As a political junkie who’s seen more White Houses than I care to count, I must say that Netflix’s The Diplomat is striking a chord with me. The parallels between its fictional succession drama and real-life politics are uncanny! It’s almost as if the writers have a crystal ball or a hotline to the Oval Office.
In the United States, the current president, an older man, was preparing to hand over power to his younger female vice president. However, unforeseen events derailed these plans, leaving the White House in a state of confusion. They needed to devise a strategy that would enable them to continue the work started by their leader and uphold his legacy.
In the fictional political setting of Netflix’s show “The Diplomat,” it becomes clear in the initial season that Grace Penn, portrayed by Allison Janney in the second season airing this week, is embroiled in a scandal which her White House associates predict will lead to her resignation. Simultaneously, these same aides are covertly considering Keri Russell’s character, Kate Wyler, a career diplomat now serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., as a potential successor for Penn.
Though The Diplomat’s succession situation is markedly distinct from that of the U.S., it’s understandable if spectators have compared the political drama to the actual presidency during the summer months, as President Joe Biden, aged 82, found himself under scrutiny for potentially passing his role to Vice President Kamala Harris, a younger woman, and facing mounting pressure to abandon his 2024 reelection plans following a poor debate performance against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
Eventually, Biden, who had been determined to continue his candidacy prior to unexpectedly withdrawing in July, ultimately handed over the mantle to Harris, concluding his own presidential bid and offering his support for her as his replacement.
Currently, in reality and within “The Diplomat,” the spotlight falls upon the vice president, as Harris has been nominated for the Democratic presidency and Penn plays a significant role in the second installment of the Netflix show.
The sequence of events, as shared by showrunner Debora Cahn with The Hollywood Reporter, wasn’t premeditated.
Cahn explained that he didn’t intend to create a mirror image of the real-life succession drama unfolding over the summer. However, they were dealing with similar themes, and they had acknowledged this when crafting the story two years ago. He said they thought they were in the same general area, but not exactly the same dwelling. Yet, as events unfolded, it seemed they had unknowingly shared a bed, so to speak, given how closely their fictional story paralleled the real-life events as they made headlines.
Cahn found it somewhat unsettling that events on the show mirrored real-life occurrences.
As a gamer, I’m talking about a world that presents some intriguing dilemmas, but not necessarily a specific scenario. However, an interesting coincidence happened – we filmed a scene featuring a character in a powder-blue suit, and just two days later, Kamala Harris appeared at a rally in Georgia, dressed in the same shade of blue!
She added, “It all all looks much more deliberately in dialogue than it actually was.”
As the on-screen president of Rayburn in “The Diplomat”, I’ve been asked about similarities to real-world politics. Frankly, it’s intriguing, but let me clarify that the political landscape of our show is distinct from the one we see unfolding in reality. Each world has its unique dynamics and challenges, and it’s essential to keep them separate.
In a conversation about Biden potentially passing his role over the summer, he said it was like finding something charming yet intriguing. He shared these thoughts during the season two premiere of the show in New York with THR. Essentially, he stated that we still can’t predict future events clearly. There are not many similarities to draw upon, and there are numerous longshots in this complex political world.
Apart from Penn, who makes her debut in season two following numerous mentions but no appearances in season one, The Diplomat delves into the consequences of the explosion at the end of season one, which seemingly impacted both Kate’s husband and former ambassador Hal, played by Rufus Sewell, as well as her coworker Stuart (Ato Essandoh). Furthermore, throughout season two, Kate and her team pursue her hypothesis that the British government could be responsible for the attack on their own vessel that initiated the series.
Beginning this coming Thursday, you’ll find all six episodes of the second season of “The Diplomat” streaming on Netflix. The show has already been granted a third season to continue its storyline.
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2024-10-30 01:54