‘I Didn’t See This Coming’: Netflix’s The Diplomat Season 1 Ending Explained

It was one of the very good surprises of 2023: The Diplomate, rated 3.9 out of 5 by AlloCiné viewers, quickly established itself as one of those series we can’t wait to watch again. And good news, it’s coming back on October 31st! But before you dive into it again, you need to refresh your memory.

Indeed, Season 1 ends on an explosive cliffhanger, leaving many fans wondering what lies ahead for Kate Wyler, played by Keri Russell. As the US ambassador to Great Britain, Kate spends the entire season explaining the tense geopolitical situation after a British aircraft carrier is attacked off the coast of Iran.

The series, which combines political intrigue and personal drama, reaches an unexpected climax in the final minutes of the final episode.

Shocking discovery: Prime Minister behind the attack

While everything seems to point to Iran or Russia being responsible for the attack, the final revelation tells us that the real instigator may be British Prime Minister Nicole Trowbridge, played by Rollie Keener. This discovery surprises everyone, including Secretary of State Austin Dennison (David Geass).

“I did not see this coming“, confides Davit Gias Tudumadding that this twist shows how some characters, like Trowbridge, can turn out to be far more dangerous than they appear.

And as you might expect, that doesn’t mean the end of Kate’s troubles. In the final moments, an explosion threatens the lives of several key characters, including Kate’s husband Hal (Rufus Sewell), Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Hayford (Ato Essando), MP Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler) and embassy agent Ronnie Buckhurst (Jess Chanliau). Their fate remains uncertain, and the series ends in an unbearable suspense.

However, for the most curious, we can already tell you that the trailer for season 2 covers the fate of one of the characters and gives a reassurance.

Conflict between personal and professional matters

The final cliffhanger serves not only to reset the plot for Season 2, but also to explore the very complex dynamics of Kate and Hal’s marriage. Series creator Deborah Kahn explains:

“The essential conflict in this relationship is that they are married, they love each other, but they are also colleagues. It reinforces all the dynamics of marriage and any inherent flaws in any relationshipThis duality between professional and personal life is at the heart of the series, making the plot as addictive as the human relationships between the characters.

What awaits us in the second season

As Season 2 begins, fans can’t wait to find out how the events at the end of Season 1 will affect Kate’s personal and political relationships.

The future of the series looks promising, there is still a lot of intrigue to unfold, especially in the ambiguous relationship between Kate and Dennison. According to David Gias, “They are so opposite and yet when you scratch the surface you can see what drives them. And they probably relate to each other more than many other characters.“

See you on October 31st to see the sequel to The Diplomat and find out what’s next for Kate Wyler.