Keri Russell as Kate Wyler is back, y’all. After leaving us on an explosive (literally) cliffhanger at the end of season 1, one of the best political thrillers on Netflix just dropped a teaser for its season 2. It’s time for The Diplomat to meet the Veep, played by Allison Janney!
The Netflix series from Deborah Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland, Fosse/Verdon) premiered in April last year, and was quite the hit with critics and audiences. It carried a 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and acclaim for Russell’s performance, the political intrigue, and her sizzling chemistry with Rufus Sewell, who plays her husband and fellow diplomat Hal Wyler, and David Gyasi, who plays the UK Foreign Secretary, Austin Dennison.
How did The Diplomat season 1 end?
Season 1 had begun with an attack on a British aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf that killed 41 sailors. As diplomatic tensions escalate over it, Kate Wyler is brought in, and she spends the season trying to diffuse them, while also trying to dodge power plays in her own workplace. The season ends with Kate making a shocking discovery that British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) had orchestrated the carrier explosion from the first episode. At the same time, in the final minute of the finale, a car explosion threatens to kill her almost-ex-husband Hal, and her colleagues, Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), MP Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler), and office clerk Ronnie (Jess Chanliau).
What will happen in The Diplomat season 2?
One thing is for sure, Kate Wyler is going to have to watch her back even more closely this season because it looks like the rot is within her own house. The season 2 teaser is giving us a peek at a character that we’ve heard name-dropped quite often in season 1 but never seen in person—Vice President of the United States, Grace Penn.
In the pilot episode, we found out that the White House Chief of Staff Billie Appiah has asked the deputy chief of mission in London to groom Kate Wyler as a potential replacement for Vice President Grace Penn, which is a running subplot in the film, almost confirmed in the season 1 finale. And this season, this might cause bigger problems for Kate.
Allison Janney, who played White House press secretary C.J. Cregg in The West Wing, has been brought on board by fellow West Wing alum Cahn to play the Veep. And it looks like tensions will arise for Kate to be in the presence of someone she might be replacing at work! The look she gives Kate does have an edge to it, doesn’t it?
Who is cast in The Diplomat season 2?
Did you notice something else in the teaser? An answer to a question we’ve been asking since the end of season 1 is finally revealed. Hal Wyler is alive and well!
In the teaser, we see Kate take Hal’s hand as he escorts her to the evening’s program, and this could indicate that they are still together. Maybe because the possibility of him being dead in the explosion wrecked Kate and she was relieved to find him alive? Does this mean the others in the explosion survived too? And what’s going to happen to whatever was blossoming between Kate and Austin?
So far, the main cast including Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Ato Asandoh, Simon Chandler, Michael McKean, Nana Mensah, Celia Imrie, Miguel Sandoval, and Rory Kinnear can be expected to return, joined by Allison Janney.
When is The Diplomat season 2 releasing?
We’re going to get all our answers when The Diplomat season 2 arrives on October 31, 2024, and let’s hope there’s no splitting in two parts business with this one because this series is made for an unputdownable binge. Look out for a full-length official trailer too, because the picture might get a little clearer. And, of course, we can start our own sleuthing work on it!
Published: Sep 5, 2024 12:00 pm