The Diplomat Season 1 Review

The Diplomat (2023-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2023 April 20)

Watch The Diplomat on Netflix
Created by: Debora Cahn
Starring: Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Ato Essandoh, David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear, Michael McKean
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
In the midst of an international crisis, career diplomat Kate Wyler lands a high-profile job for which she is not suited, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.

Verdict
It's a political thriller with personal drama. There are many characters early and a lot of political maneuvering. It takes a bit to get started, but unfortunately once we get the big reveal the season is over. It's only half the story, and now we have to hope this gets a second season for any kind of resolution. This isn't a bad show, but without a second season, this isn't worth watching as we'll be left hanging.
It depends.

Review
This starts with a bang when a United Kingdom air craft carrier is attacked. It's this attack that fuels the plot for the entire season. The questions persist of who did it and why.

We get the requisite shot of the Washington Monument to let us know we're in DC. Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) was in line to be an ambassador in Kabul. With this attack she's headed to England as the new ambassador. She's not happy with a job that's largely ceremonial. Kabul would have been boots on the ground. The show really wants to push she's not the dainty dress up type, but it ends up making her seem unhygienic. It's one thing to be unkempt in an action movie, but Kate has access to a shower.

Keri Russell plays Kate Wyler

This show becomes more interesting as it's a lot of political chess. Kate is stuck between the US President, UK Prime minister, and the situation with the aircraft carrier attack. The UK wants to retaliate and the US wants to stop them. Kate is quite adept at playing politics, and in this show she's the smartest as she balances optics with  petulant politicians. She's also dealing with her wildcard husband Hal (Rufus Sewell). He's a former ambassador himself who irritated the wrong people. He rarely makes life easier for Kate.

David Gyasi, Keri Russell play Dennison, Kate Wyler

Early reviews compared this to The West Wing, but this is nowhere near as smart or thought provoking. I expected this to be more about daily life, but this is the politics over one event. This is uneven at first, but it gets better as we get a clearer picture of the plot and goals. There is a lot of drama on top of the politics as Kate's marriage is on the rocks and she and Foreign Secretary Dennison (David Gyasi) make a great team. Kate is trying to govern as her husband is more worried about his future positioning. 

The final episode is the best as it finally reveals what the bombing in episode one was about, but as soon as we find that out the episode is over. This is half a story. The second half of this story could be really good, but we're left hoping we get a chance to find out. It's never a certainty that Netflix, or any streaming service, will renew as series. That's the danger with ending the show like this. We may never get a resolution.