‘The Diplomat’s Explosive Ending Explained: Are Hal And Stuart Dead?

At the start of Netflix’s new political drama, The Diplomat, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) wants to see some action. When a British aircraft carrier explosion kills dozens of sailors, rather than sending Kate to Kabul as planned, the U.S. president (Michael McKean) reassigns her to serve as a diplomat in the UK. After seven episodes of shaking hands, taking meetings, and snacking on croissants, Kate realizes she’s a lot closer to the action than she thought. But at what cost? 

Created by Debora Cahn (Homeland, The West Wing), the eight-episode series follows Kate; Hal (Rufus Sewell), Kate’s unpredictable husband and a diplomat who plays by his own rules; and Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), the British foreign secretary under UK Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear). Together, they work to uncover who’s behind the explosion with help from Stuart Hayfors (Ato Essandoh), Kate’s deputy chief of mission at London’s U.S. Embassy, and Eidra Park (Ali Ahn), London’s CIA chief.

Kate finally has a breakthrough in The Diplomat’s Season 1 finale. But does it arrive too late? Need The Diplomat‘s twist ending explained? Want to rehash the high-stakes finale? Wondering if one of your favorite characters is dead? Or if the potential Vice President and Dennison finally kissed? We’ve got you covered. But be warned, The Diplomat spoilers lie ahead.

The Diplomat Ending Explained: Season 1, Episode 8 “The James Bond Clause” Recap

When we last saw Kate at the end of Episode 7, she had just received an earful from an unhappy Trowbridge after he was told to pull back his explosive plans by U.S. Secretary of State Miguel Ganon (Midgel Sandoval). In her own words, Trowbridge requested her presence for “a blow-by-blow of how the plan I shoved down his throat vaporized.” Kate shared suspicions with Hal that Trobridge would “try to blow it all up,” and we later learn her prediction was a little too spot-on. 

The Diplomat’s Season 1 finale, “The James Bond Clause,” kicks off with Dennison calling Kate into his office to discuss “something odd.” A few hours after Trowbridge was ranting and raving about his plans getting derailed, he had a change of heart and was now “thrilled with arresting one man versus killing a bunch of Russians.” The two take the win and decide not to question Trowbridge’s flip-flop too much, and they plan a trip to Paris in hopes of tending to relations and dealing with all things Roman Lenkov.

Hal is visibly jealous upon learning Kate is headed to France with Dennison AND a red dress, so she invites him along, then tells him he can deliver a speech at Chatham House in her absence. Hal asks to have his speech sent to White House Chief of Staff Billie Appiah (Nana Mensah), which upsets Kate, and after captivating the audience with words about diplomacy, the importance of communication, and failure, a man named Merritt Grove approaches him and requests a meeting later that night. When Hal informs Kate of the planned meeting, she feels betrayed by him yet again and assumes he’s chasing a secretary of state job. Hal accuses her of being “fucking delusional,” and Kate calls Maggie Roylin (Celia Imrie) to get the lowdown on Grove, a conservative Tory MP. Maggie admits she “glancingly” worked with him and advises Kate to send someone other than Hal to meet with him.

Do Kate Wyler And Austin Dennison Kiss?

When a flustered Kate returns to Dennison, she explains her marriage is ending again and he listens to her vent. Despite the simmering sexual tension between them, nowhere in this episode do they kiss. No! Not even after Kate wears her red dress instead of her black one to the gala at the LOUVRE. But that’s OK! We can wait!

Who hired Roman Lenkov? Who Ordered The British Aircraft Carrier Explosion?

At the gala, Kate flies solo to try to seal the Lenkov deal, but once she learns London asked for their special operatives to take the lead on French soil and carry out an extrajudicial assassination on Lenkov instead of taking him into custody, she removes her heels (Kate doesn’t play!) and flees the event. Dennison follows, and when she asks if he’s been playing her and fills her in on the plan to hit Lenkov instead of arresting him, he’s just as baffled.

If Trowbridge “can arrest Lenkov, learn who hired him, and reign hellfire on them, that is worth something,” Dennison explains. “A dead Lenkov doesn’t do him any good.” 

“A dead Lenkov is only good for the people who hired him! A dead Lenkov is only good for the people who hired him! If Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge wants him dead…” Kate says. “Nicol Trowbridge hired him,” Dennison says.

With seconds left in the finale, the consensus is that Trowbridge hired Lenkov and, thus, was responsible for the attack on Britain all along. But that’s not the only mind-blowing cliffhanger The Diplomat ends with. 

Who Put A Bomb In Merritt Grove’s Car?

As Hayford and Ronnie (Jess Chanliau) arrive at a restaurant to take Hal’s meeting with Grove, Hal — who’s moments away from crashing said meeting — calls Hayford and begs for a half hour alone with Grove. As Hayford takes the call, he sends Ronnie in to assure Grove he’ll be with him shortly, but once Grove learns Hal isn’t the one he’s meeting, he leaves the restaurant with Ronnie trailing close behind. As Hal and Hayford approach Grove from opposite ends of the sidewalk, the Tory PM opens his car door, triggering an explosion.

So who rigged Grove’s car with a bomb? And why? Was this also the bomb-happy Trowbridge’s doing? Is Maggie Roylin to blame? And what didn’t they want Hal to find out? We have so many questions, INCLUDING…

Is Hal Dead? Are Stuart, Ronnie, And Merritt Grove Alive?

When the explosion sounds, Kate and Dennison hear it from their post, and the episode ends with police cars circling them and officers briefing them on the situation. Kate ends the season with tears in her eyes, and while it’s unclear if Hal and Stuart survived the blast, it’s likely that Grove and Ronnie are critical if not dead, due to their proximity to the car.

Does Kate Become Vice President?

Kate doesn’t become VP before the end of Season 1, but she’s definitely considering it more than she was at the start of the series. Stuart briefed Eidra on her consideration for the position in the finale, so now seven whole people are aware of Kate’s potential promotion.

Here’s hoping The Diplomat returns for Season 2 with answers to all our burning questions.

The Diplomat Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.