Keri Russell returns as a wise-cracking ambassador: NPR

Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell as Kate and Hal Wyler.

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At a time when it seems that political rhetoric couldn't be more bitter or outrageous, it's easy to see world leaders and the people who support them in the worst possible light.

But Netflix The diplomat offers a different vision of politics: one in which smart people are often the back-end drivers in government, and many of those involved are genuinely interested in improving lives — even if they do terrible things in the process.

This is the universe in which the Netflix series thrives The Americans Alum Keri Russell plays a no-nonsense, practical mid-level diplomat who is suddenly promoted to ambassador to Britain while plotting to make her America's next vice president.

The second season starts with a bang

As the show's second season begins, Russell's ambassador Kate Wyler deals with the aftermath of a cliffhanger that ended the first season. Her husband – former ambassador Hal Wyler – was hit by a car bomb explosion along with her deputy Stuart Hayford and another staff member as they attempted to meet with a British government official.

The officer may have already had information in the first season about who actually initiated a deadly attack on a British aircraft carrier. But instead of learning more, Kate's husband and two of her co-workers fell victim to another attack.

As British and American officials desperately try to figure out exactly what happened, we see it The diplomat Walk a delicious, compelling line between presenting powerful political drama and revealing the sad humanity of colleagues trying to recover from a deeply traumatic event.

Every appearance here is worth its weight in gold. Rory Kinnear plays the role of British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge's selfish braggart particularly well. Ali Ahn is currently receiving praise for her performance as a witch on Disney+ Agatha all the timeShe shines here as CIA station chief Eidra Park – trying to wisely and effectively support Kate while not-so-secretly worrying about Kate's deputy, Stuart, with whom she had a relationship.

Rufus Sewell is magnetic as Kate's husband Hal; She suspects he sees her ascension to vice president as his best path back to power, but he insists otherwise, testing their relationship. David Gyasi plays British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison as a precise but passionate ruler focused on doing the right thing for Britain, even as he grows closer to Kate and their marriage falls apart.

Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn.

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But it doesn't last until West Wing Alum Allison Janney steps in as current Vice President Grace Penn and we see the series' drama really come to life. As a brilliant vice president who may have to resign due to a financial scandal surrounding her husband, Penn does an excellent job of getting others to do what she wants while making them believe it was all her idea.

Some may have been worried that Janney was playing a souped-up version of herself West Wing Character, White House staffer CJ Cregg. But ultimately they don't have much in common, aside from their habit of speaking directly and their penchant for pantsuits.

A show that focuses on smart women at the top

What both of Janney's characters have in common, however, is that they are successful and effective women who make a difference in environments where their talents and achievements are often underestimated or overlooked.

In fact, there are several storylines in The diplomat is about smart women who skillfully manipulate powerful men into making better decisions than they could make on their own. These men aren't complete idiots, but they're also not as smart as they think they are – especially Trowbridge, a loud bully who leans heavily on several sharp women, including his wife.

In a particularly pointed argument in which Hal offers all the humiliating reasons why Penn should accept her fate and resign without endangering the president's agenda, Kate responds with a telling sentence. “What do you think my husband would do if it were him?” she says to Penn. “Would he stop?”

The answer – that Hal naturally assumes that the benefits he brings would outweigh the political costs – clearly outlines the specter of sexism that hangs over him The diplomat. In a world free of this particular “ism,” one gets the feeling that these women would actually occupy the positions of power rather than act as backseat drivers to the men who do so.

Complicated plots that pay off

As compelling as all of this is, the plot becomes even more complicated in the second season as Kate and her team begin to unravel what really happened in both the warship attack and the car bomb. New viewers looking to jump into the series now might be completely confused – it's best to make sure you know the events of the first season before jumping into the second.

But once you get used to it, you can sit back and enjoy a story set in a political universe where expertise is valued, competition plays out like a lengthy 3D chess game, and multiple employees caught in the middle , truly believe in the possibility of using their offices to make a better life for everyone.

Who would have thought that a gripping, fast-paced series about a global political conspiracy could – thanks to the dire state of our real-world political struggles – also feel like a kind of fantasy?