The Russian submarine remains at the bottom of the North Sea, its nuclear missile stolen by the Americans in an operation that risks instigating a third world war. The prime minister, Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear), remains oblivious. The Russians are unaware of the theft, for now, but US ambassador to the UK Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) predicts the eventual discovery will provoke a devastating response.
"Russia will come to get their sub," she warns her husband, current US vice president Hal (Rufus Sewell). "They will lose their shit when they find their apocalypse weapon is gone and they will attack the United Kingdom!" Hal replies with a noncommittal "Hmm" and "Mmm", suggesting he has other concerns.
Poised on the precipice of Big War
This is where The Diplomat returns for a fourth series of exquisitely fraught geopolitical skulduggery. The situation is almost wholly attributable to the whims of the US president, Grace Penn (Allison Janney). The stakes and cortisol levels are higher than ever, with Kate again trying to avert catastrophes political and personal.
The action moves to Windsor Castle, where the Penns and Wylers are diverted to the royal estate after protesters block the M25. Kate wants Hal to tell the president to inform the PM about the stolen weapon, arguing it would "cauterise the fucking mess". Hal refuses, calling it "dumb" and dismissing her claim that he and his boss "look shady together".
Jealousy and power plays
Kate is hopelessly jealous, not just of Hal's closeness to Grace but also of his globe-trotting role while she remains in drizzly London. She is jealous of Grace, of Grace's husband Todd (Bradley Whitford), and of spy-hunk Callum Ellis (Aidan Turner).
Several big events unfold, involving snipers, security breaches, and Russians lamenting the fall of the west. Yet it is the small stuff that captivates: the microshifts in power and the twinges of affection in the Wylers' marriage. The cast remains fantastic, with Whitford as the uninterested Penn and Sewell as the self-serving Hal.
"I mean," Kate oozes about Hal's relationship with the president, "It's dangerous. The two of you together, hurtling into the abyss …" The Diplomat is on Netflix now.
