Netflix’s original series The Diplomat ,season one episode two “Don’t Call It a Kidnapping,” starts with Rufus Sewell’s Hal Wyler as he is taken to meet a representative of the Iran ambassador. This is due to the ambassador wanting to set the record straight in regard to the bombing of a British freighter. The interesting part about this is how originally, Iran had a plan to assassinate a person. Now as a show of sincerity, the assassination was called off, so, Hal can deliver the message that Iran was not responsible. In his mind, he is shocked that he was wrong as he truly believed it was Iran acting out of anger for their oil being taken. This is demonstrates how his wife Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler was the best choice to be vice president as she keeps her personal opinions out of these types of situations.
Additionally, the viewer sees that Kate, despite their issues, does still love him. This is shown by how when they are alone, she wants to embrace him when he returns to the compound in a moment the viewer will find sweet. The series does a great job portraying how a marriage works when it comes to dealing with government politics. Unfortunately, this is short lived as a result of Hal lying to her about being in contact with the ambassador of Iran in secret prior to the beginning of the series. The surprising part about this is how this leads to an intense series of events that show how people can be made to believe a certain narrative. This is demonstrated by how during the funeral for the victims of the bombing, the speaker vows to make Iran pay. As a result, this widespread hatred of Middle East hits a boiling point when a Middle Eastern family gets ran over as a hate crime. This holds a mirror to show how cruel people can be in regard to condemning innocent people for the actions of others. Thanks to the wonderful setup the viewer truly feels the pain and frustration that Kate feels as she tries to clean this mess up.
Towards the end of the episode, by the look on her face, the viewer sees just how stressful Kate’s job can be. The viewer can argue that her job is essentially being the only adult in the room while the other governments act like little kids who want to fight. This is shown by how, as she rushes to talk to the ambassador of Britain, she is met with skepticism. This is due to her trying to have the statement about making Iran pay be redacted. However, Britain will not budge on the subject at hand. In her mind, she knows that Britain is the last chance at preventing any more disasters that could lead to war. This is a result of the President coming to Britain to show support against Iran, thus pushing tension for a possibility of war. Deep down Kate does not know what else she can do as she knows that President will make matters worse.
At the end of the episode, Kate decides that the best course of action is to keep the President close to minimize the damage. Meanwhile, Hal tries to convince her not to divorce him due to her finding out about his lie as she cannot be divorced when she is going to be the next Vice President. The viewer can assume with her being the next Vice President, she will be able to have more say in what will happen with the Iran crisis. Perhaps something will happen to the President that will lead to her becoming the President and can change things for the better.
Rating: 9.5/10