The Diplomat Recap: You Think You Know Someone!

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I think this is the best episode of the season so far, though everyone will have their own opinion. What I really enjoyed was the balance between strategic discussions, heartfelt moments between characters, and little bits of background information that added depth. It all felt perfectly timed and worked well for every character. However, the episode takes a sharp turn when Nicol Trowbridge reveals that the late President Rayburn approved the attack on the HMS Courageous, conveniently omitting any mention of Margaret Roylin. This cleverly shifts all blame and consequences away from the U.K. and places it entirely on President Penn and the United States.

It was almost predictable how things unfolded, because Trowbridge consistently acts like a very bright, but undisciplined, child. He’s capable of being a clever and even cruel politician, and that combination of traits is exactly what we see at the end. Kate correctly guessed he’d act on emotion, while Dennison anticipated his tendency to be excessively demanding and unforgiving.

How did this situation unfold? Thankfully, the documentary “Amagansett” details the entire process, revealing it wasn’t pretty. Everyone involved knew they needed to control the narrative before the information leaked or went to the press. However, beyond that shared goal, things quickly became disorganized, lacked clear communication, and centered around who had access to Grace and the decision-making process.

She needs to have people around her, and Billie, Hal, and Kate are constantly trying to convince her not to reveal everything publicly. She believes transparency would improve her image, but they’re certain it would backfire. The different plans they’re considering aren’t that different from each other – they all involve bringing Trowbridge, and possibly Dennison, to Long Island, explaining the situation to them, apologizing, offering financial incentives, and then making a public statement where both Grace and Trowbridge would reveal and conceal parts of the truth.

Everything quickly devolved into a chaotic struggle for power and influence. With both Todd and Kate present as spouses, and everyone trying to control the situation, it’s amazing anything gets decided. It *seems* like Todd has adjusted to his role as First Gentleman, happily swimming and offering advice, but appearances are deceiving. Beneath the surface, things are far from peaceful.

He’s acting like a character in a dramatic play, glumly finishing leftover drinks. He’s clearly angry, envious of how much time Grace spends with others, and bitter that Billie still has a powerful role as Grace’s top aide. He blames Billie for the trouble Grace faced as Vice President and believes she’s still loyal to the former President, not to Grace. It seems he’s convinced Billie deliberately created a scandal involving a research grant to try and replace Grace with Kate, and he feels their lack of denial proves he’s right.

Kate manages to do a little better, but the standard is very low. When she does succeed, it’s often dramatic and causes problems, almost resulting in her being sent back to London. While it’s understandable she’d be reprimanded for publicly accusing her husband – the Vice President – of lying to the President, she was also right to push Grace and Hal into a more honest discussion about their partnership and the risks of Grace revealing the truth to Trowbridge. This situation further proves how difficult it is to effectively juggle the roles of First Lady and Ambassador at the same time.

When Kate learns Billie is backing out of the small meeting before Trowbridge and Dennison arrive, she calls on Eidra, hoping to get her help. Kate wants Eidra to persuade Hal to talk Grace out of revealing her involvement in the attack on the *Courageous*. It’s a difficult scene, and it highlights how few genuine friends Kate has. While she was close to Carol during their time in Baghdad, Carol has quietly left London since Rayburn’s death. Hal is a friend sometimes, but they often argue. Dennison and Stuart could potentially be friends, but Kate’s best bet is Eidra, though she’s damaged that relationship too much. Asking someone to trust you, then having a British citizen die while in their questionable care, understandably strains any friendship.

In the end, Kate’s risky plan succeeds: she jumps in the pool with Todd to persuade him to suggest Rayburn was behind the disaster, and she convinces Trowbridge to publicly admit Roylin’s role. While Trowbridge doesn’t seem to handle the news much better than he would have if he’d discovered Grace was involved, it doesn’t really matter anymore. Trowbridge, a clever but unpredictable man, combines his calculating nature with his impulsive side, resulting in a memorable and unexpected public statement.

Honestly, it’s awful, but I kind of saw it coming with everything we know about Trowbridge, and especially after Dennison’s warning to Kate. Trowbridge is just *seething* with humiliation, and he’s determined to completely reshape the UK’s relationship with the US. You can almost *hear* the mix of anger and satisfaction in Dennison’s voice as he explains it. That trade deal everyone’s been talking about since Brexit? That’s nothing compared to what Trowbridge has planned. He wants a total overhaul of how the two countries interact, basically demanding an end to any idea that America is superior. And honestly, hearing his reasoning… Britain has been playing second fiddle to the US for decades, relying on them for security, but then President Rayburn authorized an attack on a British warship? It’s hard to blame Trowbridge for wanting Britain to finally be treated as an equal and get a firm ‘yes’ to every request from now on.

Kate argues that Trowbridge is asking for too much, and it’s unrealistic to completely rebuild important relationships every time the U.S. makes a major mistake. The core issue is this: how often must one powerful nation act disastrously or fail at important goals before another nation steps in and limits their responsibilities and advantages, which they seem to take for granted?

Dennison fulfilled his obligations to both Trowbridge and Kate, and by doing so, to the University administration. The announcement that Rayburn was responsible for the attack on the HMS *Courageous* – and the complete silence about Roylin – shocked everyone present, except for Dennison, who had previously attempted to alert Trowbridge to the truth.

Intrigue and Crumpets

I’m still wishing Kate and Dennison had gotten together a few episodes ago – it would have made the show so much more exciting! It’s a shame it didn’t happen. I even spent a couple of minutes brainstorming cute couple names for them, which just proves I haven’t given up hope, even though it seems unlikely now.

This episode appears to have been filmed on location, and I’m curious about the exact location. The geothermal pool they featured, where you can comfortably swim even in winter, sounds amazing, and I’d love to find out more about it.

Todd and Grace Penn argue frequently, but they still share intimate moments, which suggests their relationship will likely survive. Unless, of course, something completely unexpected and drastic happens, like the British Prime Minister starting a war or someone trying to harm one of them!

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2025-10-18 02:56