‘The Diplomat’ Season 1 Recap: What to Remember for Season 2

“The Diplomat” Season 2 is here and ready plunge us into the world of international scheming and political espionage once again.

Picking up after the major cliffhanger in the Season 1 finale, “The Diplomat” Season 2 sees Keri Russell’s Ambassador Kate Wyler reckon with her newfound suspicion of the British PM while awaiting word on her husband’s well-being. Season 2 will also introduce Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn.

But things pick up immediately where Season 1 left off, so if you need a refresher on how we got here, keep reading to get the full breakdown of what you need to remember from Season 1 of the Netflix thriller series before watching Season 2.

Kate is appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. in the wake of a terrorist attack

When audiences first meet Kate in Season 1, she is looking forward to embarking on her new post as ambassador to Afghanistan in Kabul — a dream that is quickly shattered when she is voluntold by President Rayburn (Michael McKean) and White House Chief of Staff Billie Appiah (Nana Mensah) to switch her post to the U.K. to fill the empty position.

Kate’s appointment comes in the wake of a terrorist attack on British aircraft carrier, the HMS Courageous, which killed over 40 Royal Navy personnel.

It’s not just Kate headed off to London, as her husband and former diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell) joins her. Despite being well respected with a stacked resume, he hasn’t been privy to an opportunity of his own after he called the Secretary of State a war criminal.

The Ambassadorship is a trial run for VP

While Kate was certainly sent to help smooth things over with the terrorist attack, the Oval Office had a secret motive for sending Kate to London: scoping out if she has what it takes to be VP.

After the husband of current VP Grace Penn was exposed for misusing $6.3 million of an NIH grant, Billie tells Kate’s deputy chief of mission, Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), that the ambassadorship is a trial run for Kate to potentially replace Grace. Billie and Stuart are longtime friends, and Billie asks Stuart to feel out whether Kate would be up for the gig, and maybe help her a little bit along the way.

An unlikely suspect is narrowed down

Much of the team thinks the terrorist attack could’ve been a move from Iran, and Iranian politicians move to clear their name directly to Hal through an elaborate plot, though British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) is still eager to publicly point the finger at them.

Meanwhile, Iranian ambassador Hajjar provides the name Roman Lenkov, the Russian mercenary behind the attack, to British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), with whom Kate has built an alliance (and possible blossoming romance). Hajjar promptly burns the paper before kneeling over and dying, and Kate and Dennison are left to consider whether Russia pulled the strings of the attack.

Kate crafts a plan to support Libya, where Lenkov’s troops are poking around, and, despite pushback, Kate shares the plans with the Russian government, who, under guise of a lecture, give her information on Lenkov’s whereabouts to capture him, which is in Cap d’Antibes, France. This leads to another hoop for Kate to jump through as Trowbridge insists on British Special Forces conducting the mission, so Kate and Dennison head to Paris to get permission from French Minister of the Interior Brielle Fournier (Micky Sébastian) to proceed with the mission.

It is only through Kate’s conversation with the French Minister of the Interior that she learns Trowbridge’s plan involved killing Lenkov, which confuses Kate — their goal is to hear from Lenkov who instructed him to attack the ship. Then it clicks: Kate and Dennison come to the conclusion that Trowbridge was the one who hired Lenkov and must kill him before he can talk. The call is coming from inside the house. 

Kate and Hal’s marriage is about to combust

As Hal goes over Kate’s head multiple times as she begins her post as ambassador, the couple goes through a rather rocky patch, especially as Hal flirts with Dennison’s sister Cecilia (T’Nia Miller), and things heat up between Kate and Dennison.

As far as love lives go, it’s worth noting that Kate’s closest confidants, Stuart and CIA Chief Eidra Park (Ali Ahn), are dating.

By the very end of Season 1, Kate and Hal look like they’re headed toward a divorce, that is until …

Season 1 leaves off with a boom

Back in London, Hal is set to meet with a member of parliament, Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler), who says he has something important to discuss. The pair are headed to Grove’s car as Stuart and his aide, Ronnie Buckhurst (Jess Chanliau) rush to meet them. As Grove approaches his car, the vehicle explodes — leaving the fate of all four hanging in the balance.

“The Diplomat” Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix, and “Season 2” premieres Oct. 31.

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