Small moments, spirited Keri Russell make Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ easy to negotiate
A lot of people are talking about the political thriller “The Diplomat,” which was renewed on Monday, only 11 days after its premiere. That’s partly because it’s on Netflix, which has many subscribers, most of whom let their subscriptions run on indefinitely. It’s partly because the show is largely a vehicle for Keri Russell, who deservedly has many fans, having shined in two earlier TV hits, “Felicity” and “The Americans.”
And it’s partly because the show manages to be simultaneously intelligent and entertaining. Created by Debora Cahn, who wrote for “The West Wing,” “The Diplomat” gives us characters who are forever embroiled in high-stakes international political situations that they discuss hurriedly, theorizing about possible outcomes, always a few steps ahead of most mere mortals. They know everything ever known about Iran, and Russia, and any country on the precipice of something all-important, and they are familiar with the patterns of the leaders of all those places.
Yes, “The Diplomat” is a bit like “The West Wing,” with all its hard walking and brainy talking, even if it’s not quite as heroic. Russell is endlessly watchable as Kate Wyler, who is unexpectedly asked by the president (Michael McKean) to serve as the US ambassador to the UK. Kate doesn’t want the job, and she dislikes the glamour that comes with it (a photoshoot for Vogue?!). She’s an expletive-loving pantsuit person who wants to get to business and solve the latest crisis, not a person who enjoys doing photo ops at funerals and tea parties and such. Eventually, she learns she has been given this inappropriate job as a kind of test by the president, to see if she’d work as his vice president.
Meanwhile, there’s some light melodrama and mild comedy when it comes to Kate’s marriage. She and her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), are falling apart. He is a former ambassador who has made a lot of enemies across his career, and, despite being the second banana who is meant to keep his mouth closed, and despite making a big deal about how he plans to stay in the background, he can’t help but insinuate himself into the machinations. Kate and Hal make a great pair, in that the actors have chemistry while their characters argue and compete, drift and makeup, and their rapport brings a touch of screwball to the show. Sewell is a strong addition, as is Ato Essandoh as Kate’s adviser.
I found the season-long story line fuzzy at times. It all starts with the deadly bombing of a British aircraft carrier in the Mideast, and questions of who did it and how to respond. Mid-season, as the questions and mistakes mount, and the number of meetings multiplies, I began to tire of it and all the talk around it. Yet the smaller moments among characters, the brisk pace, and, most of all, Russell’s turn as an uncomfortable, impatient, and spirited lead, were enough to keep me hooked.