The Diplomat (Netflix) – Season 1 Episode 6 “Some Lusty Tornado” Recap & Review

Some Lusty Tornado

The night falls at the Chevening House as episode 6 of The Diplomat begins. Everyone is vexed by the sudden talk of bombing places by Kate, and there is mention of involving the royal prerogative, and the defence secretary is being communicated of the same. Kate clarifies to Austin that she suggested the bombing move just to pacify the restless PM.

Kate meets Hal in their bedroom and starts questioning her moves and lamenting that she lacks experience. Hal comforts her and explains that ‘bombing Russia’ was neither the first suggestion nor the last.

Kate has an alcoholic drink in her hand and intends to drink more. Hal enquires whether she’s eaten anything, to which she replies in the negative. Hal takes her quietly to the kitchen where they start having a tart and pick up other edibles to have in their room. On their way out, they run into Trowbridge, who is standing with three wine bottles. They sit and chat, where he mentions that Kate suggested a useful move, whereas every one of his staff was useless. He further explains that he doesn’t trust his team and that everyone, including Austin Dennison, is trying to bring him down.

He reiterates his motive of attacking Russia by comparing the current situation with World War II. He says that it took the Germans just one year to reach London after the invasion of Poland and that the current events surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will turn out on similar lines. The discussion continues and Kate explains that bombing Russia could turn into a nuclear war. She persuades him to consider options that don’t include war.

The Wylers return to their room and, along with Austin, Stuart, others, look to find out a viable, bloodless option for the Prime Minister. They work all night long with Stuart visiting Eidra to get some input regarding Russia. Eidra informs him that Russian submarines have been around the British coastline and they might have an idea that the Brits know it was Russia behind the explosion.

In the morning, Kate has prepared the strategy which she wants Austin to pitch to Trowbridge. He disagrees at first, but Kate persuades him. Later on, Kate and Austin meet the Prime Minister when he is having breakfast. Austin pitches his plan, but the PM disagrees. Instead, he comes up with a specific location where he wants to do the bombing, the Aleppo-Raqqa-Hama triangle.

Kate senses that Trowbridge mispronounced the name and it’s not him who suggested the location. Hal then tells Kate that he was “being a good wife” but also “not keeping his ears shut.” He makes Kate meet with Cecilia in the garden, who informs Kate why the PM is in the neighbourhood. Margaret Roylin, Trowbridge’s former advisor, lives nearby, and she suspects he still talks to Margaret. She also apprises that her brother, Austin, could be the Prime Minister, but Margaret brought him down with a slew of articles in the Daily Mail regarding an illegal prescription.

Cecilia secretly drives Kate to Margaret’s place. In her adrenaline rush, Kate completely forgets about receiving Ganon at the airport and instead sends Hal. Margaret doesn’t deny that it was she who zeroed down on the location but brings to the table the current political situation of the United Kingdom, and according to her, the bombing could bring along unity among the warring factions of the UK.

At the Chevening House, Trowbridge, Ganon, and others wait for Kate to return. Hal is discussing with Austin that they should bomb the Lenkov group, the faction responsible for the explosions. 

Austin counters by saying, ‘Self-defense is the only legal foundation for a British attack.’ Hal asks Austin if there is a situation where the Brits could defend and Lenkov is involved. Austin then mentions the situation in Libya, where the Lenkov group is waging war against Libya, and Libya has asked for help more than once. Later on, we come to know that it was originally Margaret’s idea and the PM would agree with the plan.

Meanwhile, Eidra is not happy with the plan because she says the intelligence is not sure about who ordered the explosions in Russia. We learn that Trowbridge agreed to the plan, but Ganon didn’t. Kate and Hal try to figure out why Ganon would say no to a rock-solid plan like this.

Hal instructs Stuart to find out where Ganon stopped while coming from Washington D.C. It is revealed that Ganon made a stop in South Carolina which confirms that there is something fishy. Kate and Hal conclude that he doesn’t want the plan to succeed and, in a way, fail the US President. Ganon wants to be the president.

In another conversation, Stuart and Eidra discuss their relationship and decide that they should make it public. It is because, apparently, Hal guessed about their relationship, and Stuart confirmed it unknowingly.

In the last scene of the episode, Ganon gets a call from the president informing him of his consent to Kate’s plan and approving marching into Libya. Cecilia, while conversing with Stuart, brings up Kate and says that is like being in ‘some lusty tornado’, having a passion for work and passion for each other. However, she doesn’t make it clear with ‘each other’. In the end, we see Kate, Austin, and Hal in a single frame in a foreboding manner as Stuart and Cecilia look on.

The Episode Review

Episode 6 continues with the strategy around ‘Bombing places in Russia.’ In the evening, everybody is discussing the turn of events when Kate and Hal meet Trowbridge in the kitchen. Kate tries talking Trowbridge out of the strategy and that they respond in a bloodless manner. Trowbridge is not convinced and asks her to bring something more viable. 

The dialogue is witty, rich, interesting, and delightfully disobedient. The Diplomat has merged serious drama with sharp humour and episode 6 is no different. But at the same time, there’s a sense that the plot has stagnated to some extent. We are spending way too much time on Trowbridge which is dampening the show’s momentum.

Trowbridge has become a caricature of a political leader, even though the intention was to show his indecisiveness and insecurity about his position. Episode 7 needs to pick up the pace and wrap up the plot. All the good work until now mustn’t go to waste.