Who died at the end of 'The Diplomat'? Why the Netflix show could only really kill one character

With 'The Diplomat' ending on a massive cliffhanger, there's only one person who could have died in the explosion

PUBLISHED APR 22, 2023

Ato Essandoh as Stuart Heyford and Rufus Sewell as Hal in 'The Diplomat' (Netflix)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Netflix’s latest political drama ‘The Diplomat’ has managed to exceed all expectations and garnered positive reviews from critics as well as viewers. The series primarily focuses on a US diplomat named Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) who is set to go to Kabul because she is amazing in crisis zones. However, things go really weird when the President of the United States calls her to the White House to talk about something. It turns out the POTUS doesn’t want him to go to Kabul. Instead, he wants her to go to London and stay there as an Ambassador after a British warship is attacked by a group of unknown mercenaries.

Kate is given a task to reach the UK and diffuse the problematic situation. The UK thinks Iran is behind the attack, but everyone believes that they wanted to give an answer to the US for something that they did in the past. Over the course of eight episodes, viewers see how Kate tries to deal with weakening international relations. However, she doesn’t know the real motive behind Kate’s visit there. In the last episode of ‘The Diplomat’, Kate and Dennison make the plan to visit Paris in hopes of mending relations and dealing with all the things related to Roman Lenkov.

'The Diplomat' Ending Explained: An explosive finale for the lady in red

As the finale episode reaches its conclusion, it turns out that UK PM Trowbridge hired Lenkov and was responsible for the attack that took place on the British warship.

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in a still from 'The Diplomat' (Netflix)

However, the finale ends with a massive cliffhanger and we see Hal and Hayford on their way to approach the Tory MP, Merritt Grove. There's a huge explosion as Grove opens his car door, and the casualties are unknown. The ending makes everyone wonder who all died and who all survived this explosion. Let’s take a look at what could have happened at the end.

Is Hal dead?

Hal actually has the slimmest chance of being dead in the explosion because he is one of the best characters on the show. Also, his story with Kate is certainly not over. Hal gave a rousing speech at the Chatham House which was undoubtedly one of the most epic moments of the series. His speech was so moving that everyone wanted to talk to him and one Tory MP wanted to have drinks with him, later. Kate was really angry at what happened, but she went ahead with the plan.

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler in 'The Diplomat' (Netflix)

Hal is one of those characters that make the show really interesting. He is not only a source of comic relief, but he’s also the person who is pushing Kate forward. With everything going on between Kate and Hal, it would be suicidal to kill a character like Hal.

So, it’s highly possible that Hal survived the attack and if ‘The Diplomat’ is renewed for Season 2, we are going to see him again.

Is Stuart dead?

Another character who could have been a casualty in the explosion is Stuart. Just like Hal, he is also one of those characters that can’t be killed so early. He is literally the right hand of Kate and has helped her in every possible way. It is Stuart who briefs her in the end about the meeting with Russian Ambassador Oleg Balakin. So, he is one of the key players in this entire situation and his death would be a disaster for the show.

Ato Essandoh as Stuart Hayford in 'The Diplomat' (Netflix)

Also, he is not one of the side characters, he is a kingmaker-in-the making and will play an important role in solving the entire mystery.

Is Ronnie dead?

When the explosion takes place, the only person in direct range of the blast is Ronnie. Their death might be enough tragic for all the major players to go ahead with the plan and give a befitting reply to the culprits. Also, their death doesn’t cause any kind of diversion from the main storyline.

Jess Chanliau as Ronnie in 'The Diplomat' (Netflix)

With Season 1 of ‘The Diplomat’ ending with a massive cliffhanger, it would be interesting to see which character could have survived the explosion. Netflix might come with the announcement of Season 2 really soon because of glaring reviews and to be honest, it’s one of those shows that viewers would be interested in seeing again.