After Hal drops a bombshell that throws the UK alliance into jeopardy, Kate faces mounting pressure to control the damage by any means necessary.
Hal Wyler is a loose cannon. He cannot be contained. Kate knew that before she married him. Grace knew that before she named him Vice President. They're frustrated by his behavior. Yet they have to find a way to tolerate it and turn it into an asset for their aims. Kate tries a different approach. She will no longer instinctively berate him for his terrible decisions. It was a colossal error for him to brag about taking the Poseidon. It was all bluster. There wasn't a strategic purpose. He was asserting his dominance over a narcissist. Trowbridge is a loose cannon as well. Dennison provided guardrails to prevent him from engaging in his own worst impulses. That support is no longer there. He's gone at the precise moment the Americans need the Brits to act rationally and cooperatively. The mission was compartmentalized. Eidra didn't know. She now has to sell it as a righteous action. Libby will maintain his distance. He still respects her. They don't know what the future holds. Everyone tries to guess what Trowbridge will do next. His final action is completely unexpected. It's actually a noble thing. He resigns as Prime Minister. He realizes he has become the greatest liability to the preservation of his country. It's a skilled move that articulates what others have talked him up as.
Trowbridge is haunted by Margaret Roylin as soon as he learns what happened to Dennison. She's whispering in his ear. That explains how distracted he was at the negotiating table. He only heard what he wanted to hear. Kate's an idiot and Hal's an arrogant prick. The Americans proudly gloat about what they've accomplished at the United Kingdom's expense. He associates himself with his country. His identity is tied in with patriotism. He can't let his ego go. He believes he's finally unleashed. He has the opportunity to do whatever he wants. He wasn't particularly contained previously. He declared to the world that President Rayburn was responsible for the attack on the HMS Courageous. He refused to share the complicity within his own government. He needed to embarrass the Americans. He wanted to knock them down a few pegs. He was successful in delivering that blow. That reshaped relations. Countries no longer trust the United States at its word. It's more tense than ever before. Hal was called in to force the Brits to accept a bad deal. They couldn't admit that they wasted too much time failing to act. That only made things worse. And now, everyone walks away with a new reputation that will shape policymaking moving forward.
Kate wants to save Hal's job. She bolsters the argument that it was a strategic release of classified information. He brought in the Prime Minister with the President's blessing. All of that must be made retroactively true. There was no thinking. It happened in the heat of the moment. That's how Hal operates. He believes he knows best. It's alarming when Kate doesn't give him the response he expects. This is what their marriage now looks like. It's one of support. She doesn't push back. He doesn't know if she's upset about his mistake or Dennison's death. He expects a flood of emotions to explode at some point. He prepares himself. She ultimately disagrees with his suggestion to blackmail Trowbridge into compliance. She sees that as a measure of last resort. All of her training as a foreign service officer will surely find a practical solution before then. She has that confidence. She also gets a moment to mourn her friend and partner in this alliance. Yes, their romantic attraction went unrealized. However, she recognized Dennison as a great man. She wants to reach out and put a personal touch on her condolences. Hal doesn't think that's wise. He can't allow his wife to be exposed at a time of great uncertainty. Grace was shot next to him the last time things were this tense. He refuses to let that happen again.
Trowbridge spends several days in shock and straining to deliver a message. When he mourns Dennison in public, it's a fairly obvious threat to Grace. She is a graceless bully. She has single-handedly destroyed the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. Hal positions that to his benefit. It changes the narrative on Capitol Hill about the President. She is no longer weak. She's tough. She makes these bold moves without considering what the consequences will be. Everyone should step in line or face her wrath. Grace likes the sound of that. Billie and Todd contemplated getting Hal out of the administration. Hal once again lures Grace back in with his charm. He makes a case for his continual survival. It benefits her as well. It's all a play to ego. Across the ocean, Kate believes she too must assert dominance. Hal isn't truly apologetic for what he did. Those are hallow words. Trowbridge knows that. He just has to decide how to weaponize this information. Kate's tactics fail. Hal's work. Kate is the one who must implement them. Robyn Palmer was expected to be a doormat as the new Foreign Secretary. Instead, Kate reads her in immediately about Margaret Roylin's involvement with the Courageous attack and Trowbridge trying to kill her once he found out. Kate doesn't know whether or not this was the right move. It removes Trowbridge from power. That leaves plenty of uncertainty. Those who survive will have plenty of opportunities for their next moves. Yet the noble figures are the ones lost in the muck not knowing how things will shake out.
