The second episode of “The Diplomat” had more chaos going on with Kate and Hal as they were trying to calm down the escalating tensions between Iran and the UK. In addition to that, Hal was caught by Kate when her hunch was confirmed, that Hal was the one who had approached Shahin to give him a call. On the verge of calling it quits on their marriage, Hal reveals the big plan to offer her the post of Vice President, a chance to run the White House. Kate is shocked to know of this news, but for now, she must worry about the President visiting the UK; the rest can wait.
Spoilers Ahead
President Rayburn Is Here
There has been never-ending chaos in Kate’s life since she landed in London, and since then, news on news has piled upon her. Thankfully, she hasn’t had a breakdown yet, but she is close to tackling her husband, Hal, for hiding such a big piece of information from her. She was not aware that she was the candidate being considered for the post of Vice President. With the President at Winfield House for the next few hours to meet the British PM, Kate must make sure what her game plan is to manifest and turn into something useful. She knows that Iran is not responsible for the bombing, and she will have to convince her boss, the President, not to join the UK bandwagon of proclaiming that Iran might have been behind the terrorist attacks. But with many things on her plate, Kate is managing to get things done. Kate is a multitasker, and she knows she will be able to convince her boss to do the right thing. It is the bureaucracy required to reach out to President Rayburn that is delaying her process.
She makes sure to speak to Austin Dennison, the foreign secretary, to let Rayburn and Trowbridge have lunch together, just the two of them, to talk about how to de-escalate the matter. Dennison has his concerns about whether Trowbridge would agree to Rayburn or not, but he somehow finds this process is the only way to get both of them to have a logical talk about the situation with Iran. Billie, the chief of staff, is hoping things will not blow out of proportion because of Kate and her theories, but Kate insists that Iran is not involved. Kate has a tough time with Billie and the President, but she ends up having to let them know that a big Iranian source contacted Hal and revealed that Iran would never indulge in such activities, keeping in mind the sanctions that are on them. Kate is worried the UK is dragging the US into another war that would again lead to America losing its face. But the PM is arranging things in such a way that the UK won’t be targeted directly for attacking Iran; it will be Americans that will be in the line of fire.
Eidra Park of the CIA is informed of the call that happened between Kate and her CIA friend in northern Iraq, and Park wants to know why Kate is going the other way around for information. Kate reveals that her hunch about her husband was right. She lets Park know that Hal was the one who contacted Shahin via an Italian counterpart, and she is worried sick for the man. Park understands the situation between the two, but as the procedure goes on, she will have to question Hal. Kate is in total despair about how Hal could go behind her back to pull such a stunt. It is beyond her to understand her husband’s actions. All she can think of is finding a concrete solution to her problem, which is Hal.
‘The Diplomat’ Episode 3: Ending Explained – Did Kate Take Up The Vice President Post?
As the day at the Winfield House is yet to come to a close, Kate has a word with Billie about why she was chosen to be the next suitable candidate for the Vice President post. Billie is upfront about what she and the President are looking for in a candidate: someone who is proactive with work and has no major power ambitions. Kate turns out to be exactly like that, and she will not have to run for any campaign, which comes across as a big added advantage. Kate comes across as someone who believes in doing the work and not being the rubber stamp. Her experience, along with her ethics, makes her the ideal candidate for the job. Rayburn is keen on getting Kate on board too. All of this information overwhelms Kate, and she wonders how she could even fathom taking the job, knowing chaos always follows her. Hal, Stuart, and Billie consider her to be the perfect candidate, and all she has to do is say yes, and things will fall into place. But Kate has a lot to think about before she says yes to the job. Her marriage to Hal, Hal as a person, and the added responsibilities that come with becoming the Vice President of one of the most powerful countries in the world.
President Rayburn is still not convinced of what Kate wants from him regarding this situation, and he agrees to send a rescue mission ship to help the aircraft carrier. Kate and Billie are aware of the retaliation America would face if Iran spotted an American ship in their waters, even if it was on a mission of mercy. Things would escalate rather quickly, and it would be a win for the British PM but not for America. Kate has another word with Austin to let him know the PM must back down. She learns that Austin has been trying to stop the PM from making the wrong move, but he hasn’t been able to. The PM knows that Hal is the source who received information about Iran not being the culprit, but that is still not enough for him to de-escalate the matter. Austin trusts Kate to convince the President to back out. Kate is finding it tough to understand how she should articulate her words in such a way that Rayburn, her potential boss in the future, would agree to her plan of action.
Kate confronts her husband Hal when she learns from Billie that he and Billie have had a month to think over whether Kate is the right candidate for the job. She is livid about the fact that they had discussed ending their marriage way before Billie came up with the option of Kate being the replacement for the current Vice President. But somehow, Hal changed his mind without letting Kate know anything about it and agreed with Billie to prepare Kate for the coveted post. Kate has every right to be angry because she was kept in the dark about this information, knowing that they were on the verge of getting a divorce. This proves that Hal is either more ambitious than Kate or he is confused about whether to let her go or not. Kate is also not in the right mind, with Hal again telling her that he wants to make this marriage work when he was the one who asked her to contact a divorce lawyer. It is this behavior that makes Kate put herself on the back foot because she does not want a husband who would keep information from her, keep her in the dark, and forever confuse her about what he wants in life, especially their marriage.
After a big physical scuffle between Kate and Hal, she is asked to speak to the President. Kate makes her way to the White House to convince the President one last time that supporting the UK in their war path to get back at Iran is a big mistake that will backfire. She wants the President to be confident enough to let this deal fall so that it saves America from a major embarrassment when it is revealed that Iran was never behind the terrorist attack. The President sees the light in her words and is convinced to cancel the deal with Britain. Kate lets her boss, the President, know that she is not willing to take up the Vice President job because she is not up for the pressures that would come with it. But the President refuses to take up her rejection of the post because he knows she is the right person for this job. He and Billie are refusing to back down from the plan to make Kate the next Vice President. Kate is not sure about the job because she knows taking it would mean having to work on her marriage all over again and pretending everything is okay when it’s not. She will have to bear with Hal for a little longer, which is difficult as it is. Kate’s marriage to Hal is the only reason she wants to let go of the offer, but no one around her is willing to accept her rejection of this position.
