The Diplomat

I have to admit that I wasn't planning on watching The Diplomat but after hearing so many great things about it and reading all the great reviews I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm so glad that I did because it was great. I'm actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was hooked from the very first episode. Even though Keri Russell was great in The Americans I thought it was more about the writing than her acting so I wasn't really sure her and Rufus Sewell could carry a series as leads but they absolutely do, they both are fantastic here. The chemistry between those two is what makes this show so good. I could definitely see this series winning some awards.

I'm sure anyone with the slightest knowledge of the inner workings of an ambassador's role will find this far fetched, but the characters are interesting, the dialogue is sharp and the plot is propulsive.

Season one sets up the characters and the situation, season two raises the stakes even higher and leaves us on a cliffhanger revelation that begs for a season 3.

One minor quibble for season 2 is the choice of actor to play the Scottish first minister.. Someone who could pull of the accent would have been a better choice . They might also have been able to point out that fire in Scots, much like in the US has two syllables ( fye ur) rendering the witty exchange on the subject rather flat ..

This was so good I binged all 8 eps and started screaming in frustration at the tv when the last one ended. I would have happily sat and watched another 8 eps.

One of those rare gems where every character in the quality ensemble cast has a well-developed personality, where every plot twist, even the most complex, can be followed.

This is original, clever and really, really well made.

~~~~ Thats all I want to say but apparently I have to write 600 characters, which seems like a lot at this late time of night, especially after 8 hours solid of wonderful television when I really want to go and get some sleep.

Keri Russell's performance here is nothing short of a revelation. Her characterization of American career diplomat Kate Wyler is a mesmerizing mash-up of strength, humor, intelligence, vulnerability and, oh my, sexiness. "The Diplomat" deftly caricatures the realm of international diplomacy and its denizens. And while the world hasn't yet descended to the chicanery of the storyline's plot, the wonderfully talented, diverse cast makes it easy to believe that most governments are overrun by people who never emotionally escaped middle school. This series looks good, sounds good, feels good -- it is sublimely fun and smart adult entertainment. All Netflix needs to do now is announce Season 2, and let Ms. Russell and company continue to work their magic.

There's a moment, I think it was about mid-way through Season 1 of the series, that one of the sub-plots went slightly in a different direction than I had expected, and it was a good thing.

Otherwise, the dysfunctional relationships - both personal and professional - among the major characters somehow works and I like it. The writers did a good job of keeping the action tightly focused.

Both the characters and plots work. Sure, it's not very believable but it's fun and at times tense. "Madam Secretary" this is not; nor is it "Veep". And that's a very good thing.

I should also mention that the acting and dialogues are also quite good. The casting was well done. Are they believable? Again, no. But that's ok. Very fast I understood that this is a fantasy, not reality.

Netflix did a good job on this one. I'm really looking forward to Season 2. Please don't f--- it up.