The diplomat

Dreadnought

Season 2

Episode 6

Editor's Rating

4 stars

****

Photo: Alex Bailey/Netflix

Well, well, I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? By “this,” of course, I mean Lydia Trowbridge’s triumphant return to a place of influence with her husband Nicol, now that Margaret Roylin is no longer his main unofficial advisor. Why? Does anything else important happen in this episode? Decisions made, then overturned, then made again as new information comes to light and alliances shift even more?

I'm joking, but I'm also serious: with Roylin no longer in the picture and still a guest at the CIA, Trowbridge is very lucky to be able to rely on Lydia's far cooler head and his decision to do this , is just as momentous as the big twist at the end of the episode. Trowbridge knows his luck; He hates that Lydia advised him to resign to protect the integrity of the investigation into Lenkovian influence within his government, and as usual, he flails about it like a preschooler with an excellent vocabulary and no ability to regulate emotions. They agree that Dennison's opinion and commitment are crucial. So he arrives at a “close the door, sit down” conversation about the future of the government and the investigation, and surprises both Trowbridges by agreeing (eventually under duress) that Nicol should resign. He is entitled to an advisory role, but he cannot be the one to right the ship and the investigation must be initiated and progressed as quickly as possible. (For viewers outside the UK, it is worth noting that resigning as Prime Minister would not necessarily mean Trowbridge resigning from Parliament entirely. He would most likely retain his seat in the House of Commons and represent the constituency that elected him. )

This big, sloppy babe reluctantly agrees to consider retirement, “based on the wise advice of my lover and my mistress,” and stomps away, leaving Lydia and Dennison to sigh together. The two still have a lot of hard work ahead of them. I'm not a fan of Trowbridge's habit of ending conversations that make him uncomfortable by addressing everyone else in the room with as many words as possible, but I love the tiny character beat embedded in each of these verbal blizzards; They are linguistically playful and give us a glimpse of the person who probably wanted to stick to studying Russian Romanticism and instead got caught up in politics (by his mother. Nicol Trowbridge is so Freudian it hurts). He promises to confide in his MI5 liaison Tom that day to get the ball rolling, but he doesn't succeed. It's really not an issue that Trowbridge's bashful behavior can endure for much longer, but Dennison can try to maneuver him back into it tomorrow, I guess?

While Trowbridge angrily considers resigning from his influential position, similar conversations are taking place at Winfield. After Hals reveals that Grace Penn gave Roylin the bright idea of ​​engaging the Lenkov Group, he and Kate engage in a little light slandering of Scotland (inadvisable in my opinion), and Kate ultimately concludes that that Penn must resign and that she must also do so as Vice President. Considering that the Cold War is still ingrained in Kate and Hal's memories and that they understand both the historical and contemporary international concerns about Russia's nuclear power, not to mention their very basic knowledge that Scotland is a very, completely, completely, Away In the north, it's bizarre that they haven't managed to connect these dots, which are more like giant flashing red lights. Do they really think this is all about Scottish independence and the dangers it could pose to Western democracy? We will look at this in more detail in due course.

Meanwhile, Stuart's anniversary day has finally arrived! Out of respect for the many VP employees in the building, they forego an effusive hug and prepare for whether or not a formal offer arrives soon or ever. They don't know the timeline for Penn's retirement, but Stuart now has Kate's blessing to “do what you need to do to spice things up.” Step one of Operation Soup Up and Suit Up is to put aside her black and charcoal gray suits and instead get a baby blue dress with a black blouse and baby pink heels. She also has an amusing exchange with Stuart about the dangers of using newspaper and water. Step two is to put her hair up. Penn notices both changes immediately and offers helpful advice on hairpins for topknot care and when to move away from them. The relationship between them is not just the appearance of friendliness that girl talk conveys; Whatever unease or resentment or international conspiracies may lie between them to persuade the United States' closest ally to attack itself, there is also a strong desire for mutual respect and enjoyment of each other's company. It is beautiful!

Had Trowbridge not tried to assuage his guilty conscience by convincing President Rayburn to appoint Penn as the U.S. nuclear czar, everything might have gone smoothly. He obviously doesn't know anything about Penn and Roylin and Billie insists that she can and will make this appointment. Stuart manages to anger Trowbridge by mentioning the appointment in his pre-dinner toast, but Penn knows that Kate was involved, leading to Kate putting her cards on the table and prompting Penn to stop her lecture to keep life. This lecture on the state of Russia's nuclear arsenal and the joint British-American attempts to contain it is by far the second best scene of the episode. We know that Penn is a gifted, accomplished political operator, and now we get an even more compelling insight into the depth of her knowledge, including the very helpful visual aid of a large map brought in from the foyer of Blenheim Palace. I don't remember Roylin or Doud previously mentioning the disproportionate importance of Creegan, the UK's only nuclear base and the only one in Europe where US nuclear submarines can dock, but it seems pretty important! Considering only Penn's explanation of Creegan's outsized strategic importance, Trowbridge's description of her as uniquely suited to serve as U.S. nuclear czar seems accurate.

Penn also refutes Kate's belief that she would try to escape responsibility for the attack on HMS Brave or that it was a difficult decision. Penn's case is a both/and, not an either/or: she believed that the risk to human life from the planned attack was low and that it would bring with it the horror of the deaths of 43 people to have been responsible, and she Despite it even believes that a tragedy is worth it if it prevents a catastrophic attack that would kill tens of thousands or even millions more people. Penn's parting photo, in which she instructs Kate to keep her own work in mind, is telling: She doesn't just want to protect her chances of serving in an even more globally significant role than vice presidency; She believes that Kate is already overwhelmed as an ambassador. Why should they care what actions Kate considers disqualifying? She's not up to the task!

Kate is convinced, or rather, she is not unconvinced. In any case, she has sobered up somewhat and her decision to become vice president is once again in limbo. Unsurprisingly, she is suspicious of Hal's motives in encouraging him to do this, and is once again convinced that Penn should remain as vice president and probably as US nuclear czar rather than be punished. Hal wants Kate to report the situation to Ganon, which is justified: Roylin said that Kate and Eidra would feel exactly obligated to report this. That obligation still exists, and if Kate had learned of Penn's advice to Roylin before their meeting, she would have done so immediately.

Hal's decision to zigzag when he should be zigzagging – which we should all be witnessing at every opportunity now – results in Rayburn suffering a fatal heart attack and making Grace Penn President of the United States, along with twenty Secret Service members Agents competing in two sprinting phalanxes across the Winfield back lawn toward them.

Seconds earlier, Kate had failed to convince Penn of this she has not and will not reveal Penn's role in the Lenkow debacle, and that she is not still seeking the vice presidential post (her statement: She may be wearing one of her old suits, but she still has vice presidential hair! ). Now Penn is president; Kate is still ambassador at the moment, but has lost Dennison as an ally; Trowbridge is still Prime Minister and his secret investigation into a conspiracy within his government has not yet begun; No one in his government knows of Penn's connection to the attack on the HMS Brave. Everything is chaos, and the special relationship between the US and UK may never have had to survive a stress test of this magnitude. Season three can't come soon enough!

• Speaking of which The diplomatIn 2019's third season, here's my wish list so far: more scenes with Austin Dennison and Nicol and Lydia Trowbridge – what a fascinating study in contrasts they all are; When Stuart finds a meeting place outside of work to talk to Eidra about personal things, or better yet, stops doing so at all after they break up, their whole thing is beyond ridiculous; and other amusing nicknames for Kate in Penn's repertoire.

• If it's not too much trouble, I'd also like Netflix to post a supercut of Keri Russell's lineup of “fuck” on YouTube; It's fun to see an actress empathize with the most versatile word in the English language.

• I would like to conclude with a more serious analytical note on Dennison's ice-cold, seemingly final dissolution of all aspects of his partnership with Kate. I think this is primarily due to his decision to seize the moment in a now Roylin-free government and his understanding of Kate as a chronic and deeply chaotic person. He denies his previous attempt to overthrow Trowbridge, and while he may be sincere in this decision, his justification that Trowbridge is safe from further atrocities without Roylin in his ear is shaky at best (though I sincerely hope it doesn't come to the big time becomes). Jelly territory like poor old Merritt Grove).