Here It All Begins: Carla stays at the Institute but imposes her law – Rose and Bérénice aside, the new era begins! [SHOCK SPOILER]
This week at the Auguste Armand Institute marks a decisive turning point in Here It All Begins . After weeks of doubt, crises, and manipulation, Carla finally makes a radical choice: she’s staying at the Institute. But this time, she’s no longer the same hesitant student viewers have known since her debut. She returns stronger, more determined, and, above all, ready to impose her rules. Alliances shift, betrayals are paid for, and a wind of revolt blows through the school’s kitchens. Rose and Bérénice, once her closest allies, will pay the price.
It all begins with a tense disciplinary meeting. Carla is summoned after standing up to a teacher during a public culinary competition. Her tone, deemed insolent, has caused a scandal among the teachers. Some call for her expulsion, others plead for a second chance. But while everyone expects her to give in, Carla surprises everyone. Upright, calm, and confident, she defends her position with an eloquence that silences the board. “I’m not here to please. I’m here to learn, to lead, and to make my mark.” These words, spoken with icy assurance, resonate like a declaration of war.
To everyone’s astonishment, Teyssier decides: she’ll stay. But he adds one condition: “If you want to rule here, prove it with your cooking, not your attitude.” A challenge Carla accepts without hesitation. The next day, she takes back control of her brigade, but this time, she no longer tolerates the slightest weakness. Her instructions are clear, strict, and sometimes harsh. The students look at her differently: somewhere between admiration and fear.
Her rise to power quickly becomes unsettling. Rose, who hoped to ease tensions after the recent scandals, clashes with her. Carla considers her too “emotional” and not firm enough to lead the Institute during this period of crisis. A series of disagreements erupt between them, particularly over the management of struggling students. Rose wants to support, Carla wants to punish. The divide widens, leading to a head-on confrontation in the director’s office. “You want to be loved, I want the Institute to survive,” Carla says sharply. A sentence that seals the definitive break between the two women.
But the surprise comes from Bérénice. Long considered her closest friend, Bérénice suddenly finds herself sidelined. The reason? Carla discovers that she has, unwittingly, revealed some of her secrets to Rose. A betrayal she cannot forgive. Coldly, she orders her to leave her brigade, citing a “lack of rigor and loyalty.” Bérénice, upset, tries to explain herself, but nothing works. Carla turns the page, implacable. The scene, charged with emotion, shows a tearful Bérénice and a Carla who, for the first time, fully accepts her coldness.
From then on, a veritable “new Carla era” took hold. She imposed an almost military-like discipline, reorganized schedules, redefining roles, and demanding excellence at all costs. Some students admired her, others feared her, but all recognized that she had managed to regain control of an institute in the midst of an identity crisis. Even Teyssier, who was usually difficult to impress, watched silently, a slight smile playing on his lips. “She reminds me of someone,” he whispered to Clotilde, who saw this transformation as a potential threat.
Because Carla doesn’t stop there. In a bold move, she decides to create a new brigade, composed solely of students she deems “worthy” of her vision. Out go the hesitant, the dreamers, and the undecided: in come those who want to give their all. She orders the reassignment of certain students and implements a ruthless evaluation system. This move causes a real earthquake in the Institute. The older students are outraged, the new ones hesitate to follow her, but Carla stops at nothing.
At the same time, a silent tension develops between her and Teyssier. The director, while recognizing her talent, worries about her growing ambition. During a heated exchange, he warns her: “You can lead a brigade, not an empire.” To which Carla replies, her gaze piercing: “An empire is built, chief. And I’ve only just started.” This line, as bold as it is chilling, confirms what everyone suspected: Carla is no longer just another student, but a true force ready to shake up established hierarchies.
Meanwhile, Rose tries to regain control, but nothing goes as planned. Her teaching initiatives are ignored, her meetings boycotted, and even some teachers begin to side with Carla. Little by little, she realizes that she has lost her authority. Isolated, she confides in Clotilde her fear of seeing the Institute slip away from her. But Clotilde, true to her rigid vision of cooking, believes that Carla perhaps embodies the rigor the school needs.
Bérénice, for her part, collapses. Unable to bear the icy distance imposed by Carla, she considers leaving the Institute. But before leaving, she writes her a poignant letter, reminding her of their beginnings, their sincere friendship, and the person she was before losing herself to power. This letter, left anonymously on Carla’s work surface, provokes unexpected emotion. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Carla hesitates. Her hands tremble slightly, but she quickly composes herself. With a hard gaze, she crumples the paper and throws it in the wastebasket.
The final episode of the week concludes with a sequence of striking intensity. Carla enters the large kitchen alone, in the middle of the night. The stoves are off, silence reigns. She steps forward, places her hands on the counter, and whispers, “From now on, I’m the one who decides.” The shot lingers on her face, lit by the cold glow of the fluorescent lights. A shadow passes behind her—perhaps Teyssier, perhaps someone else. But Carla doesn’t turn around. She knows her reign has just begun, and that nothing will stop her.
This week marks a complete shift. Carla establishes herself as a figure of power, cold, visionary, and controversial. Rose and Bérénice, now sidelined, symbolize the price of her rise. The Institute, divided, enters a period of unprecedented tension. And in the corridors, one question now haunts everyone: how far will Carla go to maintain control?
One thing is certain – at Ici Tout Commence , nothing will ever be the same again.
(Loosely paraphrased spoiler text, approximately 900 words, dramatic, narrative and cinematic tone, unrelated.)
