Spoiler warning: this explains the full Season 2 finale. The conspiracy is an inside job with both British and American participants. Grace Penn, then the U.S. vice president, originated the plan. Margaret “Meg” Roylin, a former adviser to Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge, organized it, and Russian mercenary Roman Lenkov carried out the attack on the British warship HMS Courageous.
Who is behind the conspiracy?
The answer depends on which kind of responsibility you mean. The show separates the person who came up with the political plan from the people who turned it into an attack.
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| Role | Character | What the character did |
|---|---|---|
| Originator | Grace Penn, then U.S. vice president | Planted the idea of attacking a British warship in Roylin’s mind as a way to stop the Scottish independence movement. |
| Organizer | Margaret “Meg” Roylin, former adviser to Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge | Arranged the operation and hired Lenkov. Told Kate that Trowbridge was not responsible. |
| Hired operative | Roman Lenkov, Russian mercenary | Carried out the staged attack on HMS Courageous. |
| Suspect who was cleared in the finale’s account | Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge | Initially suspected by Kate of ordering an attack on his own warship. Roylin says he did not order it. |
Penn is the political instigator, Roylin is the British operator, and Lenkov is the hired hand. Describing the plot as a Russian operation misreads the show, because both the political motive and the decision to use the attack trace back to the two Western characters. Creator Debora Cahn put the twist this way: “We spent all of this season trying to figure out which Brits are involved, and then we find out that the root of the problem is actually us; it’s an American thing.” (Netflix Tudum, finale explainer, November 26, 2025.)
How the attack unfolded
- Penn plants the idea. Penn puts the notion of attacking a British warship into Roylin’s mind, aimed at blocking Scottish independence.
- Roylin hires Lenkov. The stated intention is an attack staged to create public outrage, not to kill sailors.
- The attack kills 40 people. Instead of creating outrage without deaths, the attack killed 40 Royal Navy personnel, according to TheWrap’s ending explainer. Netflix Tudum’s recap uses the looser phrase “hundreds of sailors,” so if you quote the death toll, attribute the 40 figure to TheWrap.
- Kate suspects Trowbridge. Her first theory is that the prime minister ordered an attack on his own warship. Roylin tells her he was not responsible.
- Penn’s role surfaces. In the last minutes of Episode 5, Kate learns that Penn came up with the idea, according to Netflix Tudum’s finale explainer.
Because Roylin’s denial is the finale’s account of Trowbridge, claims that he ordered the attack are a misreading of the ending.
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Why Hal calls Rayburn, not Ganon
By the finale, Kate and Hal know Penn was involved. They weigh disclosure against the institutional cost of exposing a sitting vice president. Kate agrees they must inform Secretary of State Miguel Ganon and sends Hal to make the call. Hal instead asks for President William Rayburn.
| Disclosure path | What happens on screen | How the makers explain the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State Miguel Ganon | Kate’s chosen channel. Hal does not make this call. | Cahn describes Ganon as a questionable recipient of information from Hal, whom Ganon dislikes. Hal did not trust Ganon to handle the disclosure. |
| President William Rayburn | Hal asks for him. Rayburn reacts badly to the news and dies after hearing it. Hal calls Kate to tell her. | Director Alex Graves calls Hal’s choice instinctive and ambitious, and also an attempt to do what he thinks is right. |
Cahn frames the wider dilemma as a question of loyalty: “what do you do when you find out your boss is a war criminal? And 99.9% of the time you just go to work.” The 99.9% figure is her characterization, not a measured statistic.
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Penn becomes president, and the bind
At Winfield House, Secret Service agents rush to Grace Penn. The finale’s closing image, and the show’s own explanation of it, establish that Penn has become president. Kate and Hal now know their new president’s role in the conspiracy. That leaves them with two options: expose her and risk severe political consequences, or stay silent while she holds greater power.
What the ending settles and what it leaves open
The finale settles three things:
- Penn originated the attack plan to block Scottish independence.
- Hal bypassed Ganon because he did not trust Ganon to handle the disclosure.
- Rayburn is dead, and Penn has succeeded to the presidency.
It leaves three questions unanswered:
- What Kate and Hal will do with what they know.
- Whether Penn will remain protected.
- What the political consequences of any disclosure would be.
Fiction, not a documented incident
Netflix Tudum states that the drama is not based on actual events, although the production consulted former ambassadors, diplomats, CIA officers, and other political experts. Named consultants include UK civil servant Jonathan Powell, former CIA official Kari Amelung, and former White House staff member and consulting producer Eli Attie. Powell’s comment on the series’ realism is blunt: “This is not a documentary, this is entertainment.” (Netflix Tudum, production interview, May 5, 2025.) The HMS Courageous bombing and the Scottish independence plot are invented for the story and should not be read as a real incident.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch The Diplomat Season 2?
The Diplomat is a Netflix series, so Netflix is the place to stream Season 2. Availability varies by territory and can change over time, so check the title page on Netflix before planning a viewing.
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