The third season of The Diplomat starts with an explosion, but not the literal kind. The first episode, titled “Emperor Dead,” begins seconds after the Season 2 finale, with President Rayburn dead. In the chaotic scramble for stability, Ambassador Kate Wyler believes her moment has finally arrived. She expects to be named Vice President to the newly sworn-in President Grace Penn. Instead, the episode delivers a devastating personal and professional blow that reshapes the entire season.
The Immediate Aftermath of a Presidential Death
The episode opens in a state of high-alert panic. President Rayburn has just died after taking a phone call from Hal Wyler, Kate’s husband. Hal had called to tell the president that then-Vice President Grace Penn was involved in a secret, unauthorized attack on a British naval ship. The news appears to have triggered the president’s fatal heart attack.
With the commander-in-chief dead, the constitutional machinery lurches into action. The immediate priority for the White House staff is to project stability, not to uncover the full truth. Grace Penn is quickly sworn in as president in a rushed ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in London. Staff race to find a Bible and a judge, with British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge even presenting a massive 15th-century Gutenberg Bible for the oath. Amid this chaos, Kate Wyler is the steady hand, managing logistics and coaching the stunned new president through the moment.
Hal’s Guilt and Kate’s Confidence
A central tension of the episode is Hal Wyler’s location and state of mind. He is locked in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), being questioned about his final conversation with President Rayburn. He admits he told the president about Grace Penn’s role in the false flag attack, and he wrestles with the belief that he may have caused Rayburn’s death. Hal argues that informing the president was the right call, even if it had a tragic outcome.
While Hal deals with guilt, Kate operates with a quiet confidence. She expertly handles the crisis, securing the embassy, managing personnel, and advising President Penn. Both she and Hal spend the episode under the clear assumption that she will be the natural choice for Vice President. Hal, in particular, campaigns “shamelessly” for her, pitching Kate’s indispensability to anyone who will listen. He even delivers an emotional speech to President Penn, insisting, “She cannot govern without Kate”.
Keri Russell, who plays Kate, said of the episode: “I love how hard she works in that first episode, of making everything right for the President, putting out fires left and right, being the voice in the room, doing all the right things, and then to have the handsome, troublesome husband waltz in and go, โOh, I’ll do itโ. You’re like, โOh, great, sure. Thatโs wonderful. Have fun!โ”
The Bombshell: President Penn Chooses Hal
In the episode’s final moments, President Grace Penn calls Kate and Hal into a room. After a season of buildup and an entire episode of Kate proving her worth, Penn delivers the twist. She offers the position of Vice President of the United States not to Kate, but to Hal.
The silence in the room is profound. Hal is visibly stunned. For Kate, the decision is a monumental gut punch. After expertly managing a national crisis, she is passed over in the most personal way possibleโher husband is made her superior. The choice is politically calculated by Penn. Hal, with his longer service record and as a man, is seen as an easier sell to Congress and the public. It also serves to sideline Kate, who knows Penn’s dangerous secret, while keeping the troublesome Wylers close.
Show creator Debora Cahn explained the reasoning behind this plot twist. “It was the plan for a long time,” she said, noting that they wanted to reflect a recurring real-world phenomenon where a highly qualified woman is ready for leadership but is passed over at the last second. She added, “The idea of having two women in the White House, sadly, felt like science fiction”.
Other Critical Threads in Episode 1
While the vice presidential shock is the core of the episode, other major events set the stage for the season. Margaret Roylin, the British fixer behind the ship attack, is offered asylum by the U.S. at Kate’s urging. However, overwhelmed by the situation, Roylin later dies by suicide in her room, choosing what she calls “the British exit”. Her death removes a key witness but guarantees her secrets will cause further turmoil.
The episode also introduces Bradley Whitford as Todd Penn, the new First Gentleman. His presence adds a new dynamic to the White House. Meanwhile, the working relationship between Kate’s deputy, Stuart Hayford, and CIA Station Chief Eidra Park shows signs of deepening into a personal romance.
Actor Reactions to the Season’s Central Twist
The actors have spoken about how this shift energizes the series. Rufus Sewell, who plays Hal, said he was “aghast” when he read the twist but called it “fantastic”. He explained that it throws the characters’ dynamic into the air and creates new, explosive problems to explore. Keri Russell praised the storytelling, stating, “To be stripped of that when youโre building and all the work in the first episodeโฆ for Hal to waltz inโฆ and be offered the position is just deliciously heartbreaking. It really sets this season off to a completely different place”.
The fallout from this decision is immediate and forms the basis of Episode 2. Kate is expected to give up her post as Ambassador to the U.K. to become “Second Lady.” However, in a defining moment at the end of the second episode, Kate chooses herself. At the airport, as Hal waits on the steps of the plane to Washington, she stays on the tarmac, deciding to remain in London as ambassador. This act of self-preservation fractures her marriage but sets her on a new, independent path for the season.
“The interesting part is that sheโs just gonna go along miserably and do what the good girl is supposed to do,” Russell said. “I love that she chooses to stay. Itโs a monumental moment to choose yourself. And I think women, in particular, donโt”.
The Diplomat Season 3, including all eight episodes, is currently streaming on Netflix.
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