House of Cards
“We’ve been lying for a long time, Francis.”
Claire Underwood isn’t talking about the shady backroom dealings, the questionable agreements, the illegal bargaining chips, the unrelenting recklessness or the endless line of half-truths and outright lies that she and her husband have used to fight their way to the White House. She means they have been lying to each other.
This realization has been a long time coming both for Claire and us viewers that have followed along with House of Cards season three. The presidency has not been kind to the Underwood marriage, as their relationship has been 10 percent peak and 90 percent valley. But it’s not until Claire Underwood says that line to her husband at the end of “Chapter 38” that we realize and we know that she realizes that there’s a very real possibility this whole thing is a sham. None of it’s real. Good for business? There’s nothing behind that facade.
The line marks a cliffhanger ending, one that means the finale episode will not only be filled with political intrigue, but also some kind of resolution to this statement. Will Frank be able to talk his way out of this? Is it even possible to manipulate your own partner in crime?
Unfortunately for the commander-in-chief, this wasn’t the first instance of lady trouble he faced in this episode because Heather Dunbar tried to go for his jugular.
There is no doubt that, from the moment she spurned his offer of a chair on the Supreme Court in favor of competing for the Democratic nod in 2016, Dunbar has not been on Frank’s good side. But now she is trying to make a power move against the power moves. And, to make matters worse, she’s going after the master’s wife. Wrong move, Dunbar.
Realizing that Underwood was inching closer to her in Iowa, Dunbar tries to throw a knockout punch. She contacts Doug Stamper and asks for the dirt on Claire that he had previously offered her: the journal that tells the truth of Claire’s abortion lie from season two. It would surely ruin the Underwood campaign and destroy any hope Claire has of over making a name for herself. Dunbar goes to Frank and says that she has the journal and that he has three days to drop out. But Frank is having none of it. He turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall with as much vitriol as we’ve ever seen from him.
“She can go after me all she wants, but she goes after Claire and I’ll slit her f—ing throat in broad daylight.”
It is a resounding statement of protection for his wife, the only thing approaching a tender moment between the two in this episode. But it never comes to the throat-slitting stage because of goold ol’ Doug Stamper. Turns out, he hadn’t given the journal to Dunbar yet and was barely even mulling over her offer of $2 million for it. Instead, he shows up in the Oval Office and burns the pages in front of Frank, proving his ultimate loyalty. But he’s not just there to start a fire; he wants back in. He wants chief of staff. Frank realizes a rare opportunity to add someone real to his inner circle, someone who has been there before. So the evil political dream team reunites, ready to make some more heads roll.
On a less violent note, the Jackie-Remy storyline seems to come to an anti-climactic but satisfying end. Jackie offers Remy a spot on the Dunbar campaign but he turns it down, saying he is taking himself out of the game. He wants to seek out something new, to lose himself in the unknown. But that’s not okay with her. Why? Because she’s still in love with him, obviously. But Remy holds strong and tells her that they can’t be together. He doesn’t want to be the one to ruin her perfect family. But as she goes to leave, logic is replaced by something stronger. He can’t let her go. He was never going to be able to do that. They kiss and we leave them alone.
But I have a feeling love will not prevail in the end of this season. One episode remains and the president and his first lady seem headed for answers a place with answers, whether they like it or not — a place of dark truths and no lies.
Sidenotes:
– Before the Stamper reunion, Seth tells Frank that he wants Remy’s spot. Will he resent Stamper now and maybe bring out some of that malice we saw from him last season?
-The odds on where Stamper’s loyalty lies had to be on Frank all along, but he still made it interesting. He may be the most interesting character in this show after the run he’s had this year.
– If Frank wins Iowa, will Dunbar drop out and head to the Supreme Court after all? It would be a win for both her and Frank. Justice Jacobs is out now so the spot they had talked about was open. This could make for an easy end to this season for Frank politics-wise. But Dunbar seems to have the dark hunger in her that Frank acknowledges. Even the thought of presidential power has changed her. She’s one of the guys now.
– So many directions this season finale could go on. House of Cards is such an unpredictable piece of quality television that I think it would be useless making specific guesses but I don’t see everything coming together for Frank in the end. The bad karma is too strong.
