This October, we return to the West Wing of diplomacy, following the chaotic Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), supposedly a top-level diplomat who, ever since she arrived in London, has been caught up in political coups, assassination attempts — including one against her husband — and international attacks. And yet, she is still being considered for Vice President of the United States. Honestly, expect nothing less than full-scale melodrama and conspiracies that, in real life, would have already triggered World War III.

But The Diplomat is a hit, an awards contender, and it’s back for another explosive season. With so many twists and turns, it’s hard to keep track — or even remember — where we left off, which is exactly why I’m here to help.

Kate arrived in London after an attack — the bombing of a British ship near Iran that killed 41 people. The incident triggered a massive diplomatic crisis: at first, everyone assumed Iran was behind the attack, but as the story unfolded, it became clear that the assumption was wrong. Meanwhile, Kate struggles to balance her new political position with her personal life, especially her marriage to Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) — a relationship that redefines manipulation and toxicity.

Season 1

Episode 1 – “The Cinderella Thing”
Kate Wyler is thrown straight into the fire: after the attack on the British ship, she is appointed U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. The conflict between her professional duties and her personal life — especially her marriage to Hal — is already apparent. The series wastes no time in showing how complex and high-stakes this job is.

Episode 2 – “Don’t Call It Kidnapping”
New details about the attack begin to emerge, and Kate clashes with Hal over how to handle the fallout. British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge makes controversial remarks at a funeral, further inflaming tensions.

Episode 3 – “Lambs in the Dark”
President Rayburn’s plans for the Gulf create tension within the diplomatic team. Kate and Hal reach a breaking point in their marriage, jeopardizing both their personal and professional lives.

Episode 4 – “He Bought a Hat”
At a closed-door meeting at the Foreign Office, Kate learns shocking new information about who might be behind the attack. Suddenly, both her reputation and President Rayburn’s are on the line.

Episode 5 – “The Dogcatcher”
Tensions hit a boiling point at Chevening, the British country residence used for political meetings. The arrival of an unexpected guest forces Kate and Dennison to make difficult diplomatic decisions. Hal forges a new connection that further complicates his already strained relationship with Kate.

Episode 6 – “Some Lusty Tornado”
Kate tries to manage Prime Minister Trowbridge, enlisting Hal’s help to secure a critical visit. She also seeks out a secret source, while personal and professional lines begin to dangerously blur.

Episode 7 – “Keep Your Enemies Closer”
Kate seeks information from the Russian ambassador, creating international confusion. A trip to the Oval Office brings someone from her past back into her life, and long-hidden secrets begin to surface.

Episode 8 – “The James Bond Clause” (season finale)
The big twist: it is revealed that the bombing was orchestrated by Russian mercenary Roman Lenkov, and Iran was falsely accused. The original plan to capture Lenkov was turned into an assassination order to boost Trowbridge’s popularity and justify military action. Kate confronts Dennison, who denies knowing about the assassination plan, and the season ends with multiple unanswered questions hanging in the air.

Season 2

Episode 1 – When A Stranger Calls
The season opens with a car bomb in Notting Hill: Hal, Stuart, and Ronnie are badly injured and MP Merritt Grove is killed. Kate discovers that the Conservative Party received donations from Russian sources linked to Lenkov, connecting the attack to the HMS Courageous. She shares her fears with Eidra Park (CIA) that Trowbridge may have ordered Lenkov’s execution. At the hospital, Hal survives surgery, to Kate’s relief.

Episode 2 – St. Paul’s
At Merritt Grove’s funeral, Roylin appears publicly alongside Eidra but is quickly whisked away to a safe house under American protection. Kate admits to Hal that she nearly had an affair with Austin Dennison, intensifying the tension between them. Stuart returns to work but seems confused about what happened, recalling it as a “car accident” rather than a bombing.

Episode 3 – The Ides of March
Suspicions that Trowbridge ordered Lenkov’s execution grow stronger. Dennison and his allies begin to organize a vote of no confidence against the prime minister. The Fourth of July party becomes a political battleground where Kate and Dennison plan to confront him. Hal learns the party was funded by Brad, a donor who also backs Kate’s potential vice-presidential run. Hal suffers a PTSD episode during the fireworks, laying bare his emotional fragility.

Episode 4 – The Other Army
Kate and her team head to Scotland, where the threat of secession looms. There, Margaret “Meg” Roylin admits she ordered the attack on the HMS Courageous but insists Trowbridge knew nothing. Her aim was to create a false-flag incident to unite the kingdom against Scottish separatists. The revelation shakes Hal and raises questions about who is truly pulling the strings behind this geopolitical narrative.

Episode 5 – Our Lady of Immaculate Deception
Vice President Grace Penn arrives in London with her own agenda and starts to interfere directly in the crisis. The CIA withholds key information from its reports, putting Kate in a politically vulnerable position. Roylin confesses that the Lenkov operation spun out of control and criticizes the framing of Trowbridge as the sole culprit. Kate confronts the prime minister in a direct showdown, and their fragile alliance is definitively shattered.

Episode 6 – Dreadnought (season finale)
The season reaches its climax: Hal uncovers irrefutable evidence that Grace Penn masterminded the HMS Courageous attack with Roylin’s help. He brings the evidence to President Rayburn, who, upon learning the full extent of Penn’s betrayal, suffers a fatal heart attack. With Rayburn’s sudden death, Grace Penn is sworn in as acting president, completely reshaping the political landscape. The season closes in chaos, with Kate, Hal, Dennison, and Eidra facing the personal and institutional fallout — and with Kate’s political future, including the possibility of becoming vice president, left in limbo.

What Comes Next

Season 3 promises an even more explosive political stage. With Grace Penn in the Oval Office, the balance of power has shifted dramatically, and Kate faces an impossible choice: accept the vice presidency and step fully into the heart of American politics — alongside a president she knows orchestrated a deadly attack — or refuse and risk becoming the White House’s number one enemy. Meanwhile, her relationship with Hal has never been more fractured, potentially leading them to definitive decisions about their marriage. The world of The Diplomat has never been this unstable, and if the first two seasons were intense, the next one is poised to push Kate to her absolute limit — politically and emotionally.