It’s been 18 months since The Diplomat made its splashy debut on Netflix, but the Keri Russell-led political drama doesn’t miss a beat in its sophomore outing. The Season 2 premiere picks up just moments after the explosive cliffhanger that saw a car bomb put four people in jeopardy. Depending on how much you remember about the show’s thorny web of UK-based international intrigue, that “lets jump right back in!” quality may or may not be a good thing. For future binge watchers, however, the show’s seamless continuity is the ultimate diplomatic gift.
For those who need a refresher, the first season follows Russell’s brazenly smart, endearingly slouchy American ambassador Kate Wyler as she’s reassigned from serious long-term work in Afghanistan to a high-profile gig in the UK. In between managing her egotistical ex-ambassador husband Hal (Rufus Sewell), befriending her idealistic second-in-command Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), flirting with the handsome UK foreign secretary (David Gyasi), and considering an offer to step in as the next vice president of the United States, Kate’s main mission was to figure out who bombed a British aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
After ruling out Iran and Russia, Kate eventually came to the shocking realization that the attack might have been a false-flag operation carried out by the UK’s trigger-happy prime minister, Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear)—an idea she barely had time to process before learning that Hal and Stuart were caught up in the car explosion.
The fallout of the bombing and the question of Trowbridge’s involvement serves as the backbone of Season 2, although, as in Season 1, international intrigue is just part of the show’s winning formula. While The Diplomat may have a serious-minded interest in the talky work of diplomacy, the secret to the show’s success is that it also has a sense of fun about it. Essentially, The Diplomat is to The West Wing what Grey’s Anatomy is to ER—a sexier, lighter riff on a familiar genre, with a lovably messy female lead to ground it.
Indeed, it makes perfect sense that creator/showrunner Debora Cahn cut her teeth writing for both Grey’s and The West Wing, as well as a stint on Homeland. The Diplomat exists at the perfect midpoint of those three shows, and though Season 2 is a bit heavier than the first, it hasn’t lost that crucial core of fun. In between intense discussions of global politics, Kate takes a moment to gush that an interoffice romance between two of her colleagues is “the cutest f---ing thing I’ve ever heard!”
Russell is as delightful as ever in the central role, and after Season 1 devoted most of its sparky banter to Kate’s relationship with the men in her life, Season 2 finds an engaging dynamic between Kate and deadpan CIA station chief Eidra Park (Agatha All Along’s Ali Ahn). The two women are wonderfully well-matched in their no-nonsense approach to international espionage. So though Hal and especially Stuart wind up a bit underserved by this season’s shorter episode order (six instead of eight), it’s nice to have a new female friendship in the mix.
If Season 2 has a fundamental flaw, it’s that jumping right back into the same old conspiracy leaves things feeling less fresh after a while. The middle of the season gets particularly lost in the weeds as it dives deep into the details of who knew what and when did they know it (get ready for a whole lot of discussion of the Scottish independence movement). But the show gets a welcome breath of fresh air in its final two episodes as Allison Janney swoops in as Vice President Grace Penn, the much-discussed woman whose job Kate may be gunning for.
While Janney’s presence makes the West Wing vibes even more palpable, Grace is a thornier figure than C.J. Gregg. Her icy blonde bob and sleek colored pantsuits suggest a politician who values style over substance. But she’s got a deft hand for soft power and a subtle touch when it comes to influencing her allies without letting them realize that’s what she’s doing. Above all, she’s a fantastic foil for Kate, who can barely dress herself without causing some kind of international fashion faux pas. The question of whether these two very different women will turn out to be friends or enemies keeps the final two episodes of the season particularly lively.
Though The Diplomat experiments with a more serious tone this season, Janney’s arc reaffirms that the show is at its best when it’s a little bit zanier: an apple-pie contest at a gaudy Fourth of July party or a ballgown-cad politician dragging out a giant map to give an impromptu lesson in geopolitics. After the weightier bomb storyline, it’s a joy to watch The Diplomat more wholeheartedly reembrace its playfulness in the back half of the season. The fact that Netflix announced the show’s third-season renewal ahead of Season 2’s premiere feels like a testament to the strength of Janney and Russell’s chemistry and the potential to do more with it moving forward. To quote The West Wing, “What’s next?”
