Lambs In The Dark – The episode opens with President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) visiting London. Ambassador Katherine “Kate” Wyler (Keri Russell) and Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) greet him as he emerges from the helicopter. The president describes Hal as “a bad fu**ing penny.” Hal admits to telling Kate that she is a prospect for the next vice president. Billie Appiah (Nana Mensah) assures her there is time to think about it since she is on a short list. Kate warns that Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge will repeat his threat, “hellfire on Tehran,” with President Rayburn at his side. Kate fails to convince the President that Iran didn’t attack HMS Courageous. Hal admits to speaking with Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Rasoul Shahin (Bijan Daneshmand) after they abducted him. Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh) stresses it was a pull-aside.

Shaking his hand, the president expresses relief that Iran is in the clear. Kate suggests looking at Saudi Arabia or Russia. President Rayburn says his stop in London should have been canceled. Hal tells him about Kate asking Secretary of State Miguel Ganon (Miguel Sandoval) to cancel but he refused. Frances Munning (Penny Downie) alerts them of Prime Minister Trowbridge’s arrival.

Kate and Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) agree to a one-on-one luncheon so President Rayburn can convince Prime Minister Trowbridge that Iran didn’t carry out the carrier attack. Billie informs her of Grace Penn’s husband misplacing a $6.3-million NIH grant. She says the four female candidates on the short list would love the opportunity to jumpstart their presidential campaign. She pitches her idea when Ronnie (Jess Chanliau) removes Hayford to speak with Eidra Graham (Ali Ahn). She informs him of an Iraq-based CIA analyst, Carole Langetti (Laurel Lefkow) requesting the GCHQ for a cellular signals intelligence collection. She says Carole and Kate worked together in Baghdad. He reminds her that they ask their contacts in foreign countries for favors all the time.

Eidra confronts Kate about Carole’s request. After apologizing for getting Carole involved, Kate reminds her of how she reacted when she suggested a call list from the GCHQ. Kate admits to not trusting Hal. She says Hal initiated the entire thing by contacting Shahin. Pensy (Georgie Henley) asks Hal to join them in the library. Billie informs Hayford of Iran relocating an infantry battalion from the Pakistan border to the coast. Hal tells Eidra that he called his contact in Italy to contact Shahin in Iran. Kate warns he could be looking at 10 years if Ganon who detests him wants to press it. Eidra asks him to put his conversation with Shahin and Basir (Reza Diako) on paper. She apologizes to Kate for not listening to her sooner.

Kate says the prime minister and president are having their coffee. Billie tells her the president’s heart condition puts him at risk of Afib which is triggered by coffee. Andrew (Leroy Bonsu) interrupts the meeting to discover the hostess served tea, not coffee. President Rayburn informs Billie that a carrier group will be dispatched to the Persian Gulf and give the servicemen aboard the HMS Courageous a ride to Bahrain. Alysse (Pearl Mackie) tells Billie that Kate would like a Keel report from the HMS Courageous. Billie seems confused by the request.

Dennison confirms the HMS Courageous is expectedly taking on water but it’s designed to remain afloat following a strike. Kate asks why President Rayburn believes it’s sinking. He reminds her of the president’s promise to send warships on the rescue mission. He suggests the president would have refused the prime minister’s request for a show of force in the Gulf because it could have resulted in a catastrophic conflict involving both countries. She demands he intervene to stop Trowbridge. He claims to have asked her to convince the president to intervene. She denies he made such a request. He warns, “The house is on fire.” He admits it’s too much for him to manage alone and would like to trust her to help him.

Kate tells Eidra and Billie that Trowbridge played the president, there is no sinking HMS Courageous. She warns against him sending warships to the Persian Gulf because Trowbridge is setting up an attack on American ships. Billie and Eidra suggest speaking with Shahin. Kate says Shahin and his family will be killed after he invested years in building rapport with the reformists, mullahs, and military. She pleads with them to utilize the intel he recently gave them. Billie complies with her request.

Billie and Hayford talk vice presidency tactics with Kate. Hayford suggests thinking about it as doing it for the country. Hal enters the room. After agreeing to consider, Kate becomes upset with Hal after learning he knew for a month. Hal explains how it went down. She asks if he truly thought their marriage was over two weeks ago when he suggested calling their attorney, Rick. When he says, “No,” she physically attacks him. A security guard intervenes when he says Billie needs a word. Billie suggests she try to convince the president to recant his offer to send a carrier group to the Gulf.

Refusing to fix her disheveled appearance, Kate recommends Marla Dane for the American ambassador to the United Kingdom and the vice president. President Rayburn asks about her plans. She informs him of her decision to step down before telling him about Saman Karimi. He asks if she believes Quds Force will surround the Fifth Fleet. She says they will hit whatever is in their sight with a rocket-propelled grenade. He reminds her of his promise. He cancels the carrier group. Kate tells Billie that she won’t be considering the vice presidency. The president admits her wasting his time trying to resign is infuriating him. The episode ends.

 

The Diplomat Review

As the president prepares to land at the Winfield House, Kate grows more concerned about Trowbridge’s “Hellfire on Tehran” threat. The Rayburn beside Trowbridge would send a dangerous signal to Iran. When the president learns about Hal’s pull-aside and Shahin’s guarantee that Iran didn’t carry out the carrier strike, he agrees with Kate that his trip should have been canceled. During a one-on-one luncheon, Prime Minister Trowbridge convinces President Rayburn to send a carrier group to the Persian Gulf to rescue the servicemen aboard the “sinking” HMS Courageous. Confiding in Kate, Dennison says the carrier isn’t sinking. Trowbridge wants America to demonstrate a show of force in the Persian Gulf. Kate relays the information to Billie and Eidra but refuses to get Shahin involved.

Billie and Hayford tell Kate about their plan to have her replace the soon-to-be former vice president. After agreeing to consider, she physically attacks Hal for saying he knew their marriage wasn’t over when he recommended she contact their attorney about a divorce. When Billie fails to convince Rayburn to recant on the rescue mission, Kate is their only hope. A disheveled Kate pulls it off.

The show portrays the prime minister as reckless in making diplomatic decisions and the president as a fragile weakling. Thankfully, the female Ambassador has a plan to save America from a catastrophic military conflict.

Although Kate is passionate about protecting America, she isn’t an ideal diplomat. Her brutal assault on her husband on the grounds of the Winfield House while security looked on was outlandish. Appearing before the US President in a disheveled mess is embarrassing for Americans.

The episode deserves 5.5. Get more The Diplomat recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link. Learn how our onsite advertising can help build your online brand awareness.