Netflix ‘The Diplomat’ Season 3 Review - Keri Russell Is Still Funny And Fantastic

Instead of beating around the bush, let me come directly to the point: I enjoyed watching The Diplomat Season 3, but I don't really have anything new to say about the series. I think I've already said everything that could be said about this show in my reviews of the previous two seasons (1 and 2). Keri Russell is still fantastic and funny as Katherine "Kate" Wyler. She and Hal (Rufus Sewell) continue to push each other's buttons in ways that raise The Diplomat's entertainment factor. The dialogue remains as sharp as a knife, and it still thrillingly swings between professional duties and the personal domain. Kate and Hal could be arguing over a political matter, and he, with words like "It doesn't matter what you think. She [the president] kicked you out of the room," can suddenly turn the discussion into a bitter personal attack. This shift between country and character, drama and humor, courtesy and sexuality is achieved entirely through dialogue delivered by the actors as choreographed dance. Shows like The Diplomat and The Lincoln Lawyer draw you in with their delightful verbal pleasures. This doesn't mean the faces are unmemorable. Becki Newton infuses The Lincoln Lawyer with her vibrant charm, and Russell's smile here hits you like a high-voltage electric shock. That smile can single-handedly dissipate the clouds of tedium — it's magnetic and indelible. No wonder, then, that the image that has been stuck in my mind since I finished watching the third season is the one in which Kate gives a smile that says, "I know, right?" when someone tells her that a person in her position receives a lot of invitations from other wives.

I won't delve into the specifics of that position. There will be no spoilers here. Let's just say that things reach the heights of a nuclear threat, and Rory Kinnear still knows how to be downright despicable. I liked how the characters in one of the episodes discussed details related to a seating arrangement, and how colleagues or friends talk about trivial matters such as smelly couches and use funeral watch parties to try to cheer each other up (well, there is only one such watch party, but never mind). Almost every line in The Diplomat feels like music to the ears. That's why, while watching the series, you don't ask questions like, "Hey, what happened to that woman who was posing as Kate for the US ambassador's protection?" or "Why, despite the dropping of some big bombs (take Nicol Trowbridge's betrayal), does the show not feel urgent?" The twists land with a sudden jolt, but they don't quite sustain the shock. You might lean forward for a few seconds, only to find yourself reclining again soon, admiring the actors' physical and verbal precision (watch how Kate struggles to zip up her dress). Then again, I've been admiring the cast's performances since the first season. Season 3 doesn't break new ground in its filmmaking — but then again, it doesn't really need to. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" could be creator Debora Cahn's motto. Season 3 of The Diplomat is enjoyable on its own, though it doesn't exactly inspire you to write a review. I think Cahn has successfully created a "critic-proof" season—or even a "critic-proof" show.

Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times