Keri Russell fans rejoice — The Diplomat is back, but is it better than ever, or coasting by on what made it so addictive in season one?
The Netflix original series follows Russell’s Kate Wyler, recently appointed United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, who faces struggles juggling her high-profile new job and her turbulent marriage to a prominent politician.
Season 2 ended in a cliffhanger shocker that left fans craving more. Now the latest season is streaming, and it’s one of Netflix’s most popular shows right now.
Watch With Us breaks down whether The Diplomat season 3 is worth watching or if the drama is past its glory days.
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Is ‘The Diplomat’ Season 3 Any Good?
Yes. While the first two seasons of The Diplomat received largely positive reviews, critics still gave it some flak for the dramatic licenses taken, excessive melodrama and overly “talky” nature. The series was viewed more as soapy, entertaining fluff than real, intelligently written political drama, but it looks like season 3 is beating those allegations. The show has successfully built off of the foundation it laid out with better-established characters and pacing, while getting back to its core strengths and becoming something new.
This is in part because of where season 2 left off, with the president of the United States dying from a heart attack, his VP (Allison Janney) taking over and picking Kate’s husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), instead of Kate to be the new vice president. This adds extra layers of conflict to Kate’s life — not only is she dealing with defusing international tensions, she also must deal with conflict from the new president who passed on her and her increasingly crumbling marriage. With a lavish narrative backdrop to heighten the stakes, the show really excels as an erotically-charged story about love and work.
Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell’s Chemistry Ups the Ante
Sewell plays Kate’s husband Hal, a career diplomat just like his wife. However, he is introduced to the show while unemployed. Initially, he is merely the former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon and finds himself struggling to deal with his lack of an official job title. That all changes at the outset of season 3, having been recently promoted to vice president of the United States and now in a position that doesn’t just overshadow his wife, but directly steps on her toes.
While some critics felt that the push-and-pull dynamic between Sewell and Russell in the first two seasons became somewhat repetitive, Hal’s new job and their separation bring their relationship into brand-new territory, and Hal manages to become a more likable character in the process. It also allows Kate’s trysts with a couple sof uitors to become more realized, while flashbacks to earlier times in Hal and Kate’s relationship add more depth to their dynamic, and the two actors play off one another beautifully.
The Narrative Is Even Sharper and Faster
Season 1 had the onerous task of having to spend extra time building up its characters, and while season 2 bore a more welcome, faster pace, it was a little too brisk at only six episodes. With season 3, the series returns to its original length of eight episodes, and now with all its players established — along with that faster pacing — the show confidently explodes into an expert equilibrium of tone, character and high-stakes thrills.
The Diplomat expertly weaves genres, navigating between romance, comedy, thriller and political drama with ease. With so many elements, characters and plot threads involved, it would be easy for the third season to feel like it’s bitten off more than it can chew. Instead, the writers pull off a beautiful balancing act, with each episode ending on a satisfying note, and the characters are well fleshed out to be flawed but empathetic. Season 3 is ultimately a fantastic rollercoaster ride.
The Tone Is Darker, And It’s Only for the Show’s Benefit
In addition to the official separation between Hal and Kate, several things are going wrong in season 3 of The Diplomat. For one, the president just died (whom Hal may have accidentally killed), his successor chose Kate’s husband over her, and Kate accused this new president of hatching a terrorist plot. Plus, a massive international crisis raises the stakes of possible nuclear annihilation from a rogue state.
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Season 3 becomes a pure powder keg of disaster, and Hal and Kate’s separation may seem to be at the bottom of the “problem totem pole.” However, this new relationship dynamic only adds to the emotional depth of the show as it considers one of the series’ most fundamental questions: what is the personal cost of political leadership? Perhaps the personal and emotional sacrifices made in the name of power are more disastrous than the politics themselves.
Watch season 3 of The Diplomat now on Netflix.
