons as a chef on his very first day at the Tuileries Palace. He impressed the British ambassador with his strategically planned piece, Montee. Napoleon wanted him to recreate his pyramid-shaped piece, but Careme knew that it would be interpreted as an insult by the British guests since Napoleon wanted them to give him Malta and Egypt. He wanted war, but Careme ensured that the pyramid had a surprise element in it. The guests lauded him for his creativity, and Talleyrand was impressed by his presence of mind.
He decided to use Careme to dig up Napoleon’s itinerary, particularly on the day he was planning on going to the opera. He believed there would be a map in his room, and Careme had to find it, and only then could his father be set free. Talleyrand was desperate to stop Napoleon from waging war, and he was ready to kill the First Consul if it promised to bring peace to France. Careme managed to get the opportunity to personally cook for Josephine Bonaparte after seducing her lady-in-waiting. He drugged her food and made a copy of the map that he’d found in Napoleon’s room.
Why did Careme expose Talleyrand’s secret?
Careme had stuck to his end of the bargain. He’d risked his life and replicated the map and handed it to one of Talleyrand’s men. He had hoped that the First Consul would be killed in the market explosion, but instead innocent people lost their lives. Careme was at the scene when the explosion took place, and he noticed Napoleon’s carriage taking a quick turn before the explosion. It was evident that someone had informed the king about the possible threat, and Careme later discovered that the informer was Talleyrand himself. By leaking the information, he won Napoleon’s trust. But after finding out the truth, Careme became familiar with Talleyrand’s selfish ways. Ordinary people lost their lives because of his grand plan. When Careme held a knife at Talleyrand’s throat, he reminded the young chef that the Minister of Police, Fouche, would find out about his involvement in the explosion, and that would be the end of his life. Careme didn’t have any choice but to maintain silence. But Careme didn’t forgive Talleyrand for betraying his trust. When he discovered that Talleyrand had a daughter, Charlotte, he knew he could use the information against him. Talleyrand was a clergyman and unmarried; he knew that if the world found out about Charlotte, he would be looked down upon. Charlotte had injured her foot during her ballet lessons, and she was afraid that, just like her father, she too would have to spend the rest of her life with a clubfoot. Careme applied his herbal remedy to her injury and promised that she would heal soon.
Careme obviously had nothing against the child, but he had started to despise Talleyrand. He used a young man, Etienne, to deliver a letter he’d written for Minister Fouche. Soon after receiving the letter, Fouché approached Talleyrand. He threatened to tell Napoleon about his daughter, and he reminded Talleyrand that Napoleon was a conservative man who would not be happy to find out that the bishop had kept his child, born out of wedlock, a secret. Before leaving, Fouché told Talleyrand that he’d already informed Napoleon about Charlotte because deep down he knew Talleyrand would not bend. Talleyrand was afraid that his ministry would be taken away from him, since he would now be perceived as a former bishop living with a mistress and an illegitimate child. He believed that the only way forward was to publicly separate from his partner, Catherine. But after Catherine threatened to disclose Talleyrand’s secrets to Fouche, he had no choice but to marry her.
How did Talleyrand use Careme to get to Josephine Bonaparte?
Talleyrand figured out that it was Careme who had sent the information about his daughter to Minister Fouche. He decided to discuss the matter with Careme. Talleyrand explained that, by exposing his secret, Careme had not only ruined his life but also that of Josephine Bonaparte. Since she could not bear Napoleon children, she wanted to part ways with him. Napoleon was planning on abolishing divorce, and Talleyrand was the only one defending it. But now that Talleyrand had lost his credibility, he was convinced that Napoleon would declare divorce a thing of the past. People would be stuck in unhappy marriages, all thanks to Careme. Talleyrand had made up his mind to not help with Bailly’s release, and he instructed Careme to disappear. While Careme had wanted Talleyrand to realize that he could essentially destroy his life, he didn’t think that the plan would backfire to such an extent. Instead of disappearing, Careme offered to undo his mistake. He had realized that Josephine was attracted to him, and he proposed using it to his advantage. Careme planned on blackmailing Josephine, and while Talleyrand didn’t think it was a great idea, it was the only option he’d left. He invited Josephine to his engagement party, where every meal was cooked in alcohol as per Careme’s instructions. The idea was to get the guests drunk and to lure Josephine to him when she was her most vulnerable self. Talleyrand had realized that Careme would do anything to protect his father, so he used his assistant to write Careme a letter impersonating Bailly. He wanted Careme to assume that his efforts towards his father’s release were actually effective, and the letter was to be proof of it.
Just when the party got interesting, with the guests getting a little wild with every drink, Careme prepared a special cocktail for Josephine that he’d previously offered her to taste. The drink was an invitation for Josephine to indulge in her secret desire, and seeing everyone around her enjoy themselves to their heart’s content, she decided to take a bet. She’d sent a coded message to Careme, insisting he meet her in the cold storage.
Towards the end of episode 2, Careme secretly met Josephine in the storage room. She’d risked the possibility of getting caught to get physically close to the young chef. Careme was an expert seducer, and it didn’t take him long to convince Josephine to have sex with him. While Josephine and Careme shared a passionate moment, Talleyrand invited Josephine’s daughter, Hortense, and her husband, Louis, to take a tour around his house. He had them in blindfolds before showing them a surprise. He was about to guide them in the room where Josephine and Careme were making love. Josephine was frightened when she heard her daughter’s voice, and that was when Careme revealed his true intention. He promised not to expose their secret as long as Josephine made the decision to advocate for divorce rights and convince her husband to leave the right to divorce in the reformed Civil Code. Josephine was embarrassed when she realized she’d been used by Talleyrand and Careme to serve their purpose. She left the room before her daughter and her husband removed their blindfolds. Talleyrand had a special gift box full of exotic fruits ready for them so as to not raise any suspicion. Before they parted ways, Careme begged Josephine to forgive him, and he wanted her to know that he hadn’t intended to betray her. But Josephine couldn’t care less, and she promised to destroy him.
In the final scene of episode 2, we find out that Minister Fouché had almost cracked the case. He had figured out that the man who wrote him the letter was the same person who’d drawn the map he’d discovered at the explosion scene. All he needed to do was find the man who had sent him the letter, and presumably he intended to torture Etienne until the young boy revealed the identity of the sender.
