Carême season 1 episodes 5 and 6 ending explained: Why was Antonin helping Talleyrand even after his father's death?

Carême is a French historical drama show that premiered on Apple TV+, with the first two episodes on April 30, 2025. The series followed the story of a French chef named Antonin Carême, who became a spy in an attempt to earn back his father's freedom.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for Carême season 1, episodes 5 and 6. Reader's discretion is advised.

In episode 4, Antonin's father, Sylvain Bailly, was shot by the police while trying to escape from prison. Antonin, who became heartbroken on hearing the news, was working for Talleyrand because the latter had promised to help him free his father from prison.

Antonin knew that Fouché was the one responsible for Bailly's death and was determined to seek revenge from the Minister of Police, no matter what. Although Antonin was planning to leave Paris with Henriette, Talleyrand convinced him to stay so that he could exact his revenge.

In episode 6, however, Talleyrand advised Antonin to leave Paris because the prime suspect in the bombing against Napoleon, Cadoudal, had been caught, and Antonin's presence there would put them both at risk. However, Antonin decided to help Talleyrand instead by convincing Cadoudal to blame someone else, just so that his plan to avenge his father's death would not get ruined.

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Who won the cooking competition in Carême episode 5?

A still from Carême episode 5 (Image via Apple TV+)

Carême episode 5 began with the notary handing over Bailly's belongings to Antonin. Because Bailly was deemed a traitor, Antonin was denied inheritance of the bakery, which the state had seized. Antonin was furious about his father's passing and refused to participate in the cooking competition, although Talleyrand was hosting it.

Eventually, Antonin agreed to participate in the competition, but his sous chef, Agathe, had already chosen to help her former teacher, Auguste because he was injured. In the first round, the dish Antonin cooked placed second, thereby qualifying for the second and final round.

Meanwhile, Courtiade, Talleyrand's trusted right-hand man, learned that Henriette was working for Fouché and informed Talleyrand. Henriette convinced Talleyrand that Fouché had approached her out of the blue, but the same was not true for Courtiade, who went to Henriette's room and tried to force himself on her. In the ensuing conflict, Henriette accidentally killed Courtiade.

A still from Carême episode 6 (Image via Apple TV+)

While preparing the dish for the second round, Antonin's aide, Noel, got injured. So, Talleyrand volunteered to help. Two of the three judges found Antonin's dish better. One of the judges who liked Antonin's dish was the Second Consul. Josephine Bonaparte, who was observing the competition, threatened the Second Consul to change his verdict.

So, Auguste was announced the winner, but he was quick to reveal that Agathe was the one who deserved all the appreciation. When Antonin went back to his room, Henriette told him about Courtiade's death and that Fouché was planning to arrest him.

Antonin and Henriette hid Courtiade's body in the stables and planned to leave Paris together. However, Talleyrand burned Fouché's proof against Antonin in front of the latter and told him that he could still exact revenge against Fouché if he were to cook for Napoleon's coronation. So, Antonin canceled his plan to escape Paris with Henriette.

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What was Antonin's message for Cadoudal in Carême episode 6?

Cadoudal in a still from Carême episode 6 (Image via Apple TV+)

In episode 5, Fouché had learned that General Georges Cadoudal, a royalist, was in Quiberon. Episode 6, titled Trompe l’oeil, opened with Cadoudal's arrest. The police subsequently tortured Cadoudal as they demanded to know who had helped him in orchestrating the bomb blast against Napoleon.

Talleyrand was worried that Cadoudal would turn against him and Antonin might also betray him. So, he told Antonin to leave. However, the chef came up with an idea to help Talleyrand out by delivering a secret message to Cadoudal. The catch? The message would be delivered through food.

It was a risky job, but Antonin was confident that he could do it. The plan was that Talleyrand would arrange for Antonin to serve lunch to Cadoudal. During that lunch, Cadoudal received a message suggesting a name he could give to the police in place of Talleyrand's.

Since the Duke of Enghien was a blood brother of the rightful King of France, Talleyrand believed the police would easily take the bait. A symbol for the Duke of Enghien was the Coat of Arms.

Antonin successfully delivered the message using the symbol in an unexpected way. Cadoudal made a statement claiming that the Duke of Enghien was the one who helped him orchestrate the bomb blast. After that, Cadoudal suffered the death penalty.

At the end of the episode, Fouché visited Antonin at Talleyrand's house and revealed that the person who started the rumor that Bailly was a traitor was Courtiade. This implied that Talleyrand was actually the one who had set up an elaborate web to trick Antonin into working for him.

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Carême is available to stream on Apple TV+.