The Diplomat Season 2 Review: Keri Russell's Snappy Political Thriller Leans Into Its Soapy Side

If The West Wing and Scandal had a baby, it would be Season 2 of The Diplomat. This is a compliment, mostly. 

It's not that Season 1 of Debora Cahn's political thriller didn't have an offbeat tone or sometimes surprise you with the direction it took. The drama was as much about the political wheeling and dealing that rough-around-the-edges U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) has to do when she steps off her plane and into an international crisis as it was about Kate's delightfully demented marriage to Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), himself a decorated ambassador now having issues playing second fiddle. The season flitted between serious political intrigue, a satire poking fun at the egos in play within the upper echelons of government, and some rom-com-like story beats between two people engaged in a charming love-hate relationship. 

Sometimes the transitions between those tones weren't the smoothest, but The Diplomat's first outing was undeniably entertaining. It even made an unexpected swerve in the end, when this walk-and-talk of a show went out with a literal bang: Just as Kate and U.K. Foreign Defense Minister Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) — with whom Kate has a whole sexual tension thing going on — realized that the person behind the bombing of a carrier ship that killed 41 U.K. military officers might actually be the prime minister (Rory Kinnear), there was a car bombing on a London street that left the fate of Kate's husband and two of her employees up in the air. It was wild and loud and an extremely effective cliffhanger.

7.5

The Diplomat

at Netflix

Like

• Great performances across the board
• Excellent pacing

Dislike

• Gets a bit too ridiculous for its own good at times

How you felt about that cliffhanger might dictate how you feel about Season 2. In its sophomore outing, The Diplomat still balances its myriad of tones, and it still loves the walk-and-talk (people open and close so many doors on this show; it is wild), but it has definitely increased the absurdity levels. If you happened to watch Scandal, a political drama that thrived on its insane plot twists, you might remember a little storyline in which Fitz (Tony Goldwyn), the president of the United States, murders a Supreme Court justice by letting her suffocate in her hospital bed in front of him. I bring up that absolutely bonkers moment of television history because Season 2 of The Diplomat is about two steps away from deploying soap opera insanity on that level. There were several moments throughout the season, major plot points and a few twists all meant to be taken seriously, when I laughed out loud at the ridiculousness happening on screen. Sure, The Diplomat offers up many a scene that is meant to be laughed at, but these — a "covert" op during a funeral, the prime minister facing a hard truth, and an absolutely insane plot twist of an ending — were clearly not those moments. 

And yet The Diplomat has such a skilled team both behind and in front of the camera that as ridiculous as some of those moments are, they remain entertaining as hell. You can't help but want more. That finale plot twist? It's absurd, but it sets up what could be an incredible third season. You're laughing at this show sometimes, but you're having a good time nonetheless.

How does The Diplomat pull off such a magic trick, even as Season 2 leans further into incredulity? The dialogue remains crisp and snappy, and the pacing is nonstop in the very best way. Season 2 is only six episodes long, compared to Season 1's eight, and the brevity becomes a strength, allowing for the focus the show needs to pull off the main storyline. But more than anything, it's the performances that really sell this series. As the Wylers, Russell and Sewell remain the main draw. Their relationship only gets more complex and layered in Season 2, as Kate gets deeper into the conspiracy surrounding the carrier strike and Hal deals with PTSD from his attack. Sewell is once again a standout this season: Hal is a charming cad until the very end, but here, he carries around this sadness. Sewell is adept at showing us just how rattled Hal is after the bombing, in both overt and subtle ways; it's a compelling performance. 

But there is another relationship that has become just as — or, at least, almost as — interesting as Kate and Hal's, and that's the one between Kate and her deputy chief of mission, Stuart (Ato Essandoh). Kate and Stuart have always had a fun dynamic to watch: each exasperated with the other as Stuart tries to groom Kate for the vice president position (she's on top of the shortlist, remember), but Season 2 gives them a richer, more complex layer to play with, as Stuart, too, grapples with his own PTSD and grief. Russell and Essandoh are great in their scenes together, and The Diplomat could use an even deeper exploration of this duo.

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And then there is Janney. It's true: Allison Janney joins Season 2 as the oft-mentioned but unseen-in-Season-1 current vice president, Grace Penn. Janney is perfectly cast as the veep being pushed out — supposedly because of her husband's soon-to-be announced embezzlement scandal — who has some truly delightful tricks up her very well-tailored sleeves. Like Kate, you're bracing for some awkward impact as Penn finally meets the woman in line to replace her, but you have no idea how formidable an opponent she actually is until she's in the room, absolutely eviscerating Kate Wyler for her sloppy... packaging, or schooling the ambassador on the fragile geopolitical landscape with an actual map and a literal piece of charred wood from a fireplace. Janney nails the nuance in a character that could easily be played over the top. In just two episodes, The Diplomat sets up a dynamic between Grace and Kate that is basically begging you to tune in to Season 3. 

Just add Janney to the list of capable hands that can juggle The Diplomat's tone shifts with aplomb. It's a show that refuses to be nailed down, for better or worse. At times it might flirt with becoming a soap opera in political thriller clothing, but thanks to its cast, and its refusal to get weighed down by useless subplot, The Diplomat remains consistently and endlessly entertaining.

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 31 on Netflix
Who's in it: Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, Rory Kinnear, Allison Janney
Who's behind it: Debora Cahn
For fans of: The West Wing, Scandal, complicated marriages, walk-and-talks
How many episodes we watched: 6 of 6