Mathieu Kassovits, in the role of Driss, has done an excellent job in the eight-part French series Furies. It turns out that the character (Driss), whom we all thought was dead, was alive all along and suddenly came back to avenge his fall. Selma, Driss’ sister, had been given the task of finishing him off (for betraying the godfathers), but she couldn’t bring herself to murder her own blood. Leaving him alive was one of Selma’s biggest mistakes, as he would surely return to cause trouble for the ganglords one day. Would Driss really come back? What did Driss actually want from the godfathers? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Driss Intent On Capturing Lyna?
When Lyna went to meet him after so many years in jail, he was extremely excited. He was finally experiencing a hearty conversation with his own daughter. However, the jail that Driss had set up was all a hoax, as he was the masked man who was after the godfathers. He had set it up for Lyna to think that he was still in prison so that she would give him all the details on Selma and the godfathers. Driss was extremely calculative in all the steps that he took, and he did not even think twice before fooling his own daughter. However, his paternal instincts were strong enough to not let any peril near Lyna. He had even tried to warn her about Selma, but she turned a deaf ear to him. He obviously did not want to jeopardize Lyna’s life; therefore, despite getting several chances to kill her before (wearing a mask), he did not do so. Driss captured Lyna when she realized the jail was just a set-up. He showed her videos where Darius had been planning to sacrifice her to save his own back. He tried to manipulate Lyna into switching sides and joining him, as he was her last resort. The great game player and manipulator that he was had prompted him to kidnap Selma as well, to get input from her about the operations of the godfathers. His manipulation game was also felt when he was able to easily mold someone as powerful as Parques, luring him into the position of a fury (to get inside information on the godfathers).
Why Did Driss Return After 20 Years?
Driss had been sentenced to be killed by the godfathers 20 years ago by his own sister, Selma (supposedly for betraying them). She, however, couldn’t bring herself to kill him and instead confined him in a prison (keeping it a secret from others). Selma must have underestimated his capability to break free from there. After attaining freedom, he wanted to ensure that he could get back all the business that the godfathers had stolen from him in the past. This aspect focuses on Driss’ tendency to snatch away what he considers to be his own and proves that he doesn’t play by the ideology of rebuilding his empire. He had planned to get a key built to get into the train that carried all the wealth of the godfathers and loot it. His vengeful nature comes to the forefront as he is intent on destroying the people who had once not cared about his life and labeled him as a betrayer. No matter how dark the character of Driss seems to us in the beginning, with the revelation of the real culprits, he comes out as someone who is righteous and knows how to fight for himself.
Was Driss Really After Kahina?
By the end of the series, Driss had lost his shot at looting the train at the hands of his own sister and daughter. It was his own people who had betrayed him, and eventually, it was revealed that he was not after Kahina’s life. He did not want to kill her, despite knowing that the woman he had fallen in love with 20 years ago was an undercover agent. While discussing it with Selma, he revealed that it was Selma who had killed Kahina’s family and was still on the hunt for him. Driss was just a scapegoat in the larger game that Selma had been playing to protect the godfathers.
By the end of the series, we pity Driss as we get to know that he has always been backstabbed by people near him. The godfathers did not hesitate to snatch away his businesses; Kahina had betrayed him, and now his own sister Selma had been standing against him to protect his enemies. Being misunderstood by his own daughter was the last thing that he had expected, but situations were such that Lyna was forced to shoot and injure him while he was running away.
Why Did He Choose Death At Selma’s Hands In The End?
You can call him a mafia member, a thug, or a master manipulator, but not a person with low self-esteem. He didn’t want to die at the hands of his own daughter and make her live with the guilt of it. He asked Selma to shoot him before Lyna arrived at the spot. He was so protective of his daughter that he did not even want her to see her own father die or get to know that he was not the one at fault. He wanted to leave the world knowing that his daughter thought of him as nothing greater than a nuisance. He knew that the reality that Selma was the one intending to kill her mother would someday be clear to Lyna and that she would regret losing him.
Final Thoughts
There are multiple layers to Driss’ character! The outer layer seems to be very dark, but as we go on digging inside, he is a softie. Just like any other responsible father, he is worried about Lyna and fears that staying with her aunt might risk her life. Therefore, he wanted to take Lyna by his side to make sure that she was kept safe. He was obviously extremely revengeful towards his enemies and wanted to make sure that all of them were ruined. No matter how evil Driss seems from afar, he ain’t that bad a character when we get close. All he did was protect his own empire and take back what was his. Anyone else in his place would have done the same, I guess!
