A great series is not “Diplomatic Relations”. Although it skilfully combines many popular elements from other formats and develops its own tone of voice, it is often strangely imprecise in their character drawing and plot development. The main character Kate, for example, is to be portrayed as a woman who, because of her cliché in the male world of British politics, has to contend with prejudice. At the same time, she remains strangely pale in her private moments and hardly develops a profile through the format of the desperate wife. In the same way, the story may be logically structured per se, but sometimes stumbles from event to event a bit hasty or relies on godfather coincidence and thus overstrains its own credibility.
Despite all its weaknesses, the success of “Diplomatic Relations” is no accident. The series thrives on its great cast, above all Keri Russell, who plays a series role for the second time after “The Americans” as if she were made for it. She has a disarming charisma, which immediately makes her likeable. In addition, the camera work is excellent: the eye is offered a lot here without great visual values in the actual sense. High-gloss look, sure, but skillfully and honestly stylish.
The high number of viewers can perhaps only be explained by a comparison with “The Night Agent”: Both series have in common that they rely on suspense, but only really escalate in isolated moments. Despite emotional or tense scenes, they can be watched relaxed on the couch and also do not require hyper-concentrated attention – among other things, because you already know all the individual set pieces from other series. For Netflix, this pays off: The cozy Friday evening does not require nail biters, but charming television, where you know what you are getting and still enjoy coming back. Netflix is making that promise right now, and its success suggests it’s working. No other streaming service is currently likely to have established such diplomatic relationships with its subscribers.
“Diplomatic Relations” has been available on Netflix since April 20, 2023.
