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The stakes have never been higher in creator and writer Debora Cahn’s The Diplomat. The second season of the Golden Globe Award–nominated drama opens moments after the first season’s climactic conclusion: Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), an American diplomat and ambassador to the United Kingdom, has just learned about an explosion in London that affects her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), and members of her staff, including her deputy chief of mission, Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh).

It’s only the latest crisis Kate must navigate: She’s developed a romantic connection with Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), while also unofficially auditioning for the role of vice president in a struggling administration back home and investigating an attack on a British aircraft carrier by an unknown perpetrator.

Showrunner and executive producer Cahn (The West Wing) saw Season 2 as an opportunity to examine the trauma and emotions that arise from such a terrifying event, and the lingering impact this has on relationships, both interpersonal and diplomatic. “This horrific tragedy, and what events like this do to a group of people who are working together overseas, immediately took over the season — almost more than we had initially anticipated,” explains the Writers Guild of America Award winner. “The healing and grieving process is uneven and hard to predict; it was something that we wanted to honor as realistically as possible.”

The complete interview can be read over at Netflix.

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