The Diplomat

Oh my goodness! Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger with of gigantic proportions. Season 2 had me almost in a heart attack in the closing few minutes of Season 2.

I do not know if my heart can take a Season 3.

I initially thought this was a lo key, slow burn political drama. Maybe another kind of *feel good* tv drama like Madame Secretary.

Boy, was I wrong. The Diplomat will have you on the edge of your seat each episode. Binge watching them like a starved animal.

This is political theatre at its very finest. It's even more cut throat than my wildest dreams.

And, even if it's only 1 tenth true of what REALLY happens in USA politics and the various agencies (CIA, Secret Service, Diplomacy) it is still a wild ride.

Keri Russell is once again in a strong female protagonist role that reminded me why I loved her performance so much in "The Americans" She is outstanding!

Absolutely top tier production and acting throughout. The screenplay is clever and interesting, engaging and well-paced. Character development is pretty robust, and the players aren't simple caricatures. Again and again a character at first appears to be one-dimensional, but then the story develops and they actually are much more complex than the first blush.

My only complaint is that some of the injected "romance" storylines are so ham-fisted and out of place they are disjointed and jarring. Professional situations that suddenly devolve into "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy" seemingly out of nowhere. Someone decided to soap opera the show up a bit and it does not improve the result.

As hard to believe as it might seem, this series is also 'fresh'. It is truly original - it hasn't been done before. Midway through the first episode, something else of significance occurs, and somehow the makers of this drama managed to convince the people who make the trailers not to include it - or even allude to it. I am only midway through the second episode, but I can already tell you that this is not similar to other shows or books in the spy/suspense genre. It is also somewhat refreshing, because it isn't dominated by the sort of paranoia that bedevils Australians and others. The writing is deft; plot and dialogue flow together seamlessly. The acting is very, very credible.

You know those TV series where "the first episodes are a bit slow, but by the end of the second season you're hooked"? Well, The Diplomat is the other kind.

It starts with a bang (literally!) and we're quickly introduced to the Wylers; the rest of the cast follows suit, in a barrage of quick, witty dialogue, instead of wasting an episode to "introduce the characters".

There's good chemistry between Russell and Sewell; their husband and wife banter is well written. Every character is believable even if not necessarily likeable, and the plot is quick paced.

I know this is not real-life diplomacy, much like the 007 movies aren't documentaries: this series is entertainment, and I highly recommend it as such.

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.