Drama
Cupertino
CBS’ ‘Cupertino’ takes your usual legal drama fare to Silicon Valley, where two lawyers try to help victims exploited by tech companies.
All it took was one explosion hundreds of miles away to change Kate Wyler’s trajectory.
She was to be the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in Kabul, but then—BOOM. A foreign entity blew up part of a British aircraft carrier, killing 41 servicemen, and everyone suspects Iran. After all, only two days prior, the U.S. had angered the country.
So now, as a show of solidarity, President Rayburn has decided to send Kate to fill the role as U.S. ambassador to the U.K.
Normally, Kate’s husband, Hal, would be the perfect fit for the position. After all, he’s an experienced ambassador himself. But he recently called the secretary of state a war criminal, so the president isn’t willing to send the controversial diplomat to fill in anywhere.
Of course, Hal isn’t the kind of man to just sit back and watch. Before Kate can even start to get settled in her new role, he takes it upon himself to start talking with his connections. He’s a backseat driver who’s going to grab the wheel unless you swat his hand away—or better yet, tie him up and throw him in the trunk.
That interference absolutely ruins things for Kate: She was secretly being vetted as a replacement for the vice president, but when Rayburn suddenly dies—making Vice President Grace Penn the new commander in chief—Hal’s scheming grants him in that coveted VP position instead.
But all of that is minimal compared to this exploded carrier debacle. Secret nukes were involved, nations are starting to toss not-so-idle threats around, and war looms on the horizon. Unless Kate can use her newfound position to quench the growing fires, the whole world just might go up in flames.
The Diplomat is a thriller with few action scenes and fewer moments when diplomacy doesn’t require jumping over a thousand hurdles. And as boring as a diplomatic thriller may sound, the Netflix series dives into the genre well. In that regard, I’d explain it as such: The Diplomat is not the dread of a malfunctioning roller coaster; it’s the slow burn of being forced to wait in the broken coaster’s line, unable to leave and knowing that the danger is only one turnstile away.
But despite the engaging plot, let’s address the screws falling off the side of this thrill ride. Viewers who strap in will need to grow accustomed to a rampant amount of heavy swearing and sexual references. As the series progresses, we’ll see a few sex scenes where the rears of the men and women involved are visible. Several characters engage in extramarital affairs. One character identifies as nonbinary. Finally, though the actual action is minimal, a couple episodes give way to an explosion or shootout or two.
If you’re brought in by the plot, be my guest. But know that the content concerns are non-negotiable.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Our troupe of politicians pays a visit to Windsor Castle to sort out who intercepted a Russian submarine housing a nuclear weapon called the Poseidon. As always with these elected officials, the truth is relative and can bend to fit their personal narratives.
Kate’s relationship with President Penn is rather rocky. So when she confronts Penn over the president’s perceived close relationship with Hal, things become even more complicated. Intentions are unclear as relational dynamics shift, and the backdrop of increasingly angry protestors looms over these politicians’ decisions.
The threat of nuclear devastation is, of course, on the table here, as well as which nation may retaliate against which as the truth of who holds Poseidon becomes clear. A character gets nicked by a bullet, their shirt pooling in blood before the episode ends. A splinter in a character’s hand causes some pain.
While no explicit sexual moments are witnessed in this episode, Kate says she regrets her decision to cheat on her husband earlier in the series. Within the spiraling conversations regarding the female president and her male vice president’s close relationship (both politicians are married to others), sexual jabs are made. A character sarcastically reports that he “witched” someone with his “raw sexual energy.” A seemingly innocent comment involving the word “package” is turned into a sexual innuendo.
A couple burdened by hurt from one partner’s infidelity shares a sweet moment in a church, where they quietly and privately renew their marriage vows.
Harsh language persists, including close to 15 f-words and about half as many s-words. One use each of “d–k” and “h—,” as well as 4 mentions of “a–.” Jesus’ name is misused 3 times and God’s twice—once paired with “d–n.”
Because a car bombing is linked to a dead British MP, Kate begins to investigate whether the terrorist attack was instigated by someone inside the British government.
We see a burning car following a car bomb explosion. We also see a few people being wheeled away by paramedics, their faces covered in soot and blood. We’re told that one victim of this attack was killed, and surgeons operate on another victim. The camera shows the surgical wound on the man. Someone dies in surgery.
Kate changes out of her dress, and she later swaps pants. In both cases, nothing is shown.
The f-word is used eight times. “H—” is used twice. God’s name is used in vain once, and Jesus’ name is likewise abused three times.
When an unknown adversary causes an explosion upon a British carrier, Kate Wyler is suddenly thrust into the role of U.S. ambassador to the U.K.
An explosion is seen upon an aircraft carrier, and we’re told it’s killed 41 servicemen. We hear a joke about committing ritual suicide. Someone is forcefully drugged.
Kate is seen in her bra. Hal sniffs Kate’s crotch through her pants. We hear a crude reference to sex. A painting displays the rear of a naked boy, and another painting shows the rears of a couple women. There’s a reference to male arousal, and we hear another person joke about oral sex.
The f-word is used nearly 25 times. The s-word is heard nine times. We also hear “a–” used nine times. “P-ss” is used twice, and “d–k” is used once. God’s name is abused seven times, including once in the form of “g-dd–n.” Jesus’ name is used in vain four times—one of which is interrupted by an f-word.
Jonah Parker’s first interaction with Plugged In came when he was just five years old, after his parents read a review for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and deemed the content too intense for him. What started out as a contentious relationship between Jonah and a staff of reviewers who knew not of his existence would later turn into an appreciation for the site’s ability to present media content in a way that was accurate and fair. Jonah enjoys analyzing how our entertainment echoes the creativity of our Creator while finding glimpses of Biblical truths within every genre. He believes that Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile is the perfect mix of cool and practical.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
CBS’ ‘Cupertino’ takes your usual legal drama fare to Silicon Valley, where two lawyers try to help victims exploited by tech companies.
Netflix’s ‘Below’ offers Shyamalan-esque thrills but adds a frigid wave of harsh content that audiences may not be expecting.
The Avatar is reincarnated once again in ‘Seven Havens,’ this time in the form of twin sisters and paired with some thematically heavier content.
Vision is alive again—or as much as the AI synth ever is—in Disney+’s ‘VisionQuest.’ Though violent and profane, the show itself returns close to ‘WandaVision’ form.