The Diplomat season 2 review: Even more preposterous but just as fun
This truncated outing retains all of the flaws from season 1 - and all of the fun.
When the first season of The Diplomat arrived, there was some expectation management in order. What had been sold a taut, authentic political drama turned out to be a ludicrous and bombastic thriller, filled with scandal, twists and more leaps of imagination than could withstand a healthy suspension of disbelief.
Heading into season 2, that's not really the case anymore - this time around, viewers know what to expect, and many of them have really taken to it, with the first season proving to be a major hit.
However, that doesn't mean this season doesn't have anything to prove. After the last season ended in an explosive fashion, both literally and metaphorically, fans will be wondering where things go from here, how Kate can navigate her position given her newfound knowledge and whether the show can continue to raise the stakes.
Believe us - it can.
Season 2 picks up immediately after the final moments of season 1, which delivered two shocks for the price of one.
First, Keri Russell's Kate Wyler and David Gyasi's Austin Dennison seemingly discovered that Rory Kinnear's Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge was behind the attack on HMS Courageous, killing a number of his own citizens in a false flag attack.
Then, Rufus Sewell's Hal Wyler, Ato Essandoh's Stuart Hayford and Jess Chanliau's Ronnie Buckhurst were caught up in an explosion, seemingly as part of an assassination attempt on Simon Chandler's Conservative MP, Merritt Grove.
It was a bold, dramatic ending, but one which elicited just as many exasperated groans, exclamations and out-and-out laughs as it did gasps of shock and awe.
Heading into season 2, viewers will very quickly find that that streak continues. The new, shortened run of episodes features more twists per minute than can surely be reasonable, turning the tables so many times they often end up back where they started.
As with season 1, these twists are all absolutely preposterous. Anyone trying to bring any level of scrutiny to the realism of these proceedings will find themselves with a headache.
However, if season 1 taught us anything, it's that that really isn't the point. This show may purport to be about politics and international diplomacy, but it's really about the country houses (which are truly spectacular on screen), the scandalous relationships and the potentially world-shattering secrets.
In fitting that brief, this season once again succeeds. The shorter run-time of six episodes may hamper things slightly, but it also makes the pace exceptionally breezy.
There's no padding here, everything is crucial to proceedings, as Kate attempts to deal with her newfound knowledge about the British prime minister as best she can, and in a manner that will benefit both sides of the Atlantic.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com, showrunner Debora Cahn recently revealed that the entirety of season 2's plot was originally planned to be the second half of season 1, until the story was expanded to fill more episodes, and thus shunted into a separate run.
That certainly makes sense. There is something about this season of The Diplomat which at times feels like a post-script to season 1 - an absolutely crucial one, no doubt, packed full of drama, but which by its end develops events only so far.
That tight focus of story allows some additional focus on the central relationships, with that of Kate and a thankfully-not-dead Hal remaining a real highlight of the series.
Their back-and-forths really are supremely watchable, brought to life by two phenomenal actors with excellent chemistry. Forget will-they-won't-they romances - their on-screen bickering and repeated reconciliations continues to make the case for will-they-won't-they divorce stories.
Other duos worth watching this season include Stuart and Eidra (Agatha All Along's Ali Ahn), who are suffering a messy break-up, as well as Kate's relationship with Austin, which takes some unexpected turns as greater depth and agency are brought to the latter character than in season 1 (in which, let's be honest, he was just the 'inexplicably good-looking foreign secretary').
Rory Kinnear continues to be a one-man scene-stealer as the entitled, brash Nicol Trowbridge, while this season he also faces some competition in the character-actor-in-an-imposingly-powerful-role stakes, as Allison Janney joins the cast, playing Vice President Grace Penn.
Anyone who watched the last season will know that Kate is being courted to take Grace's job, as she intends to step down. Naturally, Grace's arrival, which comes later on in the season, proves dramatic and contentious, with feathers ruffled all over the place.
Her sparring matches with both Kate and Hal are deliciously barbed, as the trio each look to outplay each other - or simply to not be outplayed by one of the others. As you may imagine, Janney is perfect for the role, managing to bring real nuance to a character who could easily have been somewhat one-note.
As the season's central storylines converge, it all builds up to another bonkers cliffhanger ending, one which is perhaps even more audacious, jaw-dropping and - let's face it - silly. Just wait until you see it, it truly is ridiculous. However, it also sets the stage for a fascinating third outing, which is now already in production.
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The truth is, there are few shows that provide quite as compulsive a viewing experience as The Diplomat. In its second season, the show settles deeper into what made season 1 a success, with absolutely no qualms about its direction or thoughts given to its detractors.
Is it insightful about the world it aims to explore, in the vein of acclaimed shows such as Succession or Industry? Absolutely not. Now that the series has been left behind by real-world politics, with season 2 often feeling like a strange time-warp back to Conservative-era Britain, this is even more stark.
Instead, in its second season, The Diplomat continues to actually be a slightly mindless thriller, with a plot that's twisty but, ultimately, easy to follow. It feels as though it was designed so you can leave the room, get a cup of tea, come back, and still be able to catch up with where everyone is at fairly quickly.
Given all this, is it therefore a bit of a guilty pleasure? Perhaps. Then again, when you throw in visuals this sumptuous and a cast this talented, even if it isn't exactly prestige TV, there really isn't anything to feel guilty about.
The Diplomat season 2 will debut on Netflix on Thursday 31st October 2024 and season 1 is streaming now – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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