WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Diplomate season 2.

The ending of The Diplomat season 2 reveals who was behind the attack on the HMS Courageous. Keri Russell leads the cast of The Diplomat season 2 along with Rufus Sewell as her husband Hal, David Gyasi as Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison, Ali Ahn as CIA operative Eidra Park, and Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge. The Diplomat season 2 picks up after the events of The Diplomat season 1’s ending, revealing that Hal and Ato Essandoh’s Stuart survived but Jess Chanliau’s Ronnie was killed in the explosion along with Member of Parliament Merritt Grove. As The Diplomat season 2 plays out, both Kate and Hal edge closer to the truth about Roman Lenkov and the government officials behind the false flag operation.

The most shocking twist in The Diplomat season 2 finale is that U.S. Vice President Grace Penn was behind the attack on the HMS Courageous. Hal initially discovers this intel from Margaret Roylin, who is also in on the elaborate false flag operation. Roylin was the one who, along with British Members of Parliament Merritt Grove and Lenny Stendig, hired Russian mercenary Roman Lenkov to attack the HMS Courageous. The attack was intended to inflict minor damage and was not supposed to result in British casualties. Due to supply issues, the Lenkov Group used more powerful explosives in the form of a submarine missile.

Netflix has already confirmed
The Diplomat
season 3.

President Rayburn Is Dead, Grace Penn Is Now President

The President died after hearing the truth about the V.P.

Kate discovers the Vice President’s plan by the end of The Diplomat season 2. She and Hal are unable to keep quiet knowing that Penn went around the President to authorize the attack on the HMS Courageous. Hal says he will speak to Secretary of State Miguel Ganon, who he has a rocky relationship with and who has the Cabinet position that Hal secretly wants. Instead, Hal speaks directly to President Rayburn over a secure line at the Embassy of London, telling him the truth about the Vice President, Margaret Roylin, and Roman Lenkov. This upsets President Rayburn, who was known to have heart issues, so much that it kills him.

Kate finally decides that she wants to become Vice President by the end of The Diplomat season 2, only to realize that the seat she thought would be vacant may no longer be available. Because of President Rayburn’s sudden death, Vice President Penn has become President Penn, which is why dozens of Secret Service members are shown running out to her at the end of the episode. Penn’s final words to Kate as Vice President are to keep the truth concealed for both of their sake. Penn takes a very stern tone with Kate, revealing a side that has yet to be seen.

Will Katherine Wyler Become Vice President?

The seat is now wide open after President Rayburn’s death

According to Section 2 of the 25th Amendment, the President must nominate someone for Vice President if the office is vacant, which will now be because President Rayburn is dead. There is a real chance that the newly appointed President Penn will make Wyler her Vice President since it would be better to her enemy close, especially when she is prone to become a whistleblower. In addition to the strategic benefit of Penn making Kate her Vice President, Penn actually was starting to like Kate before she became suspicious that Kate would blow her cover on the HMS Courageous. With the news of the President’s death, however, the HMS Courageous issue can be easily swept under the rug.

Who Was Responsible For The HMS Courageous Attack

Vice President Grace Penn ordered the attack to thwart Scotland’s independence

A far-right Member of Parliament named Lenny Stendig was the one who set up the bomb in Merritt Grove’s car. Stendig had intended only to take out his fellow MP Grove, and not Ronnie or any other American diplomatic staff member, in order to silence Grove once and for all. Margaret Roylin and Stendig feared that Grove would tell Hal and the Americans everything about their Roman Lenkov plot, which primarily involved Roylin pulling strings behind Prime Minister Trowbridge’s back. Ultimately, it was Vice President Grace Penn who had orchestrated the false flag operation to thwart Scotland’s independence.

Nicol Trowbridge Is Innocent, He Didn’t Hire Roman Lenkov

Prime Minister Trowbridge was the primary suspect behind Lenkov and the attack on the HMS Copuragoues throughout most of The Diplomat season 2. Kate and Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison suspected that Trowbirdge secretly hired Lenkov for political gain. In reality, Roylin enlisted Grove and Stendig to hire Lenkov at the request of Grace Penn. Roylin saw the benefit to Prime Minister Trowbirdge’s political reputation, while Penn was concerned about securing the longevity of the nuclear base at Creagan, Scotland.

The HMS Courageous Attack Was About Preventing Scottish Independence

Both Roylin and Penn had nationalistic interests in the false flag op

As Roylin noted in The Diplomat season 1 and Penn described to Kate in The Diplomat season 2, the attack on the HMS Courageous was all about unifying the UK and preventing Scotland from passing a referendum to call for independence. Roylin and Penn had separate reasons for orchestrating the false flag operation but both were of the utmost importance to their respective nations and governments. For Roylin, Scotland unifying with England against a common enemy such as Russia or Iran would repair the Prime Minister’s reputation. For Penn, thwarting Scotland’s independence was a vital step to ensure protection from Russian nuclear submarines attacking the East Coast of the United States.

Grace Penn, Creagan & Russian Nuclear Submarines Explained

Creagan is a vital nuclear base for the United States

Vice President Penn wanted to make sure that the Creagan nuclear base in Scotland couldn’t shut down due to the threat of Scottish independence. The Creagan nuclear base is the final geographical point that the United States could use to detect an incoming nuclear threat from a Russian subversive in the Arctic region. Without the Creagon nuclear base, the United States would become much more vulnerable to a nuclear threat via submarine from Russia. As a result, Vice President Peen staged an event that would unify Scotland and England to eliminate the threat of Scotland becoming an independent nation and shutting the base down as such.

The Diplomat Season 3 Story Setup: What We Know So Far

President Penn will be sworn in at the White House

Now that Penn will be the President of the United States at the start of The Diplomat season 3, she could set her sights on ending Kate’s career and silencing her as she and Roylin did Merritt Grove. It would surely be dangerous for Kate to continue exposing the truth about the HMS Courageous, especially since the death of President Rayburn will be a much bigger story than the leaked geopolitical intel. Kate would ultimately be betraying her own country to reveal the truth, which Hal would likely advise her against.

Kate will probably work closely with President Penn in The Diplomat season 3 as Vice President. She will have to learn how to live with the harsh realities of her new role, which was a rude awakening for her in season 2, and understand the tough decision that Penn had to make, one Kate confirmed she would have made herself. Kate’s relationship with Dennison will likely be strained, especially if the truth ever comes to light to him or Prime Minister Trowbridge, which would be disastrous. The Diplomat creator Debora Cahn told Netflix’s Tudum, “Season 3 flips the chessboard. In season 3, Kate lives the particular nightmare that is getting what you want.” This implies that Kate ends up getting V.P. in season 3.