The long-awaited moment has finally arrived! Plus belle la vie is back on TF1 this Monday, January 8, a year after being suspended on France 3. The meeting was marked with joy, both for the actors, who revived their iconic roles, and for the audience, who were happy to find their favorite characters.
Unfortunately, this event is hampered by the disappearance of Michel Cordes and Marwan Beren, who both died under unfortunate circumstances.
Michel Cordes, who played Roland Marc, died in May 2023, just a few months after the end of Plus belle la vie. A disappearance that, however, will have little effect on Plus belle la vie, all the more beautiful after the bar’s former manager died of a heart attack on the Place du Mistral in the final weeks of France 3’s broadcast. The first episode of the sequel pays homage to this iconic character again.
Meanwhile, Marwan Beren, who played Abdel Fedala for many years, was found dead last October after weeks of searching, just weeks before Plus belle la vie, encore plus belle began filming. Presenting one of the central characters of this sequel, the writers had to change their plans to adapt to this sad news.
Did Abdel die when the Mistral collapsed?
In the finale of Plus belle la vie, which will be broadcast in November 2022 on France 3, Abdel Fedala discovers that the baby Barbara (Léa François) was carrying was his. Then they decided to confess their feelings for each other and get married.
In the first episode of Plus belle la vie, even plus belle, we find Barbara as a single mother. And if many viewers were waiting for the writers to explain Abdel’s disappearance, they will have to be patient.
“When I was alone with my son, everything became difficult. A gourmet restaurant is too much pressure and I had no energyAn emotional Barbara explains to Francesco, her ex-partner, before adding:I don’t want to talk about it, it hurts a lot“.
This is the only mention of Abdel’s character in the first episode of the sequel Plus belle la vie. Does this mean the character died during the collapse of Place du Mistral?
The producer decided not to go that route to explain the character’s absence. At a press conference for the launch of the series, series producer Clementine Planchon revealed that none of the characters “There were no casualties or injuries in the Place du Mistral collapse.” Accordingly, no one died in this tragedy.
According to Stephen Hannon, the scriptwriters have not yet written a rationale for this absence. “If the authors write something about it, I will play it“, said the performer of the role of Abdel’s spiritual father. “If the authors want us to talk about it, of course we will. It won’t be a problem, because we are talking about Abdel’s character, not Marwan Beren’s.”
Same story for Léa François, who reprises the role of Barbara. “There’s a lot of modesty around that right now., – he explained and moved on. “And I can’t play it now. It is a period of mourning and time must be taken.“
Therefore, viewers will have to wait until the reasons behind Abdel’s disappearance are explained.
Find a new unaired episode of Plus belle la vie, even plus belle this Tuesday, January 9 at 1:40pm on TF1. Episodes are available to preview on the free streaming platform TF1+.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
