The diplomat

Kate Wyler has long been an assistant to her husband Hal, ambassador to the Middle East. She has just been appointed ambassador herself and is about to leave for Kabul. But she is summoned at the White House. The president tells her that she is appointed to London, with immediate effect. The prestige of the job doesn’t interest Kate, who feels guilty about not being able to continue her work extraditing Afghan refugees to the USA. What’s more, Hal, a husband who always draws the light to himself, decides to go with her despite their recent decision to divorce.

A major crisis has just hit the UK, and international tensions are at their highest. Spontaneous and unfiltered, the new ambassador must learn the codes and prevent her blunders from worsening a critical situation. What’s more, Hal and his London contacts seem out of control. Kate soon realizes that her assignment hides something else.

A pawn in the chessboard of power?

OK, we get it, the power makes rulers crazy. And their challengers too ! Everyone seems to be scheming to move up a rung and topple the one above, or to place his or her protégé. The series shows a shocking but very real truth: decisions that have an impact on the world are made for entirely selfish reasons. Of course, leaders convince themselves that they are acting only for the greater good! In this distressingly complex international scheme, it’s interesting to get the viewpoint of a diplomat with no ambition. But even a well-balanced person can’t resist the temptation to lead differently and do better than those already in place for very long…

One detail kept bugging me: the heroine’s really ugly haircut. I also regret the overuse of technical acronyms and rather pretentious language. It’s a bit pretentious and makes the viewer feel like a fool. But the script is well-written, with twists and turns and big cliffhangers at the end of each season. And the cast is good, including the secondary characters. Rufus Sewel (seen in the man in the high castle) excels as the insufferable yet irresistible husband. The British characters are far more endearing than their American counterparts; we’d like to see more of them.

Overall, a series that isn’t without its flaws, but is still enjoyable and worthwhile watching

4 seasons, 30 episodes (50 mn), 2023 – ongoing, on Netflix

Created by Debora Cahn, WITH :

• The Americans : Keri Russell as Katherine “Kate” Wyler, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler, Ali Ahn as Eidra Park, Ato Essandoh (Altered carbon) as Stuart Heyford, Miguel Sandoval as Miguel Ganon, Nana Mensah as Billie Appiah, Michael McKean as William Rayburn, Allison Janney as Grace Penn, Pearl Mackie as Alysse, Bradley Whitford as Todd Penn
• The British : David Gyasi (seen in Carnival Row) as Austin Dennison (season 1-3), Rory Kinnear as Nicol Trowbridge, Celia Imrie as Margaret Roylin, Penny Downie as Frances Munning, Richard Dillane as Tom Libby, Aidan Turner (Poldark, Rivals) as Callum Ellis (season 3), Jodie Whittaker as Bethan Vaugh (season 4)