This Diplomat character is at the heart of the series’ Season 2 conspiracy.

Rory Kinnear’s Nicol Trowbridge has all eyes on him in The Diplomat Season 2.

Kinnear’s character made his series debut in the first season of the hit Netflix drama, starring alongside A-list talents like Keri Russell.

His character, the British Prime Minister, plays closely off of Russell’s Kate Wyler, the new U.S. ambassador to the UK who gets intertwined in a potential terrorist plot to take down the English government.

Breaking Down Rory Kinnear’s Nicol Trowbridge

After being a part of some suspicious activities in Season 1, The Diplomat Season 2 pulled the sinister curtain back even further on Rory Kinnear’s Nicol Trowbridge.

Trowbridge is the British Prime Minister (PM) in the world of the hit Netflix series, who butts heads with several members of the Diplomat cast, including (but not limited to) Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler.

Season 1 focused on the in-universe government official as he deals with a nation in crisis. After months of his approval rating dropping amongst the British public, Trowbridge is thrust into action after a suspected terrorist attack on the UK naval ship, the HMS Courageous.

While he blames a foreign power, claiming the attack was the work of an Iraqi terrorist sect, viewers are led to believe that may not be the case.

In Season 1, it is suspected that Trowbridge hired the Russian assassin Lenkov to blow up the warship to untie his nation against a common enemy and, in turn, win over the favor of his constituents.

This culminates in Season 1 when another attack is carried out. This time, it targets fellow British parliamentarians and other government officials (including Kate Wyler’s bureaucrat husband, Hal).

The final explosion left audiences with a weird taste in their mouths. If Trowbridge was behind the devastating attacks, what was the fictional government official willing to do just to get his way?

Trowbridge’s Role in The Diplomat Season 2

Rory Kinnear’s Nicol Trowbridge takes even more of the spotlight in The Diplomat Season 2, as whispers of his culpability in the show’s ever-unfolding terrorist attacks grow louder.

The first few episodes of Season 2 see these suspicions bleed beyond just those at home watching the series.

With two members of parliament (MP) left dead following the Season 1 finale’s car bomb attack, Kate Wyler herself starts to believe that there may be something more nefarious going on behind this series of attacks.

One of the MPs who perished during the bombing was Simon Chandler’s Merritt Grove.

During Season 2, Kate discovers that Grove was trying to meet with her husband Hal (played by Rufus Sewell) when the Season 1 finale bombing occurred.

It turned out that Grove, a known dissenter among the in-power Tory government, had some information he wanted to pass off to Hal, potentially being news of Trobridge’s involvement in the HMS Courageous bombing.

With Grove dead, the coincidences stack up against Trowbridge, putting people like Kate Wyler into his scent.

One of the turning points of Season 2’s early goings includes Kate going to the U.S. government and asking that Trowbridge be investigated behind the scenes. This is a significant moment as it would be the first time the Americans have surveilled another leader of a major world power in quite some time.

Trowbridge continues to put on a good face despite word of his transgressions coming to light. He maintains that the bombs that killed his fellow MPs were the work of a foreign power, despite a forensic investigation into the explosion proving that the detonation device was British-made.

This spread further doubt about the PM beyond just a few select characters, as suspicion of Trowbridge quickly sweeps his government in the House of Parliament.

The Diplomat Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.