Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ is a political thriller that takes us into the life of ambassadors and the challenges that they have to face in their job. Kate Wyler is known for her sharp and no-nonsense behavior, so she is sent to London when a crisis emerges after unknown forces attack a British warship. While she has been in this line of work for a long time, London has its challenges. She constantly finds herself in the spotlight with her every word and action impacting the relations between the UK and the USA.
She brings along her husband, Hal, who is also an ambassador, to help her find her footing in the initial days. However, she soon makes some friends whom she starts to like more than she does Hal. Austin Dennison is one of them. There is an undeniable chemistry between him and Kate, which might make you wonder if anything happens between them. Let’s find out.
Kate and Dennison’s Professional Collaboration Begins
Austin Dennison is the foreign secretary in Nicolas Trowbridge’s government. Following the attack on HMS Courageous, the PM is in the mood for revenge. He wants to do something that will tell the world that he is not the kind of leader who can let people get away with these things. Trowbridge goes as far as to lie to the US President about the status of the ship. Dennison, however, wants to be more prudent about their actions. He constantly works behind the scenes to keep a check on Trowbridge’s bloodthirst.
Dennison knows that the PM has lied to President Rayburn about the sinking warship. Trowbridge wants the US ships in those waters to make it look like America is with him when it comes to attacking Iran and retaliating for what they allegedly did to the British warship. Because Dennison cannot take any direct action on Trowbridge, he lets Kate in on the secret. She gets Rayburn out of the deal, which marks the first successful collaboration between her and Dennison.
From here, Kate and Dennison start to confide in each other more and more. They keep each other updated about every move they intend to make, and this professional camaraderie soon becomes a personal liking. They discover that they have much in common, be it their political and personal beliefs or approach to solving a crisis. Kate is also drawn towards Dennison because he is everything Hal is not. He is not manipulative, and he doesn’t keep secrets from Kate. He has no ulterior motive when he helps Kate. Other than that, he wants things to resolve as quickly as possible.
The budding friendship between them is noticed by the people around Kate, including Hal. He starts to get jealous of Dennison, but he can do nothing about it. Hal knows that if he tries to pull Kate away from him, it will only push her further toward Dennison. He suspects something might have already happened between them, so he even suggests that Kate be with Dennison should she divorce Hal.
Despite her feelings for Dennison, Kate doesn’t allow anything to happen between them. They almost kiss while sharing a drink in his office. But both of them are aware of their positions, and the fact that Kate is still married to Hal keeps them in check. For a while, things improve between Kate and Hal, and she tries not to be as obvious about her liking for Dennison. But then, while in Paris, she discovers that Hal has set up a meeting with a British MP. She construes this as his intention to push his own agenda.
At the party that night, she decided to wear a black dress. This meant that things would be the usual business. However, after Hal’s debacle, she wears the red dress, which implies that she is ready to move on from her marriage and give a chance to the possibilities between her and Dennison. Had things gone smoothly that night, something might have happened between them. However, Kate makes a startling discovery, and another tragic event demands their immediate attention. By the end of the season, Kate and Dennison are yet to acknowledge and profess their feelings for each other, and they are not yet together.
Read More: Do Kate and Hal Get Divorced in The Diplomat? Theories
