Now that there’s a plan on how to approach Russia, everything should be smooth sailing. All are in agreement that the idea to aid Libya from Roman Lenkov’s troops there makes sense. After all, they may not know how Russia’s involved, but they know that Lenkov’s directly tied to the HMS Courageous attack.

As the wheels start spinning to execute the plan, new information comes to light — in the most surreptitious of ways — and it’s back to playing political ping pong on Episode 7 of The Diplomat from creator Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland).

Kate and Hal seem to be on better terms — is the divorce off?

Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) and her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) are back in the sack, and this time it’s Kate who’s hanging onto Hal, telling him he doesn’t have to rush out. She wonders if they could salvage their marriage, and asks how he felt about being the “backup singer” in their relationship. He admits he’s taking to it better than expected. Kate’s still unsure if she wants him to stay, but for that moment, she tells him, “I don’t want you to go.”

Their relationship is stronger than ever outside the bedroom too, as Kate allows Hal to sit in on a briefing. But Hal always seems to have something up his sleeve. Time will tell. 

How are Stuart and Eidra doing with their decision to go public with their romance? 

CIA Station Chief Eidra Park (Ali Ahn) asks her secret-for-now boyfriend Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh) if they can hold off on announcing their relationship until the Russia situation plays out. Stuart doesn’t think it’s necessary to wait, but agrees.

Then Eidra casually mentions that all of the Russian back channels have gone cold, essentially tipping off Stuart on some secret CIA intelligence, though she claims it’s just a fact that’s relevant to both their jobs. This relationship seems to come with some job perks. 

How will the Russian plan be put into action?

Kate will meet with Russian ambassador Oleg Balakin (Ian Drysdale) to give him a heads-up about the plans. Stuart briefs Kate: She’ll tell Balakin they’re aware that Lenkov’s group commissioned the HMS Courageous attack and that the UK will take action against the Lenkov troops in Libya with the blessing of the US.

But the meeting kicks off on a strange note. Balakin barely utters a word. Suddenly, he launches into a tirade, scolding American arrogance and repeating that the Lenkov group is not synonymous with Russia. As his heated monologue continues verbally — loud enough that everyone outside can hear — Balakin slides a piece of paper over to Kate with directions to Stoudt Wine Co. 

Does Kate sneak off into a secret meeting with the Russian intelligence? 

While Balakin is scolding her, Kate follows his directions to the wine store across the way, where a woman leads her into a private cellar. She tells Kate that Lenkov has a kid with a woman named Laurissa Safonova in a villa in Cap d’Antibes, France, called La Colline, where he’ll arrive on the 30th for three days. After double-checking that she got the facts right, the woman disappears. 

Kate zips back to the office; Balakin still hasn’t softened his tone. They shake hands and she exits formally as if she never snuck off.

What does Kate do with the Lenkov info given to her by the Russians?

Kate is desperate to share the info –– especially with British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) –– but can’t get access to him. Instead, she sneaks out to a park to tell Stuart, who loops in Eidra. They wonder if Russia is messing with them or if they’re really innocent. Either way, they need to call off the Libya plans and focus on targeting Lenkov on his own. 

They decide that Kate needs to go back to Washington, DC, to deliver the news so that Russia can see that the tip is being taken seriously. 

This is serious stuff — is Hal really done meddling with Kate’s job?

Hal is called to the embassy, though he doesn’t know who’s beckoning him — turns out it’s White House Chief of Staff Billie Appiah (Nana Mensah) on a secure line, checking in on how things are going with Kate, particularly her grooming for the vice presidency. Hal says he’s impressed — and admittedly is proud of his wife’s work in the UK.

But then, Kate is called out of a meeting by Hal, who tells her President Rayburn (Michael McKean) wants to fire Miguel Ganon (Miguel Sandoval) as secretary of state — and Kate immediately thinks it’s because she threw him down to get the Libya plan approved.  

Later, Hal runs into a former colleague, Lewis Quainton (Glenn Wrage), at the embassy. They catch up and Lewis floats the idea of becoming secretary of state by Hal. Hal doesn’t disagree that he could be right for the role. Ganon’s the one who’s been holding him back from a major post, so this could be his way in.

How does Kate’s DC trip go?

Back in the nation’s capital, Kate’s time in the Oval Office is insignificant — only 40 seconds in a room of about 90 people. The Libya plan is called off, though that’s not what the Brits want. Kate says they need to speak to Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) first — she’s blindsided when she hears that Ganon just did. She travels all that way from London… and her voice goes unheard. 

Kate runs into an old colleague from Kabul, Jill Klein, and they grab a drink. Kate finds out that once her appointment to Kabul was scrapped, no one was let back in to Kabul. Jill updates her on everyone she knows there — and it’s not good. One had her phone taken away and isn’t allowed to leave her home, and another is likely dead. There are about 35,000 people there, still hoping to get out. This pulls at Kate’s heartstrings — she could’ve done such significant work there. 

On a sartorial note, Stuart had provided Kate with a gray suit for her DC trip — and she spends the minutes before going into the Oval Office trying to cover up a yogurt stain. When she gets back, she scolds Stuart. Black pantsuits only going forward. 

How does the prime minister react to the Libya plan being called off?

Back in London, Kate’s called to meet with Trowbridge, who reprimands her for calling off the Libya plans — he got the Ganon call just 12 minutes after he’d told Libya the Brits were going to help.

As she tells Hal what happened in DC, Kate breaks down sharing what she learned from Jill about what’s going on in Afghanistan. That’s where she should be. 

Dazed from the whirlwind, Kate says she needs to call Dennison to tell him what’s happening. Hal says she can do that in the morning. In silence, we see the Wylers where we started the episode — in bed. But the mood is markedly different. They’re sitting on opposite sides, getting ready to go to sleep in silence… worried what morning will bring. 

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