One of the best TV series to hit the small screen in the last two years is Netflix’s drama The Diplomat. Led by the always compelling Keri Russell in the role of American Ambassador Kate Wyler in her posting to the UK. season two sets up an East-West whodunnit from the get go. . Right by Kate’s side is her husband, the debonair Rupert Sewell as Hal, a former Ambassador to strife-ridden Beirut. Hal isn’t comfortable in the role of a houuse husband and minister without portfolio, and much to Kate’s consternation, in Season one, unlike Kate, Hal came to London with tried and true diplomatic bona fides and too often meddled in Kate’s grudging efforts to set up shop in a job she really doesn’t want, but she’s a pro and takes one for the team. As for Hal, playing secondle fiddle without a fiddle is frustrating. What’s an alpha male do? Host teas and plan parties?
Viewers who caught season one (and for those who have not, there’s no time like the present – you’ll thank me.) will recall that Kate was not in thr foreign service but with the Company Yes,that oneheaded to Kabul on a mission. But when a UK warship blows up by unknown saboteurs, orders from on high reroute her to London. Diplomacy for Kate is not an easy fit. Will somebody get her a comb and conditioner?
Russell showed us in the espionage series The Amerikans that she can handle intrigue and suspense with the best of them. Here her character juggles a lot of balls to stave off the specter of a nuclear confrontation with Russia, as Brits, supported by Kate and Hal, try to pin down exactly who blew up the ship. Was it Russia or a rogue agent? Is there a red herring in themix?
Geopolitical gamesmanship and US political tensions abound. Nothing is what it seems, and when the truth is revealed, take my word, it’s a humdinger.
Russell and Sewell never fail to deliver. Their characters flirt with divorce, but to borrow from the film Brokeback Mountain, neither of them can quit the other, and their interactions are often tinged with a bon mot or three.
Lest I forget, the always brilliant Allison Janney makes the most of as a supporting player in the closing episodes as Vice President Grace Penn. Rumors have floated that Grace, who suffers no fools, may be replaced as Veep. By Kate. Awkward. Will she? And why exactly is Penn in the UK? Last season ended with shockin cliffhanger. The last scene in season two will make you want to watch the entire episode episode again; it’s that good, and Janney is a sure bet for an Emmy nod. No cars explode, but strap in. Good news for us — season three has greenlighted. I can’t wait to see where the plot picks up from that final scene.
Kudos to show creator Debra Cahn for writing such strong women characters. Her background includes both The West Wing and Homeland. Elements of both are on display here.
Stream The Diplomat on Netflix.
