Becoming Carmen Sandiego: Part I is the first episode of Season 1 of the Carmen Sandiego Netflix series. It is directly followed by Becoming Carmen Sandiego: Part II.
Summary[]
In the present, Carmen Sandiego robs the Poitiers estate of Countess Cleo, a V.I.L.E. Academy professor, and is pursued by French Interpol Inspector Chase Devineaux and his junior partner Julia Argent. Fleeing the scene, Carmen is cornered by her old classmate Graham, now a V.I.L.E. Operative codenamed "Crackle", and she explains her past. Carmen used to be a mischievous orphan, grows up on the island of V.I.L.E and enrolls in V.I.L.E. Academy, a school for thieves. Given the code name Black Sheep, she makes fast friends and enemies. When pick-pocketing a phone from a staff member, she is called by a White Hat Hacker called "Player" who hacked into the V.I.L.E. network, and the two build a covert friendship. When Black Sheep takes her final exams, she fails a test with Professor Shadowsan, and cannot graduate.
Plot[]
In Poitiers, France, Chase Devineaux, an agent of Interpol, and his partner, Julia Argent are driving in the night. The two Interpol agents are discussing a master super thief: Carmen Sandiego. In the last weeks, Carmen Sandiego has managed to rob millions of euros combined from A Swiss Bank, a high end art gallery in Cairo, and a Shanghai amusement park. Julia notes that Interpol HQ has yet to determine a pattern to her crimes except that she wears a red trenchcoat and fedora and seems to announce her crimes by making random public appearances beforehand. Chase notes she made such an appearance earlier that day. Chase also asks aloud who Carmen is and why her MO is the way it is. Julia suggest that stealing might be a game to her. Chase tells her the game is over as Carmen is in his jurisdiction now, though he doesn't know why. Julia notes that Potiers is rich in history and starts ticking off things Carmen might be planning to steal. Chase abruptly stops the car. He then tells Julia that she's an agent of Interpol not a museum guide and shouldn't share "dull facts about boring things". He also notes that she's only been on the force for only two weeks. As he brags about how his experience trumps her intelligence, Carmen suddenly appears. Julia spots her and points her out to Chase. Chase tells Julia to stay put before giving chase.
Hoping from roof to roof, Carmen admires the beauty of France. A voice tells her to save the sightseeing for after the job. Carmen chuckles and states "Player, glad to hear you're on board." Player tells Carmen he wouldn't miss a night out with her for the world. Player then directs Carmen toward where the job takes place. Carmen breaks in and soon enters the building where her target is. Meanwhile, Chase has entered the building as well but is delayed by his choice to take a two-century-old elevator. Meanwhile, Carmen finds a walled up Atrium and deduces her target is there. Meanwhile, Chase gets out of the elevator and runs up the stairs. Meanwhile, Player cracks the safe. Suddenly, Carmen spots something and tells Player it's something she thought she would never see again. Carmen bags it just as Chase enters the room. Chase chases Carmen only to lose her after she hang-glides away while he falls on his car. Chase tells Julia to secure the crime scene while he goes after Carmen.
Meanwhile, Carmen arrives at the train station. Player downloads a ticket for her to take to Paris. Carmen changes into jeans and a red hoodie. She then enters the first-class compartment just as the train leaves with Devineaux in pursuit. Carmen thanks Player for getting her first class. Player tells her she's earned it. Suddenly, a man enters the compartment and pulls out a high tech rod. A blast of green light is then fired out of the rod at Carmen. Player is suddenly cut off from Carmen. Carmen tells the man "Dude, seriously? Static Cling?" The man tells her it's a side effect of the Directional EMP before adding "So you can forget about reaching for your phone and fancy toys. They're dead." Carmen tells the man "I know how an electromagnetic pulse works Gray. You aren't the only one who passed Dr. Bellum's class. And you didn't really think I'd take any of your bait without checking for a tracking device did you Gray? That's right. I wanted you to find me. It's time we tied up loose ends." Gray replies that she was the only loose end until he captured the elusive Carmen Sandiego five seconds ago before adding "Or should I call you Black Sheep?"
We shift to sometime in the past where a younger Carmen is sitting somewhere with Gray and thirty-eight other people. A woman welcomes Carmen, Gray, and the thirty-eight others to VILE Training Academy for Thieves. The woman tells them VILE stands for Valuable Imports and Lavish Exports. The woman adds that VILE traffics stolen goods to the four corners of the globe. She then introduces herself as Coach Brunt. Coach Brunt tells Carmen, Gray, and the thirty-eight others that they were selected for their one-year program and lists the rules: 1) No contact with the outside world, 2) No cell phones, 3) Use first names only until they get assigned their codenames. Coach Brunt than addresses Carmen as Lambkins. Gray laughs at this. Carmen angrily grabs Gray and tells him only Coach Brunt calls her Lambkins and to everyone else she's Black Sheep.
Back in the present, Gray notes she sure schooled him that day. Carmen tells him she thought he should know who he was dealing with. Gray notes that he still doesn't know her. Carmen notes that she's a professional thief like him. Gray notes that she was never like him and asks for her storytelling her "Your clock runs out when we reach Paris. Make it count."
Carmen reveals that she was found in Argentina and brought to VILE Isle as a baby after being abandoned. She never found out who found her as a baby but she always suspected it was Coach Brunt. She was homeschooled by a series of nannies who taught her languages, history, geography, and their numerous cultures. She would also spend her days pranking most of the others, including Cookie Booker, VILE's bookkeeper, and the captain of the ship she arrives on. One day, she gets her hands on the captain's cell phone. Sometime afterward, she makes contact with Player for the first time.
Later, Carmen's meeting with Player has inspired her to enroll in VILE Academy. She meets up with the leaders of VILE: Professor Maelstrom, Dr. Sarah Bellum, Coach Brunt, Countess Cleo, and Instructor Shadowsan. Black Sheep requests to be allowed to enroll. The leaders all vote in her favor except Shadowsan. Black Sheep is allowed to enroll. After orientation, she meets Gray, Antonio, Jean-Paul, and Sheena, who she quickly makes enemies of. During detention one day, after pranking Cookie Booker during her delivery of the VILE Hardrive she makes every year, they pick their codenames: Gray is Crackle, Jean-Paul is Le Chevre (French for "The Goat"), Antonio is El Topo (Spanish for "The Mole"), Sheena is Tigress, and a mime student is Mime Bomb. During the final exams, everyone passes Shadowsan's test except Black Sheep. Because of this, everyone graduates except Black Sheep. Black Sheep approaches Shadowsan and accuses him of never having a dollar in his coat since she searched every pocket. Shadowsan denies he cheated and accuses her of still being too immature to be a VILE Operative. To prove him wrong, Black Sheep stows away with Crackle and the others when they go off on their first caper, unaware that Mime Bomb spotted her.
Transcript[]
The full episode transcript can be seen here: Becoming Carmen Sandiego: Part I/Transcript
Cast[]
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Storyboards[]
Videos[]
In other languages[]
| Language | Title | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | La transformación de Carmen Sandiego: parte 1 | The Transformation of Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Swedish | Att bli Carmen Sandiego: Del 1 | To become Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| French | Carmen Sandiego, les origines : 1re partie | Carmen Sandiego, The Origins: Part 1 |
| Portuguese | Quem é Carmen Sandiego? - Parte I | Who is Carmen Sandiego? - Part I |
| Italian | Le origini di Carmen Sandiego: Parte I | The Origins of Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Hebrew | להפוך לכרמן סנדייגו: חלק 1 | Become a Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Greek | Η γέννηση της Κάρμεν Σαντιέγκο: Μέρος 1 | The Birth of Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Thai | กว่าจะเป็นคาร์เมน ซานดิเอโก้: ตอนที่ 1 | Carmen Sandiego: Episode 1 |
| Arabic | كارمن ساندييغو: جزء1 | Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Japanese | カルメン参上! 前編 | Calling on Carmen! Part 1 |
| Korean | 카르멘 산디에고의 탄생: 파트 1 | The Birth of Carmen Sandiego: Part 1 |
| Chinese | 化身神偷卡門（上） | Incarnation of the Carmen (above) |
Trivia[]
- Julia Argent states that she's "not a math detective". This is likely to be a reference to Carmen Sandiego: Math Detective.