The Diplomat is a political thriller that tells the story of an American diplomat accustomed to working in conflict areas in Asia and the Middle East until a series of unexpected circumstances land her in the American Embassy in London, a diplomatic outpost usually reserved by Washington to accommodate political promotions because it is an easy Embassy, the relations between Washington and London are often smooth, and the ambassadors sent to London are generally not career diplomats.
But when a British aircraft carrier is suddenly attacked, Washington moves Keri Russell’s character Kate Wyler from an Embassy in an Asian conflict zone to London, and she’s told to work her best to avoid a conflict with international consequences.
In the beginning, Kate is reluctant; she’s having trouble in her marriage and doesn’t want to relocate. But once she does, she finds herself embroiled in a series of events that have repercussions on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Diplomat Plot Explained
When the British aircraft carrier is attacked, London wants to blame Iran, but the Americans think it is too soon for that as they find little to no evidence that Tehran was behind the attack. Since Kate Wyler is a very skilled negotiator at critical moments, she must do her best in London to avoid an escalation.
As the crisis unfolds, Kate’s marriage begins to fall apart; she finds out that her moving to London is part of a clever political chicanery from the White House that aims at putting her as vice-president, meaning that she can’t divorce her hubby, Hal (played by Rufus Sewell).
As the episodes progress and Kate gets a hold of the situation concerning the aircraft carrier, she begins to have a taste of what real power is, and she gets power-hungry, suddenly the idea of being VP of the United States starts to sound sexy to her, as she initially didn’t want the job.
Who Attacked HMS Courageous In The Diplomat?
Hal does a series of bold maneuvers to rid Iran from being accused of the attack on HMS Courageous, he gets kidnapped, and his captives, Iranians, tell him that Tehran had nothing to do with it. Then when the British PM, Nicol Trowbridge, sees the evidence and refuses to believe that it wasn’t the Iranians, he seems hellbent on attacking Iran. Kate and her team realize that the only way to calm him down is to find out who the real bad guy is.
Also Read: Who Is Rufus Sewell’s Partner? The Legend of Zorro Actor’s Love Interest
It Wasn’t The Russians
The Iranians say it was Moscow, but Moscow had nothing to do with it, and they’re too busy with other matters. So Kate and the American government began considering that there was something else. Kate knows that if Russia is asked about the attack, they will say they had nothing to do with it.
After a series of arrests of a Russian mercenary and spy turns out to be something else, Kate figures out by connecting the dots and talking to the aides of PM Trowbridge that it was he who contacted a Russian contractor to hit the British vessel to stir things up.
As Kate digs more and more, she discovers that the British government is in a tough spot as there are many independence movements threatening secession; the PM’s not cool to the public, so he chose to stir things up by faking an attack and coming up as a strong leader.
Does Kate Wyler Accept The Vice Presidency?
Kate initially was very reluctant to become vice president as her thing is diplomacy in conflict zones, but as she begins to solve the mystery about who attacked HMS Courageous, she begins to talk with the people within State Department and the politicians that court her into doing that, she realizes she might actually like the job.
Moreover, her strained marriage with Hal begins to mend, and Hal even tells her that if she wants a divorce, she can have it and still become the VP. By the series’ conclusion, it’s not clear whether or not Kate accepts the Vice Presidency of the United States. Nor is it not clear if she divorced Hal, which is something that builds up as a plot knot waiting to be solved in a future season.
Also Read: The Diplomat Season 2: Everything You Need To Know
