'The Diplomat' Season 2 Review - A Conspiracy Thriller Worth Getting Tangled Up In

There’s nothing better to help get your mind off of complicated real-life politics than by watching a show about complicated fictional ones. Instead of stressing out about whether Tim Walz or JD Vance is going to be the vice president in our reality, you can instead stress out about whether Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler or Allison Janney’s Grace Penn is going to be the vice president in theirs. It’s the perfect distraction! The Diplomat Season 2 picks up where Season 1’s (literally) explosive finale left off, immediately answering key questions viewers had after that episode as well as hinting at more (again literal) fireworks to come.

What Is ‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 About?

The Diplomat Season 2 deals with the repercussions of Kate believing that it was actually British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) who ordered the attack on his own aircraft carrier. Not only do she and Eidra (Ali Ahn) have to face the dangerous repercussions of this, but they also have to deal with the emotional fallout of Hal (Rufus Sewell) and Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), their loved ones with whom they already have messy relationships, being badly injured from the car bomb.

Of course, everything is not as it initially seems. The more Kate discovers about the scandal, the twistier it gets, with more suspects stacking up — and more innocent people caught in the crossfire in their attempt to get to the truth. Kate struggles to parse out everyone’s motivations and find out who she can trust, trying to untangle a web that includes Trowbridge, Roman Lenkov, Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), Meg Roylin (Celia Imrie), and more — not to mention her own staff and family.

‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 Is Still as Clever as Ever

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One of the highlights of The Diplomat Season 1 was its writing and the smart, clandestine ways we saw the characters communicating. Fortunately, Season 2 not only continues this trend but cranks things up a notch. Whether Kate and Eidra are using a doctor’s whiteboard to write secret notes or a funeral (complete with spy-movie disguises!) to send a message, The Diplomat’s creativity makes scenes that could otherwise feel stale or like exposition-dumping some of the most entertaining in the series. The series’ directors also deserve credit for this, as each of these sequences feels sleekly choreographed and perfectly paced, as do the actors, who breezily deliver even the densest dialogue. The show excels when it sees our characters thinking on their feet and using their resources to pull off intricate political moves, but it’s just as fun in the opposite direction, too. Seeing characters appropriate bureaucratic techniques and tactics into their personal relationships — like Grace’s use of a political briefing method to dress down Kate in a delicious The Devil Wears Prada-esque scene — is just as delicious.

The Diplomat has always had excellent dramatic and even comedic beats, but this season feels like it steps things up in the thriller department. Right when we think we have something or someone figured out, the rug gets pulled out from under us yet again, making us see a situation in a whole new light. The Diplomat is admirably interested in shades of gray — in creating nuanced situations that have no clear logistical or ethical answer. This makes the stakes feel higher than ever, culminating in an experience that feels loaded with suspense at every turn until the very end. Let’s just say that if you were shocked by the way the first season ended, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

One of the biggest feats of the show's writing is how easy it is to follow without the audience ever feeling like they’re being talked down to. Many moving parts and layered maneuvers are happening at all times — and the show does require your full attention, making each second and detail important — but things never become convoluted or unnecessarily confusing. As long as you’re locked in, The Diplomat is relatively simple to follow, with Kate acting as our primary filter. Russell continues to give a masterful performance, unafraid to give Kate plenty of flaws. The elements that make her an imperfect character are ironically what make her the perfect protagonist for a show like this, as she brings a level of both reliability and authenticity we feel we can trust in a world made of smoke and mirrors.

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'The Diplomat' Season 2 Will Not Have a Significant Time Jump

The Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell-led series was renewed just days after it landed on the streamer.

‘The Diplomat’s Commitment to Character Sets It Apart

Image via Netflix

The thing that sets The Diplomat apart from other shows of its genre is how fleshed out the characters are and how much their personal drama bleeds into the political — sometimes quite literally, considering Hal is badly injured this season. He and Kate continue to be one of the most complex and compelling couples on television, thanks in no small part to Sewell and Russell’s unique chemistry that makes it easy to believe they have a long, tumultuous marriage with high highs and even lower lows. It’s always a blast to see them fight dirty with each other, using their intimate understanding of one another to know where to hit them where it hurts the most, but this season features equally intriguing and refreshing moments of tenderness between the two. Hal is in a more vulnerable position in many ways, which changes their dynamic without taking away the prickliness that makes it juicy. In fact, these softer sides only add more depth to each of them. The writers and Sewell also do a commendable job showcasing Hal’s journey with PTSD, handling the arc with realism and respect.

Eidra and Stuart, too, get much more development this season. Eidra is in a hard position, as Stuart’s injuries force her to confront what she really wants — and why she seems to constantly stand in her own way of getting it. Ahn is this show’s secret weapon in a lot of ways, with Eidra acting as both a confidante for Kate and someone who can challenge and push back against her. She adds texture and consistently raises interesting questions, spurring the plot in unexpected directions. Ahn feels like she was born to speak this dialogue, quickly and masterfully delivering chunks of political jargon without batting an eye and deadpan quips that land every time. When we get the opportunity to dig more deeply into her feelings, Ahn handles that expertly, too, with a beautiful and heartbreaking peek as to what’s underneath her tough exterior.

The Diplomat displays an exciting kind of feminism that feels groundbreaking in its subtlety. Instead of seeing her peers as competition, Kate is constantly inspired by them — even if she is actually competing with them. The show spends a significant amount of time exploring various facets of Kate and Grace’s dynamic, the different ways in which they view the world, and their personal approaches to handling everything from misogyny to global crises. The Diplomat doesn’t take a side or give us any easy answers, instead smartly letting us unpack all the themes and draw our own conclusions. Adding Janney to the cast list is always a good idea, but The Diplomat utilizes her particularly wisely. The scenes between Kate and First Minister of Scotland Jemma Doud (Clare Burt) are similarly riveting, with both palpable tension and a level of mutual understanding crackling between them. There’s a specific language all of the women seem to speak that the series portrays well.

The Diplomat Season 2 amps up the stakes established in Season 1 while simultaneously ensuring an even wilder ride for Season 3 by its final seconds. The writing continues to be sharp and clever, with heart-pounding and laugh-of-loud moments alike, and the performances go even deeper than before. The Diplomat Season 2 is one conspiracy thriller definitely worth getting tangled up in.

The Diplomat Season 2 drops October 31 on Netflix.

The Diplomat Season 2 masterfully raises the stakes — and sets up even higher ones to come.

Pros

• The writing continues to be sharp, cleverly balancing beats of comedy, drama, and political thriller.
• Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell?s chemistry is pitch-perfect, adding new dimension to their ever-complicated relationship.
• Ali Ahn gives a standout performance, with Eidra acting as the show?s secret weapon.

Watch on Netflix