Keri Russell deserves an Emmy for her portrayal of Kate Wyler, the American ambassador to the Court of St. James’, and the whole cast of Netflix’s “The Diplomat” deserves one with her. Season 4, which arrived on Oct. 15, is the series at its best.
I kept my smartphone handy to decode the diplomatic acronyms, but that’s half the fun: a dramatized look inside the American embassy in London and high-stakes diplomacy. The plot may sound far-fetched, yet older readers may recall the CIA’s secret Glomar Explorer mission to raise a sunken Soviet submarine. This story is even more gripping because it shows diplomacy’s role in international conflicts. So-called soft power is not inconsequential.
When U.S. Marine Gen. James Mattis commanded U.S. Central Command, he warned at a congressional hearing that if the State Department wasn’t fully funded, he’d need to buy more ammunition. He was arguing that diplomacy is cheaper than war. That theme runs through “The Diplomat.”
Instead of partisanship, the series gives us power and diplomacy in the nuclear age. Even its heroine is a career diplomat, not the political friend or campaign donor who so often gets the job. And I couldn’t tell whether President Grace Penn, played superbly by Allison Janney, is a Republican or a Democrat. Her strategic mind reminded me of Hillary Clinton, while her approach to Europe and her appetite for absolute loyalty remnded me of Donald Trump.
Season 4 ends on cliffhangers that leave Kate’s fate, and everyone else’s, unresolved. Hopefully, their fates will be revealed because “The Diplomat” has been renewed for season 5.
Philip Wasserman
Stevenson Ranch
