The high-stakes world of foreign relations is the most delicate of political dances. One slight misstep and allies turn into enemies, lives are cast onto the line, and nuclear war becomes an imminent reality. 

In Season 1 of The Diplomat, which debuted in April 2023, that political thriller setup serves as the backdrop for the marital drama of a couple who are US foreign ambassadors, both drawn to a very particular niche: crisis politics in danger zones. With as much tension in their own relationship as in the wider realm of foreign affairs, every move made — and every word uttered — is as filled with passion as it is suspicion. 

Starring Keri Russell — who earned an Emmy nomination for her role in the series and also serves as its executive producer — as Kate Wyler and Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler, the first season of The Diplomat follows the couple from the nation’s capital to the ambassador’s UK residence (Winfield House). (Yes, that’s the real residence’s name, but the scenes were filmed at Hertfordshire’s Wrotham Park, recognizable from fellow Netflix series Bridgerton and The Crown). As twisted up as Kate and Hal’s loyalties get, the drama culminates in one explosive moment at the end of the Season 1 finale. 

“I wanted to bring together all the different dynamics of the political relationships and the personal relationships in one event that splits apart all at the same time,” creator Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland) tells Tudum. “I wanted it to make people want more.”

And it does. Read on for a recap of what happened in the eight episodes of Season 1 of The Diplomat. 

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Who is The Diplomat?

Meet Kate Wyler, the dictionary definition of a tough cookie, in both life and work. She’s served foreign service tours in Beirut, Lebanon, and Islamabad, Pakistan, and now she’s landed her dream assignment: ambassador to Afghanistan in Kabul. Maybe not the destination most diplomats wish for, but Kate’s driven by a call to service — and fueled by negotiating tricky and tangled situations. It’s the job she’s been grooming herself for.

But Kate’s not the only diplomat around. In fact, she’s not even the only one in her marriage. Enter Hal Wyler, a slick and savvy career ambassador who’s made as much of a name for himself on the global stage for his beguiling charm, as well as for his blunt words. In fact, he’s been sidelined ever since he called the Secretary of State a war criminal. Not the kind of track record that will get him sent out for another high-profile tour anytime soon.  

Two diplomats in one couple clearly amounts to a lot of push and pull for the Wylers, so it’s no surprise that they’re headed toward divorce. Their boundaries seem nonexistent when it comes to work and play, and their interactions are largely terse and transactional. She’s used to briefing him before meetings with heads of state, and he’s used to sniffing her armpits for stink checks. Even their intimate moments seem more about service than pleasure. 

Why is Kate assigned to serve in London?

An explosion aboard a British aircraft carrier, the HMS Courageous, has killed more than 40 Royal Navy personnel, and the US has no diplomat in the United Kingdom. Not a good look. While Kate’s packing for Kabul, she’s called into the Oval Office, where President Rayburn (Michael McKean) and White House Chief of Staff Billie Appiah (Nana Mensah) ask her to switch to the UK. In fact, a plane is already waiting to whisk her off to London.

Kate’s initial reluctance gives way to a call to duty as she boards the plane, with Hal in tow. While she understands the critical stakes, the pageantry that comes along with British foreign service is simply not her style. She’s packed black suits and a burka, but she’s heading to a country of tea parties, pomp, and so many circumstances. 

The ceremonial formalities encompass her immediately — there are photo ops at the sailors’ funerals and even a haute couture photo shoot for British Vogue. Cringing and complaining through every moment (and even kicking off her heels and laying on the stone pavement at one point!), Kate soon realizes that she has to do the “Cinderella thing” in order to play the political game too. It’s high heels, but even higher stakes. 

If the shoe doesn’t fit, why is the White House sending her?

Before Kate’s arrival, Billie lets the UK’s embassy’s deputy chief of mission Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh) in on a little secret. Sure, Kate has the credentials needed to fill the British diplomat role, but there’s a bigger ulterior motive.

The husband of Vice President Grace Penn was involved in a scandal, having misplaced $6.3 million of an NIH grant. The Wall Street Journal is onto it, so she’ll be ousted within months. While a host of other female politicians are interested in the position, what the US needs now is wrapped up in Kate. But she’s brusque and rough around the edges, so Billie needs Stuart’s take … and perhaps for him to work a little makeover magic.

Sure, being veep is an amazing, high-profile role, but Kate’s never been on that track. She’s more drawn to the nitty gritty, doing the dirty work in countries with the trickiest diplomatic ties. It’s going to take a lot of convincing, especially if it means she has to keep Hal in the picture. A divorced vice president may not be a unifying look. 

But there’s one person who’d really like the job: power-hungry Hal.

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OK, so she’s more than just a diplomat, but who bombed the British warship?

Fingers are quickly pointed at Iran, and while Kate works her sources, Hal can’t help but meddle — so much, in fact, that he makes a secret call on a burner phone that triggers Iran to prove they’re in the clear. And, boy, do they go the distance. The Iranian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Rasoul Shahin (Bijan Daneshmand) coordinates a kidnapping and drugging of Hal, in order to get a direct line to him. Shahin makes clear that Iran is innocent, and if there is a US-backed attack, Iran will respond as if it’s unprovoked. 

Meanwhile, even without evidence, British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) is quick and ready to blame Iran, publicly saying, “If this was Iran, then mark my words, I will rain hellfire upon them” — remarks that go viral. While the investigation continues, the US needs to carefully position itself with both the UK and Iran.

Kate quickly builds up an allyship with British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) and sneaks into Dennison’s meeting with Iranian ambassador Hajjar, where he writes down — and then burns — the name Roman Lenkov, the Russian mercenary behind the attack. But then Hajjar keels over and dies. Things have gotten way past finger-pointing and threats of war. Now it’s life and death. 

So how are the US and UK going to retaliate against Russia?

Russia attacked the UK?! It almost seems too comical to believe. In fact, when Kate and Dennison debrief about this situation later, she can’t help but burst into laughter because, as she says, it’s “really bad.” In the moment of shock come the traces of romantic sparks between the two. Hal even picks up on it later, telling Kate that if they go forth with the divorce, she should hook up with Dennison since she’ll need “something on the side, or you’ll get surly, which is bad for America.” 

While they have flirty moments — and even one seriously awkward misunderstanding on Dennison’s part — Kate and Dennison are down to business, plotting an outline for retaliation. Trowbridge is anxious to take action, so Kate employs an unusual — and risky — strategy, telling the prime minister: “It sounds like you want to bomb something,” and presenting him with a list of targets, saying, “Why don’t you pick one and we’ll blow something up?” 

The shock-and-awe tactic works — or maybe it was an impromptu middle-of-the-night chat in the kitchen over tarts and wine between Kate, Hal, and Trowbridge — but she’s given the chance to come up with a peaceful plan.

When the sun rises, Kate details a plan involving freezing assets of certain Russians in London to send a message to the Kremlin through financial pressure. Trowbridge rejects her idea immediately, saying he’d rather bomb Russian troops in the Aleppo-Raqqa-Hama area. Kate notices he pronounces Hama wrong and takes it as a clue, suspecting he’s parroting someone else’s words. But whose?

Alex Bailey/Netflix

Who are Kate’s allies?

Though she jokes to Stuart at their first meeting that it feels like an arranged marriage, Kate and Stuart have an instant shared trust, despite a few little snags. However, CIA Chief Eidra Park (Ali Ahn) — who turns out to be secretly dating Stuart! — takes a bit longer to crack since she catches Kate breaking protocol and going around her for sources. But eventually, they gain a mutual respect. 

Meanwhile, there’s still a strong will they, won’t they rapport between Kate and Dennison. Being loyal to their respective sides of the pond, they don’t always see eye to eye, but generally they make a strong working duo. 

President Rayburn is harsher with his praise but respects Kate’s tenacity, even complimenting her after a visit to Winfield House. After all, she wouldn’t be on the veep shortlist if he didn’t feel that way. There is one thing that bothers him: “Just knock off that ‘I resign’ shit,” he tells her. “It really pisses me off.”

But what about her husband — is Hal a good guy?

The only question that see-saws more than Kate and Hal’s will they, won’t they divorce is what Hal’s true intentions are. One moment he’s going behind Kate’s back with secret calls and meetings, and then he’s going over and beyond to help her — professionally (like revealing where Trowbridge is getting his late-night political consultations) and personally (she thanks him for sleeping with her when she needed it). 

He even seems to genuinely try on the bystander role for fit. Referring to himself as “the wife,” he plays games and gets his flirt on with Cecilia Dennison (T’Nia Miller), the UK foreign secretary’s sister.

The pendulum keeps swinging for Kate, too. She asks Hal to step in for her to pick up the secretary of state at the airport and give a speech at London’s Chatham House. But Kate seems to approach Hal with a guilty-until-proven-innocent mentality. 

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Now that we have that all straight, are the US and UK really going to war against Russia?

While Lenkov’s group is definitely Russian, there isn’t definitive proof that the Kremlin is behind the attack. An unprovoked attack could prove nuclear. After consulting with Trowbridge’s former adviser, Margaret “Meg” Roylin (Celia Imrie), a defense plan is hatched to support Libya, where Lenkov’s troops are stirring up trouble.

It seems like the perfect move, but comes to a grinding halt when US Secretary of State Miguel Ganon (Miguel Sandoval) immediately rejects it, refusing to raise it up the flagpole. 

Everyone’s clamoring for power in this world, and it turns out Ganon wants to be president and realizes that if the Libya plan happens under Rayburn’s watch, he won’t have a shot. Oh, politics.

But Kate’s not letting anyone’s ego stop her. She sidesteps Ganon and gets the rubber stamp — the plan is a go.

How do the Russians react to the Libya plan?

Before any troops are moved, Dennison and Kate meet with Russian ambassador Oleg Balakin (Ian Drysdale) — separately — to reveal the plans. During Kate’s meeting, Balakin warns he’s going to give her a “lecture” and starts going off, but simultaneously writes down directions for her to slip out the back door to meet a woman in a wine shop.

To Kate’s — and eventually everyone’s — shock, the Russians reveal Lenkov’s whereabouts so they can capture him. While the intelligence is invaluable, another hurdle comes up since he’s going to be in Cap d’Antibes, France, which requires the cooperation of the French police because the arrest would be on their soil. 

In the midst of it all, Kate zips back to the White House for a 40-second meeting to show Russia how seriously they’re taking the tip. She learns that Ganon has already spoken directly to Trowbridge, who’s furious with her since he had just announced the Libya plan 12 minutes ago.

Alex Bailey/Netflix

Why do Kate and Dennison travel to Paris together? 

The tricky thing about the Lenkov capture is that Trowbridge wants the British Special Forces to pull off the mission, which is unusual outside the UK’s borders. So Kate and Dennison travel to Paris to ask French Minister of the Interior Brielle Fournier (Micky Sébastian). She refuses.

Meanwhile, Hal calls Kate to let him know his Chatham House speech went so well that a member of parliament, Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler), requested an immediate meeting, and Hal agreed. That signals to Kate that Hal is most definitely not OK being in the back seat and is actually gunning to be secretary of state. She demands he not meet with Grove, but Hal is insistent. Kate alerts Stuart to the meeting, as well as Roylin, asking her for insight on Grove. 

Does Kate sleep with Dennison?

At a fancy event at the Louvre, all signs point to the attraction between Kate and Dennison heating up — especially when Kate steps out of character and slips into a red gown.

But business comes first and she pulls Fournier aside, ultimately getting permission for the Lenkov arrest because of France’s relationship with the US. But Fournier then says she can’t believe the US is OK with the assassination. Kate is shocked: She thought it was an arrest. They need Lenkov alive to find out who hired him.

As Kate connects the dots, all the bells and whistles are set off. While talking it through with Dennison — on the romantically lit streets of Paris, no less! — it all clicks. “A dead Lenkov is only good for the people who hired him,” she says. There’s only one answer: Trowbridge himself hired Lenkov to blow up his own country’s aircraft carrier. 

Needless to say, that’s a huge curveball and the night is no longer headed where it seemed to be for Kate and Dennison.

Alex Bailey/Netflix

How does The Diplomat Season 1 finale end? 

That jaw-dropper scene in Paris is then spliced together with what’s happening back in London — Stuart and his aide, Ronnie Buckhurst (Jess Chanliau), are rushing to beat Hal to the meeting with Grove. Ronnie runs ahead to let Grove know that Stuart is on his way, which enrages Grove as he wanted to meet with Hal. 

As Grove storms out to his car, Stuart and Ronnie run toward him from one side and Hal from the other when — BOOM! — his car blows up.

So who died in the explosion? Does Kate become vice president? And what’s this about radio chatter?

Talk about a cliff-hanger — did any of the four survive? We see the authorities approach Kate in Paris with news that seems to shock her to her core. Is this because it’s news about Hal or Stuart, or neither — or both? 

We’re given one cryptic hint. Eagle-eyed viewers (actually, listeners!) who stayed through the end credits would’ve heard audio of radio chatter. “Any station, this channel, this is Dolphin 3-6, transmitting in the blind,” is said several times. It then transitions to, “We suspected comms failure,” and ultimately, “Nothing heard. Out.”

Could this refer to military communication on the HMS Courageous? After all, the speaker did seem to have a British accent. Or perhaps it alludes to Kate’s political future. Or could it be something else entirely?

To find out who survived, what the mysterious message was all about, and whether Kate becomes veep, watch Season 2 of The Diplomat, premiering on Oct. 31.

Watch The Diplomat Season 2 Trailer