The Diplomat's explosive ending bodes well for the show's future
The Diplomat spoilers follow.
In Netflix's latest political thriller The Diplomat, US ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) arrives in London after a British aircraft carrier is blown up off the coast of Iran.
As she adjusts to her new role, tries to figure out who ordered the attack on the HMS Courageous and attempts to stop a global war from breaking out, Kate also has to deal with her husband, fellow diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell), who's struggling to take a back seat while his wife shines.
The final moments of the twisty season finale saw another explosion, leaving viewers on a major cliffhanger that practically begs Netflix to renew the show for another season.
So, who was behind it, who died, and what does this mean for the future of The Diplomat?
The Diplomat ending, explained
In the final episode of The Diplomat, prime minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) is furious that Kate has been unable to persuade US president Rayburn (Michael McKean) to support the 'Libya Plan', which would have seen Britain provide support to Libya's assault on Lenkov troops, in response to the Lenkov group's alleged involvement in the HMS Courageous bombing.
Instead, British special forces intend to apprehend Roman Lenkov in France, where he is meeting up with his secret family.
When Trowbridge suddenly comes out in favour of this new plan, Kate and British foreign secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) fly to Paris, in order to ask French interior minister Brielle Fournier (Micky Sébastian) for permission to arrest Lenkov on French soil.
Meanwhile, Kate's personal problems escalate after she invites Hal to accompany her to Paris – but he declines, instead choosing to deliver a speech at Chatham House in his wife's place.
Hal's speech, an evident ruse to secure the soon-to-be-vacant position of secretary of state, is a success, and Conservative party MP Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler) requests a meeting with him.
Back in Paris, Fournier eventually gives Kate permission to send in the special forces to arrest Lenkov. However, during their meeting at a ball in the Louvre, she drops a huge bombshell. Fournier tells Kate that she has intelligence saying Trowbridge isn't planning to arrest Lenkov – he's planning to have him assassinated.
Kate leaves the event and confronts Austin, whom she suspects was complicit in the scheme. However, the foreign secretary is as surprised as she is. Austin claims that killing Lenkov would reflect poorly on Trowbridge and the government, and that the only people who would want Lenkov dead are those who hired him.
And here's when the penny drops: Trowbridge hired Lenkov to bomb the HMS Courageous because he wants to start a war. Scotland and Northern Ireland are pushing for independence, and proving that he can unite the country in a time of darkness would improve Trowbridge's chances of being reelected as PM.
While Kate and Austin piece the puzzle together, Hal is already on his way to meet Grove. What he doesn't know is that Kate's deputy chief of mission, Stuart (Ato Essandoh) and assistant Ronnie (Jess Chanliau) have already arrived at the meeting at Kate's request.
Grove is irritated by their arrival and storms out of the restaurant to his car. Ronnie and Stuart pursue him, and Hal arrives. But just as Grove opens the car door – with Hal, Stuart and Ronnie all within his vicinity – the vehicle explodes.
We later see the French police inform Kate of the news in Paris, but don't hear exactly what they're telling her. Then, the credits roll in and we are left with a million questions.
How The Diplomat's ending sets up season 2
First and foremost, we would obviously expect a second season of The Diplomat to address whether Hal, Stuart, Grove and Ronnie survived the blast, or if they were just injured.
We'd probably place our bets on Ronnie and Grove being killed off due to their proximity to the car (sorry), but the fates of both Hal and Stuart are a little more uncertain.
Sewell has hinted that his character will survive because there is so much more to be explored with Hal and Kate, whose relationship is an important element of the show.
When asked where Kate and Hal are headed, he told Tudum: "All I know is that if you resolve it one way or another too quickly, we're screwed. I like to think there are enough problems to last us [a few seasons]. Who knows?"
And who ordered the hit on Grove? It's possible that the MP had some inside information about Trowbridge's role in the HMS Courageous attack and intended to share it with Hal. After all, Grove made it abundantly clear that he wanted to meet with Hal, and Hal only.
If Trowbridge caught wind of the meeting and Grove's plans, it stands to reason that he would order a hit on the MP in order to stop the information from getting out.
Meanwhile, Kate and Austin will likely be building a case against Trowbridge (especially if he's the reason Hal is either dead or in hospital), and the White House's efforts to swear Kate in as Vice President are sure to continue.
Either way, a cliffhanger like that surely bodes well for The Diplomat's future. Netflix has a bad history of cancelling shows, but given The Diplomat's popularity (it's already dethroned The Night Agent from its long-standing number one spot in Netflix's global top 10) and the grandeur of its cliffhanger-finale (meaning another season would surely bring in the views), it's looking like it would be in the streamer's best interest to renew it.
The Diplomat season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
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