‘The Diplomat’s Season 4 Finale Made This Star Throw His Script Across the Room (Again)
Taylor Gates is an Indiana native who earned her BFA in Creative Writing from the University of Evansville. She fell in love with entertainment by watching shows about chaotic families like Full House, The Nanny, Gilmore Girls, and The Fosters.
After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a writer, editor, and filmmaker. Today, she’s a sucker for dramedies — especially coming-of-age stories centering around complex female and LGBTQ+ characters. She has been with Collider since May 2022.
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Editor’s note: This interview contains spoilers for The Diplomat Season 4.
Summary
- Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn break down Eidra and Stuart's evolving relationship in The Diplomat Season 4.
- The duo also discuss the rising threat of Grace Penn being president.
- Essandoh and Ahn react to that shocking Season 4 cliffhanger and tease what's next for their characters.
Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn have been The Diplomat’s secret weapons from the beginning. They manage not just to stand out in an A-list cast that includes Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Allison Janney, and Bradley Whitford, but also to steal scenes in every episode. The former plays Stuart Hayford, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in London, while the latter takes on the role of Eidra Park, the CIA London Station Chief.
One of the most compelling parts of The Diplomat is seeing the way that these intense political jobs impact various relationships: Kate and Hal, Grace and Todd, and Stuart and Eidra. The Diplomat Season 4 shows Stuart and Eidra getting more serious, as well as facing more difficult challenges than ever before. In some ways, they couldn’t be more different — Stuart has sensitive golden retriever energy, while Eidra is a moody black cat — but they have always complemented each other exactly the way they need. And boy, do they need each other this season as Grace’s decisions get harder to understand and justify.
Collider got the chance to speak to Essandoh and Ahn about their characters this season. During the conversation, the two spoke about Stuart’s beautiful marriage monologue, Eidra’s grand apology gesture, being the catalyst for that shocking Season 4 cliffhanger, how they think their characters will react in Season 5, and more.
Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn Break Down Stuart and Eidra’s Relationship in ‘The Diplomat’ Season 4
“I do think it makes sense that the most emotionally inaccessible and compartmentalized person would then do the most earnest romantic gesture of the show.”
COLLIDER: I love how we're in Season 4 and still learning new things about the characters. Ali, this season we learned that Eidra was married. Have you always known that about her, or were you as surprised as we were? And what do you think that marriage was like?
ALI AHN: I was absolutely shocked that she was married. I'm guessing that marriage was short-lived. That's what I think. And I think it happened when she was young.
We see a lot of development between Stuart and Eidra. Ato, you have this beautiful monologue about marriage and what it means to him. How did you approach that moment?
ATO ESSANDOH: I have an embarrassment of riches because I have Ali to work with. I’m drafting off of the stuff that she gives me. I think that all of us in this show, we have actual friendships, and so I'm looking at this person's face, and I'm asking myself what friendship means, and what intimacy means. And I think what this show breaks down is that there's a surface-level relationship, but when we start to get into the mix of what a relationship actually is, these are the serious questions that we have to ask and have to learn about each other. It’s like what you said earlier: we're starting to learn new things about each other throughout the whole series, and I think that's what he's saying — “I want to be committed to this relationship and this journey.” Love is about the journey between the two characters, and I think that's what he's trying to say: “I want to go deeper with you.”
We, of course, have that lead to Eidra’s not proposal but sort of proposal with the pink Post-its and her standing on the desk. It's such a strange but perfect romantic gesture, for them. I'm curious what it was like for both of you to film that. It's so romcom-coded in something that is obviously a political thriller.
AHN: I think the scene you’re talking about with Ato sets that up. I think the way that Stuart articulates marriage is the first time Eidra’s like, “Well, if that's what marriage is, that doesn't sound that bad.” It’s so practical. I think she feels a lot of shame, actually. It's the first time that Stuart really calls her out, and I think she recognizes that she messed up. So that level of shame that Ato’s performance as Stuart drew out of Eidra in that moment allows for this big gesture because it's kind of her way of apologizing. And I don't think Eidra has ever apologized on the show, right? I don't think Eidra ever says, “Oh, I messed up.” I think she's just like, “This is what I had to do.” This is the first time she's like, “Oh, I messed up here.” I do think it makes sense that the most emotionally inaccessible and compartmentalized person would then do the most earnest romantic gesture of the show. But it's all still within the confines of the workplace. It's so brilliant that the writers were like, “We'll use Post-its.” It's a genius scene.
ESSANDOH: And also what I like about that is, when you love somebody, you are exposed and vulnerable. What an emotionally vulnerable move to put yourself out there and potentially make an asshole out of yourself. It's a really “silly” gesture, but it's really proof of how much Eidra loves Stuart that she's gonna risk herself looking unserious in her workplace and doing something so unserious. But that’s really what moves Stuart in a way that I don't think anybody else would understand besides Stuart in the moment with Eidra, which is, again, the brilliance of the writing.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Netflix Character Would Be Your Best Friend? Dustin · Emily · Wednesday · Gi-hun
Some friends drag you out of the house. Some sit with you on the worst night of your life. Netflix has written both, plus the one who tells you the truth you have been avoiding all week. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually do friendship, and find out which of them was always going to end up in your corner.
🧢Dustin(Stranger Things)
🗼Emily(Emily in Paris)
🕷️Wednesday(Wednesday)
🟢Gi-hun(Squid Game)
01
How do you usually end up making a new friend? The origin story says a lot about the friendship that follows it.
02
What is a perfect Saturday with your best friend? Friendship is mostly built out of very ordinary hours.
03
You call them at two in the morning. What happens? This is the real test of a friendship, and everybody knows it.
04
What do you want from them when you are clearly wrong? The best friendships are the ones that survive being corrected.
05
What do your friends actually value about you? The friend you attract says something about the friend you are.
06
You have a falling out. How does it go? How a friendship repairs itself matters more than how it breaks.
07
What do you actually need a best friend for? Everybody is missing something. The right friend fills that gap.
08
Ten years from now, what keeps the two of you close? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who you get.
The Group Chat Has Spoken Your Best Friend Is…
Four Netflix characters, four completely different ways of showing up for somebody. This is the one who fits how you actually do friendship, and what having them in your life would be like.
Dustin Henderson
You do not do friendship at half volume, and neither does he. What you want is somebody who says yes to the plan before you have finished describing the plan.
- Dustin is the friend the entire show runs on: loyal past the point of sense, enthusiastic about everything, and incapable of leaving anybody behind.
- You have the same instinct. Your friendships are loud, specific and slightly ridiculous, and they last for decades because of it.
- He is also the one person who would take your strangest interest completely seriously, which is far rarer than it sounds.
- You would have a group chat. It would never once be quiet.
Emily Cooper
You are the friend who makes things happen, and so is she. Together you would be mildly exhausting to everyone around you and completely delighted with yourselves.
- Emily treats an ordinary Tuesday as something that could be turned into an occasion, which is either the best or the worst quality in a friend depending on your energy levels.
- You share her refusal to sit still. Neither of you has ever accepted a night in when something was happening somewhere else.
- She is far more loyal than people give her credit for. She defends her friends loudly, publicly, and occasionally before checking the facts.
- She would post the photo without asking. You would forgive her, because it is a very good photo.
Wednesday Addams
You have no patience for pleasant lies, and she has no ability to tell them. What looks like coldness from the outside is the most reliable friendship on this list.
- Wednesday never says a kind thing she does not mean, which makes the rare ones count for an enormous amount.
- You would rather be told the truth than be made comfortable. She is constitutionally incapable of offering you anything else.
- Underneath all of it she is ferociously protective. She simply refuses to make a performance out of caring.
- Do not expect a birthday message. Do expect her to ruin anyone who wrongs you.
Seong Gi-hun
You look after whoever is having the worst day. So does he. It is the least strategic way to move through the world and the best possible quality in a friend.
- Gi-hun is not the strongest player in Squid Game, or the cleverest. He is the one who keeps choosing to protect somebody else, over and over, at genuine cost to himself.
- You have the same instinct. You notice who is struggling and you stay with them, long after anybody would blame you for leaving.
- He is a flawed friend, and that is part of why it lands. He lets people down, then comes back and tries again, which is more than most manage.
- He would give you his last chance and never once mention that he had done it.
I also love how it sort of built to that scene in the finale with the two of you singing together while getting ready. I'm curious if you can talk about filming that because you have to be so in sync and use your musical talents.
AHN: Listen, the world deserves to see Ato Essandoh dance and sing. That scene was sweet, sweet joy, and as soon as I walked off camera, I would run to the monitor because I wanted to watch Ato finish out that song. All my scenes this season with Ato are just a delight. It's honestly criminal that this is work. I always knew that Ato was going to kill it in that scene. I really believe half of my performance as Eidra is Ato’s performance as Stuart. I think how lovable Stuart is and how smart, dynamic, and kind actually humanizes Eidra. I can go hard because Stuart is so generous and kind. In tandem, it makes sense. If I didn’t have Ato as my partner, I think this character would resonate very differently.
ESSANDOH: You're welcome. [Laughs] I think we reflect each other, right? Stuart has a deep understanding and a deep love for Eidra. Stuart sees the subtleties other people don’t recognize, and Stuart sees the cracks in her that he can sort of wedge himself into. Also, he has a lot of patience. Like he says in that one monologue, you have to have patience with each other. Eidra has to have as much patience with Stuart as Stuart has to have with Eidra — it just manifests itself differently — and that's what's beautiful about relationships. We re-understand each other's stories as time progresses, and I think that's what's lovely about all of that. And so they do things in sync. I love that she rolls out that little suitcase almost automatically without thinking. It’s that whole thing that people who know and love each other have a language that goes beyond actually speaking words, which is what makes everything that Debora Cahn writes beautiful.
Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn on the Threat of Grace Penn in ‘The Diplomat’ Season 4
“It's their last attempt to keep the train on the tracks.”
Stuart finds himself in a really tricky position when Frances tells him everything she overheard Kate telling Todd about what went down. What do you think he's feeling in that moment?
ESSANDOH: Confusion. Stuart, I always say, is sort of the idealistic view of the show and the idealistic character of the show. He is always trying to find the straight and narrow — the bright white line between good and evil — so this is something that is earth-shattering. But I have to get information first before I can act, and I think that is what he's always pushing up against, especially with Kate and Hal. He seems to think that they react sort of emotionally in the moment and never think things through. It’s a huge charge to say somebody's basically committed treason, and a civilian has just heard that, so how do you handle this? This is another issue that Stuart has to work out with Kate, Hal, and everybody else. It's a really dangerous place to be.
This leads to Kate asking Eidra and Stuart’s opinion on whether everything that she and the Penn administration are doing is lawless and unacceptable, and you both say yes. Do you think it was difficult or scary for them to tell her the truth in that instance?
AHN: I don't think so because I think it's their last attempt to keep the train on the tracks. I think that Kate is their best hope for some kind of reason in what is clearly uncharted territory in terms of the bending of rules. I think this is actually where Eidra and Stuart are really aligned. They actually are incredibly mission-driven people, and they both really believe in what they're doing. Even if maybe the things that Eidra is willing to do for those ends are different than what Stuart is willing to do, I think that they both are incredibly principled people in that way.
Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn React to That Season 4 Cliffhanger and Tease Season 5
“This season shocked us all.”
Ato, I've heard through the grapevine that your reactions to the finale cliffhangers are absolutely legendary. Can you walk me through what it was like to read this one?
ESSANDOH: They do this gangster stuff where they'll redact the last line. As a fan and as a member of the show, I think I know what's gonna happen, right? And then when we get to the read-through, and then they rip that line across, I go, “Holy shit.” I get so happy that I get angry, do you know what I mean? I'm in the show, right? I know who these characters are. I try to predict what's gonna happen, and I can't. So that makes me joyously angry at Debora and the writers. I will pick up a script and throw it, not because I'm mad at the script, but because I’m so mad at myself for not being able to get it. Do you know what I mean? So that's kind of where I am. And every season this happens, and there's another one where I go, “I don't know how they're gonna top it.”
AHN: Every season it's different, too. This season shocked us all. I think we were all so moved and profoundly emotional at what these characters were doing at the very end. And so proud, even though it's fictional — so proud to be affiliated with what they're doing.
It’s so cool because this cliffhanger sees Stuart as kind of the catalyst for it in many ways. Ato, what is it like to have Stuart playing that pivotal role, and then how do you think Stuart is going to react to hearing what happened?
ESSANDOH: What I think is beautiful is the subtlety about that — it’s the “underlings” who are doing the work and who are taking the blows that maybe the people at the top don't see and the citizenry doesn't know. There are people who are dedicating their lives and are willing to fall on the sword. When it happens to him, he is bereft, and he is devastated, but I think when he hears what the outcome was and the four people who join him, I think it will resurrect him. At this point, he is at the end of his rope, so when he sees that what he has done has maybe been the catalyst for something even greater, I think there will be some pride and a recognition that he’s done something well. He’s done something good.
I want to throw a similar question to you, Ali. The last time we see Eidra, she’s not super happy with Kate. She's obviously very upset with the situation. Do you think this is going to be enough for Kate to get back in her good graces? How do you think Eidra will react to all of this?
AHN: I think it helps that Kate walked out, but I think Eidra, being in the CIA, knows that anyone's alliances can change at any point. I think she wants to wait and see. Because she went to Kate and asked Kate to help her with Stuart, and Kate basically didn’t. She didn't push hard enough. I think it helps that Kate took that stance, for sure, but I think Eidra probably still wants to see some action that's not just about Kate doing what's right for Kate's integrity. She needs someone to help her man!
The Diplomat Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.
- Release Date
- 2023 - 2023-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Debora Cahn
- Directors
- Alex Graves, Andrew Bernstein, Simon Cellan Jones, Tucker Gates
- Writers
- Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Julianna Meagher, Mia Chung, Peter Noah, Eli Attie
-
Ambassador Kate Wyler
-
Hal Wyler
The Diplomat follows a career diplomat who, amid an international crisis, is thrust into a high-profile role she is ill-prepared for, creating significant challenges for both her marital and political aspirations.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.