In the shadow of France 2: Is the political series based on a true story?

Aired on France 2, In the Shadows is a fascinating and relentless new political series you shouldn’t miss. In six 52-minute episodes, this fiction tells the behind-the-scenes story of the presidential election through the eyes of a political consultant devoted to his boss and the Republican presidential candidate.

Cesar Casalonga, played by Swan Arlod, is a great strategist and advisor. And he approaches a turning point in his life when his boss, Paul Francoeur (Melville Pupo), whom he has supported for 20 years, wins against his party’s primary opponent Marie-France Tremaux (Carine Viard).

Then begins a turbulent presidential campaign, amid attacks from other candidates, displeasure of his own political family, and rumors of fraud. Then Caesar leads the hardest battle of his career and life.

A series adapted from the book and imbued with some realism

Even if it is fiction, the shadow is prominent in the functioning of modern politics and the management of crises and other fights within the same political family, but also on hot and important issues for citizens.

And if the series seems realistic, it is not because it is taken from a real story, but from a novel written by a former member of the government: Edouard Philippe. The former prime minister, now the mayor of Le Havre, co-wrote the book In the Shadows, which was published in 2011, with his former special adviser and MEP Gilles Boyer.

“With Edouard Philippe, we were concerned about certain credibility”Gilles Boyer explained to us, “We really wanted to show as much as possible, the good and the bad, while leaving some of the creativity behind. That is, if it is only reliable, technical, it can become a bit boring. the general public”.

If Gilles Boyer and Edouard Philippe contributed to the realism of the series, the idea was still to create an almost eternal series with unique characters in a parallel political world. And it’s a collaboration with screenwriters Lamara LePrêtre-Habib (D’argent et de Sang), Cédric Anger (Next time I’ll aim for the heart) and Pierre Schoeller (L’Exercice de l’Etat), who also brought the showrunner’s hat to flesh out the screenplay , which allowed it to be given a wider public dimension.

“At the heart of the book is something that transcends current events and the political landscape.”According to Pierre Scholer, “This is a story of men, doubts, loyalty, devotion, altruism.

A very personal point of view

If The Shadow covers a large-scale presidential campaign with many characters, we follow the events from a specific point of view: political consultant Cesar Casalonga.

Sometimes in House of Cards style, this character looks at the camera at the viewer, breaking the fourth wall from time to time in the series. Caesar is the main thread of this fiction, as it is he who immerses us in the workings of his political life, following him with television cameras from the beginning of the series. And it’s not for nothing that he is the face of the credits.

“This is also the bias of the book”Gilles Boyer explains, “The main character in the novel is the narrator, but who is not named and was baptized by Pierre. This is a book written in the first person and therefore everything happens from his point of view. This is the character around whom everything revolves. It is directed at the candidate, looking at the candidate and his opponents, through the entourage and the employees.

The strength of the series also lies in this very solitary and introspective point of view that characterizes the politician, according to Gilles Boyer: “A leading political figure is never physically alone, but when it comes time to make a decision, he is always alone in the decisions he makes physically, and that’s a contrast that’s surprising but interesting to show.”.

Inspiration for current topics

In the Shadow connects his fictional world with elements of reality, including current affairs, important public events and sectors that occupy politics, such as suicides in the police, education, territories, institutional questions. There is something concrete because it allows us to support this “false” campaign. And it’s true that in each campaign subjects suddenly crystallize.”Pierre Scholer explains.

Another important theme of the presidential campaign depicted in the series is the suspicion of fraud in the electronic voting of the primaries. And that’s part of the real questions about this practice in politics, because there was already electronic voting in parties.

“Every time we hold an election, we hesitate between paper voting and electronic voting, with all the risks that entails.”– says Gilles Boyer “Now we have hacking, foreign interference in democratic processes..

Beyond the political aspect, the shadow raises questions about computing, artificial intelligence and the use of these models in institutions, as Gilles Boyer explains. “A computer system is much more practical, but is it more reliable?” We don’t know. Moreover, there has always been fraud, including in voting where there is a paper ballot. No system is invulnerable at the ballot box, and this will be a dilemma that will arise anyway..

Comments collected by Megan Choquette during the Series Mania festival in Lille on March 17, 2024.

The first two episodes of the series “Dans l’ombre” aired on October 30 on France 2, and the rest will air on November 6 and 13. The series is available on france.tv.