What happened to Ronnie in The Diplomat? Explained

The Diplomat is a political thriller series created by Debora Cahn for Netflix. It premiered its first season on April 20, 2023, and its second season on October 31, 2024. The drama series is produced by Daniel Toland, Russ Hammonds, Amanda Johnson-Zetterström, and Nishchal Shome.

The Diplomat begins with Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) taking on the high-profile role of a US ambassador to the UK at the behest of President Rayburn (Michael McKean). She travels to London with her husband Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) and uncovers a deadly secret that implicates the American Vice President, Grace Penn (Allison Janney).

Kate works closely with Stuart Heyford (Ato Essandoh), the deputy chief of mission, who grooms her for a potential vice president role in the future. Among his team members is Ronnie Buckhurst, who serves as one of Stuart's trusted aides. Ronnie dies in a car explosion at the start of The Diplomat season 2 along with the British MP, Merritt Grove.

The show's official synopsis, as per Netflix, reads:

"Amid an international crisis, a US diplomat contends with her high-profile new job as ambassador to the UK and her turbulent marriage to a political star."

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Ronnie Buckhurst dies in a car explosion in The Diplomat

Ronnie Buckhurst as seen in the series (Image via X/@Netflix)

In The Diplomat, Ronnie Buckhurst works as a foreign service officer under Stuart Heyford. They are a trusted member of Stuart's team and accompany him to his various work meetings and appointments.

In the show's season 1 finale episode, Merritt Grove (Simon Chandler), a Tory member of Parliament, urges Hal to meet with him. But Kate tells her soon-to-be-ex-husband to cancel the meeting as she worries he is aiming for the Secretary of State position. Hal ignores her wishes and proceeds to attend the meeting but fails to reach on time.

In the meantime, Kate arranges for Stuart to intercept Hal and stop the meeting. Stuart arrives with Ronnie to meet Grove, who leaves the meeting after realizing that Kate won't be coming.

As Grove heads to his car and opens the door, the car explodes, instantly killing him. Ronnie, Hal, and Stuart, who were all right behind him, get seriously injured. The fate of three characters hangs in the balance at the end of season 1.

In the opening scene of The Diplomat season 2, Grove is confirmed to be dead. Ronnie is rushed to the hospital on a stretcher, giving hope to audiences that they may survive the attack. Despite undergoing a grueling 11-hour surgery, Ronnie dies in the hospital. Hal and Stuart both survive, albeit with serious injuries.

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Who plays Ronnie Buckhurst in The Diplomat?

The American-French actor Jess Chanliau plays the US embassy officer, Ronnie Buckhurst in the Netflix series. They were born in the United States, but spent their childhood in Paris before returning to their home country in their youth.

Jess has acted in films like Inmate Zero, The Riven, as well as the short films Play Time and Belly of Unbelief. Their television roles include playing BJill23 in the psychological drama, Brave New World on Peacock. In addition to acting, Jess is also a movement artist and singer.

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All episodes of The Diplomat are available to stream on Netflix.