The Diplomat

Don't play chicken with a country that's ready to lob a tactical nuke.

Try everything before that.

She's got a good idea.

It hasn't escaped me that you are an incredibly attractive, compassionate...

man.

But, at the moment, we have bigger fish to fry.

I gave you 15 years. Give me a chance.

So you're back-seat driving the vice president?

So I'm married to you.

We hit Russia, Russia hits back.

But the Lenkov Group isn't Russia, right?

Right now is the one time you get to break shit.

What is it that you think I should break?

The secretary of state.

You may not see that right now, but we're great together.

I feel it too. I can't think when you're in the same room. I can barely breathe.

U.S. and the UK go to war with Russia?

That's the kind of thing where people have babies.

- Are you asking me to have--? - No. That's the whole point.

But, a dog?

Do you want to be in a public relationship with me?

Yes.

It's better than one, isn't it?

What?

Two.

I should go.

Where?

Back to my room, before the staff find me.

You can relax for five minutes.

Are you asking me to stay?

I'm saying you can relax.

Are you asking me to stay?

Are you asking me to ask you to stay?

Should I?

I don't know.

Maybe.

I shouldn't do that to you.

You should do whatever you want to me.

I shouldn't.

I'm sorry.

Why?

I didn't think you could do it.

Because I'm an asshole.

You are an asshole but you had reason to worry.

You were great.

I always am. Sometimes you don't know 'til later.

You should not forgive me.

Maybe I won't.

- Nah, I will. - Don't do that.

Don't make me be the only one who thinks through the obstacles.

I can handle it.

I can't. I don't like being that angry at you.

So, what worked?

Last few days, it worked, right?

- It did. - Yeah, so why?

I don't know.

No, you gotta make it clear.

Obviously, I don't always know.

What worked?

I mean, you set the agenda.

You came up with a moonshot.

I made a few phone calls to make you feel you weren't in it alone.

That's not what you did.

- No? - No.

- So, what did I do? - You made a hundred phone calls.

You made people feel brilliant and important.

- They run after you, desperate to help. - They are brilliant and important.

The guy from Phoenix?

He's just important.

You didn't hate it?

What?

Being a backup singer.

No, I didn't.

I thought I would.

But, uh...

no.

It was kind of fun.

I don't want to do nothing.

Well, of course not.

I'm not ready to retire.

I would never think that.

You know, I didn't spend the last decade working on my tan.

Yeah, I know that.

It can be a big job, being a backup singer.

That's not quite what you did.

Humming.

You made it all happen.

Whatever fuck-witted scheme I came up with.

I don't think you should start with making it all happen.

- Sure. - That could get tricky.

Jesus, Kate,

I attended a two-day emergency meeting of world leaders

and I did not speak unless spoken to.

You were so great.

I spent a shocking amount of time discussing the rain.

You were so great.

Don't go.

Not yet.

Do you want me to stay?

I don't know.

But I don't want you to go.

Don't freak out.

Love it already.

I wanna hit pause on...

declaring our relationship status.

- Just 'til the Russia thing plays out. - Okay.

Is it?

Yeah.

What?

I'm cool, it's just...

What?

People have waited a long time for the Russia thing to play out.

I'm talking a week.

Napoleon told Joséphine he wanted to wait 'til the Russia thing played out.

I knew this was gonna be a problem.

I don't love lying to my boss.

She's been your boss for ten minutes. You can not love it a little longer.

I'm in that zone where it would've been weird to say something right off.

Now it's weird I haven't mentioned it yet.

- I don't mention things for a living. - Yeah, it's fucking weird.

I don't live under the misconception

that anybody knows the whole story of anything, ever.

So I'm not compelled to share everything I think I know.

I can leave stuff out.

Everybody does it.

I'm just cognizant of it.

This is some high-end rationalizing.

Nobody needs the distraction is the bottom line.

That's fine.

She's meeting Oleg Balakin today, right?

- Yeah. - Good.

We're messaging Russia through every plausible official channel

because every non-official channel's gone cold.

Langley's been calling old deconfliction lines

and the phones just keep ringing.

Are you throwing me a bone?

It's a fact.

Relevant to both of our professional portfolios.

This is worse than a mercy-fuck.

This is a mercy declassification of eyes-only intelligence.

I'm never telling you anything again.

So all our backchannels are dead?

I don't know.

- Wait for the briefing. - Come on.

I was all set to parade around with my girl on my arm.

This just keeps getting better.

Go to dinner with me tonight?

Maybe.

Will you look at me over candlelight?

Talk about Russian non-government paramilitary organizations?

You know I will.

You'll meet Russian Ambassador Oleg Balakin at the Foreign Office.

Inform him Britain knows that the Lenkov Company,

commissioned by the Russian government, carried out the attack on HMS Courageous.

And that Britain intends to take action against Lenkov troops in Libya,

with our blessing, in the next 24 hours.

And that will be the period at the end of the sentence.

Not the next in a series of escalating moves.

Morning.

And to you, sir.

All good?

It is.

Hmm.

You can keep going.

- Keep going. - I'll wait.

He can sit in on the briefing.

All right, then. Um...

You'll have talking points from State.

The same conversation is happening mil-to-mil, intel-to-intel,

every U.S. ambassador

to every Russian ambassador in every country.

Why are you doing a démarche at the Foreign Office?

Yeah, it's kind of weird.

United front. Us and the UK.

Why do you put eggs on top of the berries? Now there's eggs on them.

I'll separate it for you.

- Is that better? - Thank you.

- United front? - Yes.

Making it clear there's no daylight between us.

He'll be meeting with Dennison before he meets with you.

- What's his name? Belkin? - Balakin.

Oleg Balakin.

Russian ambassador to...

this place.

- You know him? - No.

You wanna call Sergei, find out if there's an angle?

- Sure. - Okay. What kind of angle?

Whatever, you know? He likes toast. He doesn't like toast.

He's a representative of the Russian Federation. He likes alcohol.

Didn't see it coming.

Be nice.

He's nervous.

Me? No.

- I'll stick to the talking points. - Thank you.

Period at the end of the sentence.

That's great.

He's trying to figure out how long he should wait

before he asks if this is a sign you're serious about VP.

- What, you and me getting along? - Yeah.

Tell him to be cool and try not to ruin it.