Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat‘ begins with Kate Wyler being assigned as the US ambassador to the UK. Though she would have preferred to be somewhere else, she ends up liking the job and her co-workers very much. A twist arrives in the second season when she discovers that her appointment was because she is being considered for the post of the Vice President of America. Her job as the ambassador was supposed to be a test to see how she fares under pressure and if she truly is VP material. Initially, Kate is hesitant about it, but by the end of the season, her feelings change, and she becomes genuinely invested in the idea. However, a twist at the beginning of the third season changes everything. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Grace’s Shocking Choice Turns the Tables for Kate and Hal
Despite all his flaws, one cannot ignore the fact that Hal is one of Kate’s staunchest supporters. He may be driven to the cause to a fault and may be ready to cross the lines that Kate wouldn’t, but under all his bad choices and bold moves, he is rooting for Kate. This isn’t just because her rising in the political ladder would put him in a position of power as well. It is because he really does believe in Kate, and knows that she would make a great Vice President, and maybe even someday, a great President. It is this dedication that leads him to snitch on Grace Penn to President Rayburn. What he doesn’t foresee is Rayburn getting a heart attack and dying, leading to Grace becoming the President.
Even as the situation changes drastically, Kate doesn’t lose composure. She helps Grace navigate the immidiate aftermath of Rayburn’s death, and the more time she spends with the now-President, the more she realises that she needs to be in the office. Since Grace has already proven herself a dicey person, someone reliable needs to be by her side, to keep an eye on her, and to stop her from making blunders like the one happened with HMS Courageous. And given everything, Kate believes that no one is better-suited for the job than her. Discovering that his wife is finally ready to take her rightful place, Hal enters Grace’s office, under the guise of escorting her husband, and makes a case for Kate.
Soon after, Grace calls the Wylers into her office, and she reveals that she has chosen Hal to be her VP, not Kate. This is shocking for both of them because they both thought that this is Kate’s moment. Despite not wanting it in the beginning, Kate had slowly warmed up to the idea, so being told that she wasn’t going to get it is extremely heartbroken. What makes it worse is that Hal is chosen over her, which isn’t the first time this has happened in her life. She had finally begun to remove herself from him. She had spent most of her life tagging along with him, and now that she was finally taking lead, she was once again put in the place that she’d worked so hard to escape.
Choosing Hal was a Deeply Strategic Decision on Grace’s Part
Over the course of the show, it becomes clear that Hal and Kate are the yin and yang. She is composed, he is chaotic. She keeps everything together, even when Hal’s actions threaten to tear everything apart. And yet, they are both brilliant in their own ways, and when they work together, they are capable of accomplishing great things. Grace sees it too, but she knows that only one of them can be the Vice President. The obvious choice would be Kate, but there is some bad blood between them. While Rayburn was dying of a heart-attack in his office, Kate was giving her piece of mind to Grace. That would have been enough for someone to completely sideline Kate, but then Kate helped Grace through the next few days, and it became clear that despite their differences, they needed to work together.
Had Kate been a man, Grace wouldn’t have to think twice about making her a VP, so she went with the man closest to her: Hal. Being the country’s female President is one thing, but Grace knows that having two women in the most powerful positions of the country wouldn’t bode well with a lot of people. She wishes things were not so, but they are and that’s why, she needs someone else in her place. So, she comes up with a plan to have Kate with her and not make her VP either. If Hal comes into office, Kate would come as the part of the package, and that would serve the purpose. But that’s not the only reason to choose Hal. While Kate is the center of the story, Hal has had an impressive career as well. He has served as diplomat for a very long time, and even though he was seemingly put out of the game, he found a way to come back in.
Unlike Kate, he has charm and a way to walk and talk his way out of or into everything. He is ready to do the things his wife wouldn’t, and his single-mindedness about his goals turns his plans into a success, no matter what the situation. Grace sees all this, and she knows that she needs someone with that flair by her side. Of course, it takes some time for Hal’s chaos to turn things upside down, and that he doesn’t balance or keep Grace in check. Rather, he amplifies her worst instincts by becoming the mouthpiece for all the intrusive thoughts she would be hesistant to speak out loud. We see this happen in the finale with Poseidon, which makes one wonder if choosing Hal was the wrong decision. But the choice has been made, and everyone, including Kate, must live with it now.
Read More: The Diplomat Season 3 Ending Explained: Who Took Poseidon?
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