The Diplomat Series Review: Manages to Revisit the World of Political Drama
Cast: Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi
Creator: Debora Cahn
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Diplomat available from April 20 on Netflix, is the Debora Cahn series with Keri Russell as the American ambassador in London who juggles political intrigue and a complicated marriage. Keri Russell after playing spy Elizabeth Jennings in The Americans, becomes the US Ambassador in the new political drama The Diplomat. This Netflix series is the brainchild of showrunner Debora Cahn who has plenty of experience writing political intrigue, having made her writing debut on Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing: All the President’s Men. In her career she has worked on the medical Grey’s Anatomy and the HBO series Vinyl, before becoming a producer and writing the last two seasons of Homeland: Spy Hunt. In this political drama, we find a protagonist, exactly an American diplomat, grappling with an unexpected new role in international affairs, forging new alliances, and trying to make her marriage work ever closer to the end.
The title is The Diplomat, and it is a series that, among its points of reference, also has another recent cult of espionage on the small screen: The Americans, from which the talented protagonist Keri Russell also comes from. At her side, we find the British actor Rufus Sewell, former star of A Knight’s Tale, Dark City, and, more recently, The Man in the High Castle and Kaleidoscope. Yet, the TV series we are talking about is very different from what one might expect: have we intrigued you? Here is the review of The Diplomat, on Netflix. American screenwriter Debora Cahn’s curriculum includes a great classic of political drama such as The West Wing, but also a milestone of espionage of the caliber of Homeland.
The Diplomat Review: The Story Plot
In the second episode of The Diplomat, finally, the contemporary political issue is explained, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is also mentioned and Kate attends the funeral of the fallen who died during the explosion of the HMS Courageous. During the funeral service, British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) causes a stir after a comment that sounds like an Islamophobic rallying cry. However, this is not the only problem that the American ambassador has to solve but also has to decide whether to divorce her husband who is trying in every way to keep the marriage alive. In the meantime, the President arrives at Winfield House to meet the English Premier and above all to offer Kate a new job, the one from her vice president. The protagonist, however, is more interested in finding the instigator of the attack and she gets closer and closer to Minister Dennison (David Gyasi).
During a private meeting at the Foreign Ministry, where diplomat Kate also participates in disguise, the Iranian ambassador is poisoned but manages to reveal the name of the architect of the attack in the Gulf: Roman Lenkov, a Russian mercenary. Continuing the series Kate finds herself increasingly embroiled in an international crisis and divided with her heart between her husband Hal and the charming Dennison. The protagonist in the seventh and penultimate episode, after speaking with a Russian ambassador, who brings new information about Lenkov, she flies to Washington, DC for a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House where, however, she solves nothing.
In the last one, which closes this first season of The Diplomat, after returning to London Kate decides with Dennison to ask for help from France to resolve the Lenkov case and thus prevent the English Premier from declaring war definitively on Russia. During a gala evening at the Louvre in Paris, the American ambassador discovers, speaking with the French Foreign Minister, that the British intend to kill Roman Lenkov and not arrest him. The series ends with an open ending and an explosion in London, where it is not revealed whether Hal Wyler is dead or alive.
As she races against time to unravel the complicated geopolitical tangle and struggles to adapt to London etiquette, Kate will also have to contend with an unexpected prospect: unbeknownst to her, her mission is a testing ground for a future political office that could change his life forever. The most difficult challenge, however, will consist in dealing with an increasingly out-of-control husband: in the past, Hal Wyler was also an important American diplomat, and he has no intention of resigning himself to leading a quiet life away from the spotlight. Charismatic and unpredictable, Hal is a real loose cannon, able to go from invaluable consultant to self-centered troublemaker in seconds. For a few weeks now, the two have decided to end their marriage peacefully as soon as Kate completes her installation as ambassador, but the international diplomatic crisis could upset everything even within their relationship…
The Diplomat Review and Analysis
The Diplomat is one of those political dramas that combines the plans of the public sphere and the intimate sphere of the protagonist played by the Golden Globe winner for Best Drama Actress in the unforgettable series Felicity. In the varied cast, we also find other well-known faces of seriality such as Rufus Sewell John Smith in The Man in the High Castle or Lord Melbourne in the period drama Victoria who in the Netflix series is the American diplomat, Hal. Ironic however is that the actor Rory Kinnear plays the role of British Prime Minister again as in that very first and disturbing, unforgettable for all, episode of the series Black Mirror. For attentive viewers, they will notice that one of Kate’s assistants is played by Pearl Mackie, who rose to fame as a companion to the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who.
Debora Cahn’s series is a political thriller that builds on the success of The Night Agent and uses a lot of the “Walk and talk” storytelling technique used since the days of The West Wing. To conclude, the strongest point of The Diplomat is its absolute protagonist Kate Wyler who, thanks to her skills, and the talent of Keri Russell, can solve any diplomatic problem and move forward with all subplots. Although the author’s main points of reference are some tried and tested TV series such as Homeland, The Americans, and The West Wing, the show courageously moves away from this more serious and austere trend by offering us a narrative with much livelier and pressing rhythms, with a directorial and editing that are not afraid to draw liberally from the register of comedy. However, the picture is balanced by a screenplay which, for its part, always manages to keep the tension and the stakes high.
Overall, The Diplomat is a strange creature, which brings together espionage, political intrigue, sentimental comedy, and thriller in different doses, offering us a decidedly new mix. The genuinely comic jokes are very few, the spy plot is well thought out and the story is full of mystery and tension, but it is often impossible not to smile heartily, especially when the situation borders on a truly hilarious marital conflict. The result is a sparkling and magnetic series, which immediately makes its way into the viewer and entertains in the best way with a cleverly crafted story and valid direction. A warning, however, is obligatory: although inspired by situations and narrative cues from the stories and backgrounds of real diplomats, The Diplomat is by no means a realistic TV series, nor is it intended to be.
To fully enjoy the adventures of Kate and Hal, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief will be required since our novice ambassador will end up at the center of a spider’s web with sometimes decidedly implausible dynamics. However, it is a well-aware choice of the author, which never goes to the detriment of the narrative and, on the contrary, helps to introduce a breath of fresh air into the entire espionage-political genre. The Diplomat also works and above all, thanks to the skill of its cast, which stands out for a decidedly above-average choral performance and manages to create a gallery of convincing and well-characterized characters, intertwined by a delicate network of constantly evolving relationships. The spearhead is a superlative Rufus Sewell, who shines with his light and gives life to an astute, charismatic, and truly irresistible character.
The scenes starring his Hal Wyler are simply memorable, and the British actor manages to confirm himself on the excellent levels of The Man in the High Castle, shining with charm and versatility. However, the protagonist Keri Russell is certainly no less: the former star of The American give’s life to a decidedly iconic and multifaceted Kate, as prepared and competent as she is insecure, and as intuitive as she is not at ease with diplomatic formalisms. The chemistry between the two stars is nothing short of exceptional and represents the true added value of a series whose heart is, above all, a complex marriage dynamic. The cast is completed by the excellent performances of David Gyasi, who abandons the faun’s horns of Carnival Row to take on the role of the brilliant British foreign minister XX, and of Michael McKean, the Chuck McGill of Better Call Saul, who plays the American president Rayburn.
Raising the overall judgment by half a point is the lucidity of the narrative gaze of The Diplomat, which manages to combine entertainment narration with a never-banal focus on geopolitical current events. Punctual and coherent references spring up to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the recent evolution of the political scenario in Iran, Brexit, the choices of the American administration on the occasion of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the current international situation, including a fleeting but important mention of The Diplomatic channel still in place between Italy and Iran.
In particular, it is difficult not to see in the figure of the old and naive US President Rayburn an explicit allusion to the figure of Joe Biden, between continuous gaffes and an age that is not in line with the standards of the White House. This is not simply political satire, but a lucid analysis of the power dynamics taking place behind the scenes of American Democrats. Even if with a very different language and guise, at least from this point of view The Diplomat confirms itself as a true heir to Homeland, bringing together a fantasy plot with an accurate study of the global scenario.
The Diplomat Review: The Last Words
The Diplomat is a series consisting of eight episodes that focuses entirely on the protagonist played by Keri Russell, perfect in the role of the American ambassador. A woman who prefers to act and investigate with the help of the CIA the real instigator of the attack turns out to be the most successful point. A political drama that works in the part of the international case, in the complicated marriage between Kate and Hal but which gets lost in the boring non-intriguing secondary plots. Thanks to the charisma of the fantastic Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat manages to revisit the world of political drama and espionage with fresh language and a captivating cut: impossible not to devour it all in one breath!
