The Diplomat Season 2 Review: A Shorter and Somehow Crazier Season

Even in a shorter season, The Diplomat Season 2 is an incredibly engrossing six episodes, if you can look past the stale character development for Kate, the confused progress for other characters, and the uncritical faith in American diplomacy.

Part of the draw of The Diplomat is its relevance to current events. The first season focused a significant part of the political negotiations on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the United States’ abandonment of its promise to maintain stability in Afghanistan, which was the central conflict between Hal and Kate.

This season, albeit releasing a year and a half later, picks up right after The Diplomat Season 1, and loses some of the relevance that kept the series interesting.

Despite the departure from current events, this season follows a tried-and-tested structure: each episode brings yet another layer to the complex plot Kate and Hal seek to unveil, with jaw-dropping reveals at the end.

With a budget that spares no expense in sweeping shots of on-location mansions and grand government buildings, The Diplomat keeps us engaged despite some big exposition dumps.

Both Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell continue excellent performances, as does the rest of the supporting cast, especially Ato Essandoh, who portrays Stuart’s wavering loyalty with intensity.

But the show is entirely elevated with the addition of Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn, who Kate is supposed to replace. There is an interesting dynamic budding between Janney and Russell, as both TV veterans work off of each other.

Like The West Wing, The Diplomat wants its audience to unequivocally believe in the goodness of the staff making world-changing decisions. A standout moment is when Kate claims that the people who work for her and spend their blood, sweat, and tears on the diplomacy that keeps the world turning are basically like her kids.

However, knowing from Season 1 that Hal commandeered a plane and left said “kids” for dead in Kabul makes this monologue feel less sincere than it purports to be.

A question central to the show persists: how far should a diplomat be willing to go to maintain the status quo and the existing world order?

Kate wrestles with this question just as much as we do, as the true nature of the conspiracy behind the attacks on the British ship and Hal continues to unfold. The show would be more interesting if it dug further into this struggle, but, alas, a six-episode season does not allow for such an exploration.

Although the cast all give dedicated performances, some of the character choices are questionable at best.

The (romantic and political) tension between Kate and the UK Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison fizzled out too quickly this season, as did the relationship between Stuart and Eidra Park, the CIA station chief.

Stuart goes through a particularly interesting crisis of faith in Kate, but it resolves itself almost too easily. He goes from being bitter and resentful one episode to declaring her a great candidate for VP in the next.

Perhaps the most tragic character mishap is the staleness of Kate Wyler.

While she continues to be the smart, blunt, occasionally foul-mouthed, confident diplomat, her character has remained stuck in being too dedicated to her work to even comb her hair.

This is too tired of a trope to be in a show in 2024 and does a disservice to a character that could be so much more interesting if The Diplomat chose to focus on the moral questions that challenge Kate and Hal about their role in making decisions that can easily cost lives.

The show also refuses to make enough movement in the relationship between Kate and Hal, as they go through cycles of argument and then allyship, all while Kate assumes she holds the high ground over Hal when she makes decisions that echo several of his.

The season ends with a reveal even bigger than The Diplomat Season 1’s cliffhanger, as Hal frantically calls Kate, telling her that after he told the President of Grace Penn’s grand design, he died.

This is perhaps the most unrealistic cliffhanger of the series yet, but it will certainly make for an interesting Season 3, and thankfully Netflix has already renewed the show.

While The Diplomat’s twists and turns make for a riveting watch, the show has yet to make significant progress in developing its lead characters. Hopefully, Season 3 bring some better progress to Kate, and will delve deeper into the moral complications of her role as a representative of the United States.

Until then, The Diplomat’s saving grace is the thrilling conspiracy at the center of the show. 

What did you think of The Diplomat Season 2? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Diplomat is streaming now on Netflix.

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