Photo from Netflix
The Netflix series, The Diplomat, is a really good show.
Heck, it’s a wonderful show.
Show-runner Debora Cahn wrote on the latter seasons of The West Wing, and was a writer/executive producer on Homeland.
The Diplomat plays like a West Wing in Britain, with a lot of political intrigue and human drama familiar to fans of the Aaron Sorkin series.
It alternates between jarring twists, jaw-dropping scenes, and laugh-out-loud moments, with dialogue as sharp as a knife, that comes from knowing the subject matter intimately.
And every single one of the actors is at the top of their game.
Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell lead the way, as the new American diplomat to the UK and her husband.
It’s a joy watching Sewell exercise his subtle comic chops. He can break a scene up with a shrug, or a raised eyebrow.
Then the majestic Allison Janney swoops down into Season Two, as the US Vice President.
Janney arrives on the scene just as the US and Britain are trying to get at the root of a horrific explosion of a British fighter ship in the Middle East.
She proceeds to make life hell for the two life-long diplomats.
Come for the wild chemistry between the three exquisite actors.
But stay for the unexpected glimpse into Donald Trump’s strange mind.
Greenland, Canada, Panama…. It all goes back to this scene (from the final episode of Season 2).
If you haven’t watched the show, you may want to, before you watch this video.
Because it contains a humdinger of a spoiler.
(Or, if you’re a sicko like me, who enjoys knowing the spoilers, go right ahead.)
The spoiler-free summary:
VP Janney drags a huge world map in behind her, barks at her aides to shut the door, throws the map up on a makeshift stand, then proceeds to lecture Ambassador Russell on the importance of a naval base in Scotland.
Janney grabs a chunk of coal from the fireplace to mark out the various Russian sub bases across the northern seas, and details the quickest route they have for a nuclear sub attack on New York City.
They go right past Greenland. And Canada.
Her point? We need Scotland. It is our only line of defense against a Russian nuclear sub attack.
Keri Russell’s point? Yeah, maybe…. But that doesn’t justify Janney’s authorization of a horrific act, to firm up Scottish support for the UK.
Janney’s great line, as she gestures to the map of the world. “This is my gameboard… The whole goddamn thing…. This [as she circles the UK with her lump of coal] is yours. Keep your eyes on your own paper!”
As Keri Russell looks on in wide-eyed shock and horror.
* * *
Of course, we could use Greenland, or Canada, to help deter Russian subs.
Sure, we could use the Panama Canal, to keep the Chinese from potentially plugging up that vital gateway.
But we get them from diplomacy. By working with these vital allies. Not by bullying them, by forcibly taking them over, by calling them “the 51st state”, or “Red, White, and Blueland.”
These are the actions of Adolph Hitler, taking over Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, as a prelude to WW II.
Sorry if that comparison makes you feel uncomfortable.
Tell you what: If you don’t wanna be compared to Hitler, don’t act like him.
(And please, let’s dispense with the fairytale that “Trump is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers”. It’s more like, the rest of the world is playing chess, while Trump is playing dodgeball.)
In this scenario, we are all Keri Russell.
Daddy Gibs 