It’s a tough time to be a fan of the political world in that it’s, well, basically on fire. And so it’s an interesting choice to drop the 6-episode second season of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated “The Diplomat” into the vitriolic stew that passes for international politics in late 2024. Someone must have decided that a season of politically charged television just five days before one of the most important elections in world history was a good idea, perhaps as a way to counter the chaos on the cable network shows that fans of “The Diplomat” likely watch. The truth is that Debora Cahn’s show, while remarkably smart on a dialogue and character level, does seem a little bit politically jumbled at times, often falling back on a theme of “the aggregate good,” a belief that sometimes sacrifices have to be made to achieve something more important on an international scale.
Some might call the show’s intrinsic belief that most people in office are working toward this goal a little naïve. But it’s a comfort to believe right now, even just on TV.
The second season of “The Diplomat” is truly a direct continuation of the first, picking up just after the end of that season with the fallout from the car-bomb assassination of Sir Merritt Grove, which we learn has injured Hal (Rufus Sewell) and Stuart (Ato Essandoh), and killed Ronnie (Jess Chanliau). Hal seems relatively unscathed, but Stuart’s trauma from the near-death experience will impact the entire season, once again feeding into a theme of the show about the connection between the personal and the political. The people who make some of the biggest decisions about how the world will spin are only human, too.
Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is sent spinning by the bombing and the revelations just before it about the planned assassination of a Russian terrorist named Lenkov. Who ordered that hit and if they had the backing of their government to do so is the focus of the entire second season, which truly does feel like it was conceived as one piece with the first (and reportedly was). Can Kate trust Dennison (David Gyasi, relatively sidelined this season) or UK Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear)? What about the mysterious Margaret Roylin (Celia Imrie)? Can she even trust her own government’s role in the attack and assassination?
The plotting in “The Diplomat” can be a little ridiculous and often feels like it’s stranding its ensemble to keep up with it, but the dialogue and performances keep the show crackling. Keri Russell has long been able to do anything, but this part is perfect for her blend of intelligence and sexuality. What I love about her work this season are the veins of uncertainty and vulnerability she injects into Kate, playing her as someone who may not always be confident enough to know she’s the smartest person in the room. The excellent Rufus Sewell plays Hal as someone who absolutely knows that Kate is smarter than he is, even if he’d never admit it, and that’s why he’s hitched himself to her rising political star, hoping that her potential ascension to the White House as Vice President will be enough to polish his rusty political star.
Russell and Sewell are the center, but “The Diplomat” doesn’t work without a great ensemble. Standouts this season include an empathetic portrayal of PTSD by Essandoh and a wonderfully feisty performance from Kinnear. However, the show-stealing thief of the season is someone who worked with Cahn on “The West Wing”: Oscar and Emmy winner Allison Janney. I won’t spoil who she plays, but she drops in for two episodes and simply destroys, connecting the soapier aspects of the plotting to her blinding intellect. Her fans are going to lose their minds.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were times this season when you’ll question the logic and motives of some of the political machinations. As all the revelations drop in the back half of the season, be aware that I, too, am unsure that all of them make sense. However, I’m not sure I care. With enough babbling nonsense on the actual political landscape, as there is right now, I’ll take a bit of the fictional kind to ease my mind.
Whole season screened for review.
