The Diplomat ending explained: Who was responsible for the bombing?

The political drama ended with a major reveal.

By James Hibbs

Published: Wednesday, 03 May 2023 at 12:00 am

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Diplomat.

Netflix‘s latest political thriller The Diplomat has captured the attention of viewers on the streamer, soaring up into the platform’s Top 10.

The series follows Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) as she is unexpectedly selected to become the US ambassador to the UK.

Kate is tasked with dealing with all sorts of international crises while also navigating a number of personal woes. 

Things soon escalate, leading to a dramatic cliffhanger ending, which left the fate of many characters hanging in the balance and even teased the possibility of a Third World War.

While we wait for more news on season 2, which has now officially been confirmed, read on for everything you need to know about the ending, including who ordered the bombing on HMS Courageous and what happened to Hal and Stuart.

The Diplomat ending explained

Who ordered the bombing on HMS Courageous?

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T’Nia Miller as Cecilia and David Gyasi as Austin Dennison in The Diplomat.
Courtesy of Netflix

For a time it appeared that the Iranian Government had ordered the bombing of the UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Courageous. Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge announced he would “rain hellfire” upon Tehran if they are found responsible, giving him a bump in the polls.

When it later transpires that Iran were being framed for the incident, all eyes turned to Russia. It was discovered that the bombing had been carried out by Lenkov, a Russian mercenary.

However, when the Russian government offered him up to Britain and the US, and intelligence failed to discover the source of the order in the Russian state, it became clear they were not responsible either.

While in Paris, Kate discovered that an initial decision to arrest Lenkov had instead been turned into a assassination mission, on the orders of Trowbridge.

Speaking with foreign secretary Austin Dennison, the pair realised that Trowbridge was planning to kill Lenkov in order to cover his tracks – he was the one who employed Lenkov to bomb the HMS Courageous.

While his reasoning is not immediately made clear, it would seem he had ordered the attack so as to have cause to further target Russia, boosting his popularity and therefore lessening the chance the union would break up – an upcoming Scottish referendum could see the whole thing crumbling, thus becoming his legacy as PM.

It was a shock reveal which is sure to play into a potential second season. Who can Kate trust now? And what will she and Dennison do now they know Trowbridge’s secret?

What happened to Hal and Stuart in The Diplomat?

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Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell in The Diplomat.
Courtesy of Netflix

After making a speech in place of Kate, Hal was approached by Conservative MP Merritt Grove, who asked to speak directly with him away from the event.

Hal told Kate that he offered to contact the White House Chief of Staff, but Grove still wanted to speak with him instead. Stuart and Kate didn’t want the meeting to go ahead, with Stuart instead sending Ronnie to speak with Grove.

Grove stormed off when he realised, saying he didn’t want to speak to anyone from the US Ambassador’s office. Hal and Stuart approached him on the street from different sides, each trying to get to him first.

Just at that moment, as he opened his car door, Grove’s car exploded, an apparent assassination attempt which left both Hal and Stuart’s fates uncertain.

Kate was seen being approached by French police in Paris, seemingly informing her of the news. But are they dead or just injured? And why was Grove targeted? Could he have wanted to meet Hal because he knew Trowbridge’s secret and wanted to divulge it to him? Only time, and a potential second season, will tell…