The Diplomat will return (Netflix)
Kate Wyler (Kerri Russell) huffs and puffs rudely around London as though she was the PM, the President and the very axis upon which the earth rotates—all while sporting flyaway hair and unkempt pant-suits, and, possibly, deficient overall personal hygiene. She’s kind of a mess. She looks like she tried to get dressed while baling hay. Not at all the polished foreign service operative/ambassador/diplomat/tactician she’s purported to be, yet, oddly, I am content to allow her harridan act to cover for a heart of gold and a razor sharp mind, even though this belief doesn’t pan out much. At first. (Trailer link)
Kate, on the go. She expends more energy going from room to room than she does diplomatting…
She was pulled from a mideast posting in Kabul (where women huffing and puffing get less done than anywhere, but signs of progress are popping up protesting that patriarchal system) and dumped into a hotbed of conspiracy surrounding the possible Iranian (or was it Russian? Or was it home-brewed? Or even us, for crying out loud) attack on a Brit vessel that killed 42 sailors. This is where it gets edge of seatness. And that just grows. No spoilers; it’s worth your time.
I should mention here that Hal Wyler (suavely played by Rufus Sewell), an ex-ambassador and Kate’s husband, is now confined to ambassador’s wife status, but as a master fixer and strategic chessmaster with global tentacles, he’s very much in the game. They actually come to blows over it in a woodsy setting, where her alarmed bodyguards watch through binoculars; it is decided that she is winning and they won’t interfere.
After this epic dustup, she appears before royalty with leaves in her hair. They seem to be getting used to her bedraggledness, so hardly an eyebrow is lifted, but looks are exchanged in her own camp. That group contains actors Rory Kinnear, Alo Essandoh, and Ali Ahn with great performances, and David Gyasi weighs in, handsomely, throughout as Foreign Secretary. For a full listing of actors with pictures, here’s that link.
The women in this thing range from iron-strong to behind the scenes string-pulling devious, and those of us who enjoyed West Wing will welcome Allison Janney as VP Grace Penn in the final crisis episode.
The rest of the casting is also top notch, displaying acting that runs from nuanced to comedic and is thoroughly enjoyable, and the twists and turns are unexpected and, at times, devastating. The ending is as jolting as, say, Kate glammed out in a red, train-dripping evening gown in Paris, which does happen. But wait until the last moments of the final episode—yikes!
I was well entertained by every episode and was sorry to see the last. It could certainly stand another year’s worth. Who knows—popular demand may—wait! I just found out season 3 is now filming! Good news for a smart, crackling series. Meanwhile, Keep Calm, Kate will be back to Kerri on. As will West Wing’s Allison Janney and a host of policymakers and shakers.
The Kelce Mix Needs Work
Serially successful, cereaiiy lacking…
Travis and Jason seem to be everywhere these days (look to your immediate left at the top of the list for their entertaining podcast) and Jason’s wife knocked out Joe Rogan for Number One, recently. Some of that stardust, it could be argued, comes via Travis’s girlfriend, but that’s on top of it all; the Kelces are serially talented performers all on their own. Jason retired from the Eagles and has been popping up doing some NFL color reporting, while his wife, Kylie just bumped Joe Rogan out of the Number One Podcast position with her own debut, “Not Gonna Lie.” And, of course, Travis has been helping the KC Chiefs win-by-a-hairsbreadth last few seconds of game after game. After game. Cereally, though, I have to say, the boys need work. I tried their “Sweetened wheat oat & corn cereal with marshmallow” (Reese’s Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms) and went Ptooey. Contains notes of sugar, peanut butter and bioengineered color marshmallows with sugar. Did I say sugar? Contains, um, added sugar. Hey, every great athlete should have their own cereal box, but just put Wheaties in it.
Indigenous Hi-tops by Freddie
Freddie’s grandmother was full Cherokee and beading was a tribal art…she didn’t learn it as a child, but discovered her talent for it in adulthood.
