'The Diplomat' Season 4 Ending, Explained
Netflix’s The Diplomat is back, and so is the political intrigue and drama! When we left off in Season 3, Kate and Hal seemed to be giving their marriage another chance. But she quickly came to realize that Hal and President Grace might be hiding things, aka stealing the Poseidon weapon and not telling the UK government. Now that the Debora Cahn-created show is back, how did The Diplomat Season 4 end?
In case you don’t have time to watch all eight episodes of The Diplomat Season 4, I’m going to explain that ending. I’m also going to break down some of the intricacies that come with Kate’s big decision because what happened to Stuart feels like the real catalyst for things taking this turn. As for The Diplomat Season 5… I’ve got some thoughts on what could come next!
How Does 'The Diplomat' Season 4 End?
The Diplomat Season 4 ends with Kate resigning as ambassador, essentially ending her time as the diplomat. In the final episode, President Grace tells the nations at the G7 Summit that the US intervened when a Russian submarine ran aground in UK waters with a nuclear weapon on board. She alleges that the United States Navy was deployed to disable it. (SPOILER: They’re messy and stole it.) Now, the Navy is prepared to protect the UK and Europe from Russian retaliation.
The president goes on to say that the new UK Prime Minister Vaughn is welcoming Russians into UK waters and that “we feel quite strongly she should revoke the invitation.” She then makes a terrifying declaration by confirming that the US will shoot at its allies if anyone tries to interfere with the US trying to protect the UK against its will.
That’s when Kate makes the decision. She gets up and goes to Hal’s side. After pulling him close, she tells him, “You didn’t know. Remember that.” She kisses him and tells him that she loves him before going to stand in front of President Grace. That’s when she formally tenders her resignation and walks out. After that, Billie and Miguel also resign and walk out after her.
As all three meet up outside near the gates, Billie calls out to Kate, and it’s revealed that Hal has followed them. Kate asks if he’s sure, and he nods his head. Afterward, Kate walks to the gates and tells the press that the vice president would like to make a statement. Hal walks forward and greets the press, and The Diplomat Season 4 ends with the camera panning over to Kate’s face.
What Happened to Stuart in 'The Diplomat' Season 4?
The true catalyst for what led Kate, Billie, and Miguel to resign has to do with what happened to Stuart in The Diplomat Season 4. From the beginning, Stuart has been a fierce ally to Kate. Even when things were difficult, people died, and she lied to him, Stuart was at her side. And it wasn’t because he was someone who could be walked over. It’s because he believed in Kate and gave her the benefit of the doubt because he believes in the system. As for Billie, she basically had a sister-brother relationship with Stuart, and he and Eidra were on the way to getting married.
In Season 4, Stuart wrote an official cable on the State Department dissent channel. For those that don’t know, a cable is a formal written message, and the dissent channel is a confidential and protected space for staff to express disagreement with US foreign policy. When Stuart brought this up to Eidra and Billie, they laughed at him because the dissent channel isn’t taken seriously.
Everything changes, though, when President Grace becomes aware of Stuart’s cable and effectively recalls him, aka not firing him but making it so he’s relieved of his position and can’t say anything because, again, he’s technically not fired. To make it worse, they’re not allowing him to go back home to London and close out his affairs. Instead, he’s being immediately sent back to Washington.
As to why I think that this is the true catalyst for Kate, Billie, and Miguel resigning, it’s because all three of them saw that President Grace was willing to punish someone loyal and break decades of tradition because she wanted to. They could no longer ignore what was happening in front of them, because if this is what President Grace was willing to do to one of their own, what’s to stop her from doing it to all of them? Someone had to stand up. So Kate did, and Billie and Miguel followed. As for Hal, I think he likes Stuart. But yeah, he walked out for Kate.
Has 'The Diplomat’ Been Renewed for Season 5?
At the time of writing, The Diplomat hasn’t been renewed for Season 5. Considering that The Diplomat was renewed for Season 4 ahead of the Season 3 premiere speaks well for the chances of the show returning. Also, the Netflix series is critically acclaimed and has a 92% average from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
But if I were to play Devil’s advocate, The Diplomat wouldn’t work because Kate is no longer the diplomat. A lot of the show has been about Kate’s journey as an ambassador to the United Kingdom. Now that she’s resigned and firmly put herself against the President of the United States, there’s no way that she’s going to get an assignment to be a diplomat to any country.
The only way that I think it could work is if President Grace recanted her statement at the summit, backtracked, and put Kate in another country. Still, that would change the very foundation of the show and the characters within it. Another way that it could do a Season 5 is if an administration shake-up led to Hal starting a campaign to be president. Considering that he was willing to give up being vice president, that would be a bumpy road as well and would change the show’s format.
