Despite Vice President Grace Penn's monumental decision, The Diplomat's creator believes that she is not necessarily a villain. The hit Netflix show follows Keri Russell's Kate Wyler as she navigates the complicated world of international relations. Kate is an ambassador to the U.K., but she often struggles to balance her personal life with her professional obligations. Throughout the finale, Kate is forced to reckon with her personal ambitions after discovering that Grace was behind the H.M.S. Courageous attack.
In an interview with Variety, the show's creator, Debora Cahn, explained that Grace's association with the attack does not mean that she is completely evil. Cahn believes that evil villains are a "cop out", who have been over-represented in the media. She much prefers to explore villains who believe that they are doing the best that they can for society. It is one of many elements that set this series apart from other TV shows. Check out her quote below:
I think that there are objectively bad people out there, and I’m prepared to [call them out]. But I don’t want to write about them. I feel like it’s been done. Just like I don’t want to write about infidelity — that’s been done! We’ve seen the movie, we’ve watched the TV show — the stories about evil leaders and corrupt, venal heads of state, all of that exists. To me it feels a little bit like a cop out. What if they’re all good, and they all have good values and they’re all doing their best for their country, and we’re still in the motherf——ng s---show that we’re in now?
What if this is what you get when the good people are doing their best work?
I believe that actually is what happens. I don’t think it happens because the bad people got the big jobs — I just think it’s really hard to get it right. So the hope with the Allison Janney story was, Yes, you go into it, and you believe that she’s the bad guy. And then hopefully you learn that
you would have made the same decision in that situation
.
Why Grace Is Not A Villain In The Diplomat
Grace Is Dealing With An Immensely Complicated World
A major point of contention this season revolved around the perpetrator of the H.M.S. Courageous attack. After all, the devastating strike put Kate in an impossible situation and left entire countries straining to declare their innocence. In The Diplomat season 2's finale, however, Kate finally discovers that Grace was behind the attack. The news is so shocking that the President collapses and dies after learning the truth. It would be easy to point at Grace's actions and declare them unimaginably villainous, but there is more to her character than that.
Grace was left with an impossible decision.
As Cahn and Grace argued, the entire purpose of her decision was to stabilize the United Kingdom. By ensuring that, she could comfortably assure the world that nuclear submarines would remain active, serving as a deterrent to Russia's nuclear program. Grace's decision certainly caused death and destruction, but it limited the potential of far greater horror. Grace was left with an impossible decision and took the path that would most reasonably result in the continued preservation of humanity. From that perspective, she is not a villain at all.
Our Take On Grace's Potential Villainy
Complexity Makes For Better Characters
It is hard to fault any form of media for attempting to insert additional nuance into its narrative. Rather than forcibly insisting that Vice President Grace Penn is irredeemable and evil, it offers the potential for Grace and Kate to work together to create a better world. All the while, it sews the seeds of conflict that makes for more interesting and dramatic beats. Grace committed a crime that makes her a far more complex character, and that alone is proof of The Diplomat's strengths. The show is simply never going to shy away from adding nuance to its characters.
The Diplomat is a Netflix drama/thriller series that tells the story of a career diplomat named Laura Simmonds as she wrestles with the complexities of her new job as ambassador to the U.K. As Laura attempts to acclimate to her high-profile, high-stress job, her marriage, and personal life begin to suffer in the midst of an international crisis.
Cast Keri Russell , David Gyasi , Rufus Sewell , Rory Kinnear , Ato Essandoh , Ali Ahn , Jon Moore , Adam Silver
Image Created by Lukas Shayo
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