Picks up where season 1 left off. The series starts with the aftermath of a car bomb in London. The car bomb injures the husband of the U.S. Ambassador named Kate Wyler, played by Keri Russell (The Americans and Felicity). It also injures one of Kate's employees and kills another. The first half of these six episodes is about that aftermath, people in recovery and Kate trying to figure out who placed the bomb and why. How she does so is dealing with guilt and then grappling with paranoia that the perpetrators might be part of an inside job. As she says, the call is coming from inside the house.
At the same time, the series has an undercurrent that began in the previous season and that goes into full force in the second half of these episodes. That undercurrent is about palace intrigue and the ambition of people to advance in their jobs or hold onto power however they can. In this case, it's about the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Vice President of the United States. It becomes a tug-of-war over whether the Prime Minister should be replaced and whether the Vice President should be replaced.
Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle and A Knight's Tale) co-stars as Hal Wyler, the husband to Kate. He's injured in the car bomb. In the previous season, his relationship with Kate is contentious. He's constantly arguing with her. He used to be the Ambassador before Kate and the way she does the job is different from his tactics, which he always criticizes. He's always giving her advice, which goes against her gut. His tactics and advice are bold and very ambitious.
His tactics are also self-aggrandizing. He likes to make himself stand out and call attention to himself. Kate is the opposite. She likes being invisible to a certain degree. She also likes being effective in her job and she realizes that not standing out isn't possible in her current job. It also won't be possible if she's given the Vice Presidency, which her husband pushes.
David Gyasi (Interstellar and Cloud Atlas) also co-stars as Austin Dennison, the Foreign Secretary, a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet. He develops a romantic interest in Kate and they become united in trying to solve the mystery of the car bomb. Like Kate, he's looking at changing jobs and moving up. In fact, he's thinking about going for the Prime Minister position itself. It's a matter for him of proving if the current Prime Minister should be removed. The majority of the series becomes about proving that question.
Ato Essandoh (Chicago Med and Away) reprises his role of Stuart Heyford. He's another of the injured victims from the car bomb. As such, he feels more sidelined this season. He was basically Kate's advisor and her right hand. He was a glorified assistant, but he was very knowledgeable about politics and the processes to being the ambassador in England. Advising Kate on how she should dress and behave are one of his main conflicts in the first season. His relationship with a CIA agent named Eidra Park, played by Ali Ahn (Agatha All Along and Raising Dion), is another of his main conflicts. Both these conflicts take a backseat in this season, which lessens his presence here.
Allison Janney (Mom and The West Wing) pops up in the last two episodes and she makes more of an impression and impact. She plays Grace Penn, the Vice President. At several points, she steals the show. She's the only worthy antagonist for Kate. Her interactions with her are really the stuff of brilliant writing.
Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 6 eps.
Available on Netflix.