The Diplomat Theory: Hal Survived The Car Explosion

The Netflix political drama "The Diplomat" has officially been renewed for a second season, and after the explosive cliffhanger in the season finale, it can't arrive fast enough to appease fans. The thriller became a hit for the streaming giant, thanks to excellent writing and a fantastic cast. We never had any doubt that Keri Russell would seamlessly step into the shoes of Ambassador Kate Wyler after her Emmy-nominated performance as undercover KGB operative Elizabeth Jennings in "The Americans."

Rufus Sewell is better known for his dramatic roles, but characters like Jasper in "The Holiday" and Declan Howell in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" have proven that he can play charming and magnetic just as easily. Audiences fell in love with Hal Wyler on "The Diplomat" – the charismatic and extroverted husband of Kate. Despite the fact that they've decided their marriage is over, Kate still values Hal's opinion, and as frustrating as she can get with him, she knows how valuable he is. Given how much we've come to love the unfiltered Hal, seeing the car blow up with him steps away in the season finale was a shock, but fans are adamant that there's a strong chance he survived the explosion, given his proximity to the blast.

In "The Diplomat's finale episode, we see Hal Wyler walking towards Sir Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler), still trying to talk to the man despite Kate and her office attempting to shut down the meeting. With Kate and Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) just making the discovery that the Prime Minister was behind the attack that killed British sailors, it seems likely Merritt had information related to the news to share. But as Hal walks towards him from one side, Stuart Heyford (Ato Essandoh) and Ronnie (Jess Chanliau) come from the other. Of course, it is just at this moment that Grove's car explodes.

While the look on Kate's face at the end of the episode when she's obviously told what happened led viewers to jump to the conclusion that Hal had died, it's possible she was being told that Ronnie died, and Stuart and Hal are badly hurt. It seems improbable that Ronnie survived the blast as she was standing closest to Grove, but the camera captured Heywood flying back from the blast, and viewers barely saw Hal in the shot at all.

On Reddit, some fans have expressed doubt that Hal was killed in the explosion. "It'd be a crime against humanity to kill Rufus Sewell (Hal) off so early," u/ApparentlyIronic wrote on the show's subreddit. "He's excellent in every scene he's in." Another Redditor, u/Cholla2, wrote, "Funny, i only assumed it was Hal that was injured/killed but then something I read pointed out that it could have been stuart."

Hal surviving to return in Season 2 may be wishful thinking, but until "The Diplomat" returns, fans are going to hang onto their hopes.