In The Diplomat, 1×03, we learn a lot about Ambassador Kate Wyler and the amount of shit she’s willing to put up with from the men around her. If you’re curious to what she’s willing to put up with it would definitely be close to nothing.
This episode of The Diplomat ups the game and definitely shows us who Ambassador Wyler is and the things that she can do. TBH, I am proud of her.
Kate isn’t happy with Hal, but when is she really ever happy with him? Spoiler alert, it’s close to never. Such a large piece of information, as she’s being vetted for the VP? Well thats definitely something that should have come up earlier and not right as the President of the United States is landing on your front lawn.
Life has been chaotic and one thing after another since the Wylers arrived in London. With the President now being at Winfield, the Ambassador is going to have to put her best foot forward. She’s going to have to do a few things – convince the President that Iran had nothing to do with it, figure out all this talk about the VP position, and figure out all of the lies that are being told. Those are just the top of the list for me.
Hal tells the President’s Chief of Staff Billie Appiah that he just told Kate. She then tells Heyford that Hal told her. What I love about this moment is both of them are looking a Hal like he’s the stupidest person on the face of the earth. Can’t argue with either of them there, because well, he is stupid.
He did it to save his own neck. Not for anything else.
Kat and the foreign secretary, Dennison, decide that the President and the Prime Minister need to have lunch alone. After going through a long list of possibilities of how not make them both look like they are being lectured or not even with each other.
The issue is that neither the President nor the Prime Minister can be trusted and everyone is afraid of the dumb choices that they will make. Chief of Staff Billie Appiah is about to have a coronary over the prospect. Everyone’s got their theories about what has happened to the British aircraft carrier, however Dennison isn’t sure that he can count on the Prime Minister will agree with the President on how to deescalate the situation, but everyone knows that the only way to get them to talk logically and basically not have a pissing contest is for them to be alone.
This leaves all the staff afraid of what is happening, but they all know that there isn’t much that they can do. Kate’s taken solace outside. Eidra shows up and talks to Heyford about the request for a phone number. She tells him that she knows that someone did and they deduce that it was Kate who did just that.
Eidra is all about it being about her and how it has to be that Kate doesn’t trust her. The truth is that Kate does trust her. She’s tried to warn her that this is about Hal and that he needs to be vetted.
When Eidra confronts from Kate, they have a come to jesus moment that makes them see where they both are coming from. Kate tells Eidra what Hal did, which leads them to talking to Hal. Eidra finally gets all of the things that Kate has been telling her about Hal.
You have to laugh though when she says that the two of them in a room together is a lot. Because it is.
And for Kate it becomes overwhelming. Especially when she learns that the US is sending ships to the British aircraft carrier, because the Prime Minister told him that their ship was sinking. Kate wants to know why Dennison didn’t tell her and so when he tells her that he needs to talk to her but not in the house.
When they do talk, he tells her that it’s not sinking. But, it’s about perception. If the USA movies a fleet into position, it will be seen as a show of force. Kate runs with with this information and tells Billie.
And then she has to take a walk.
I have to admit that I love Kate’s walks. It’s when she becomes completely unhinged. It’s when she’s an honest as she needs to be. It’s when she is completely frank and what happens next has me applauding her.
When he admits more lies that he’s told, she looses her shit and attacks him. She literally tackles him and they end up on the ground with her beating the crap out of him. The security sees them tussling on the ground and I have to laugh as they don’t do anything about it.
Billie wants to see Kate, so she pulls herself together as best she can, but that’s still her a hot mess. She gives no fucks, she won’t clean up and she heads right in to tell the President what she thinks. No one can tell that man what to think, but Kate is like fuck it, I am quitting anyways.
She tries to resign, but she also uses her knowledge and power to change his mind. Seeing her school him on what he needs to do is completely awesome, but also a little funny. It’s funny because he is caught off guard by what she says. He’s caught off guard by her throwing his own words back at him.
She’s caught off guard when he agrees to not send ships.
The President won’t accept her resignation and actually tells her to stop trying to resign. He makes it known that it just pisses him off.
There is not a person that isn’t impressed with Kate, well except herself. But she’ll learn just what everyone else knows soon enough – she’s invincible.
And even if she gets knocked down, she will get right back up.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- No one knowing what the report that Kate is asking for is, makes me LOL
- I can’t get over Kate kicking the crap out of her husband, the way she lunges at him
- Also, I don’t blame Kate for lunging at him
- Also I don’t blame Kate for not wanting to clean up either
- Billie and everyone else talking to Kate why it is that they want her for VP, I love that she’s considering it.
- I love the end when Billie turns back to look at her. She knows that Kate has cemented her place in politics.
