Created by: Beau Willimon
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Joel Kinnamon, Michael Kelly, Neve Campbell, Ellen Burstyn, Cicely Tyson,
This Netflix original series follows Frank Underwood. He has maneuvered from Senator to President, but what's next? His next step is securing his party's nomination for president in his bid to stay in the White House. First, he has to find a Vice President and fend off the Republican nominee.
Verdict:
House of Cards has already been renewed for a fifth season, but creator and show runner Beau Willimon is stepping down after season four.
I like House of Cards, but the first season has been the strongest. The show didn't know what to do with Frank once he became President, and season three felt stagnant with Frank pushing a bill that will leave a lasting legacy, AmWorks. He appoints and then later dismisses his wife as an ambassador. Season three ended with Claire deciding she will leave Frank.
Season four is a return to form, regaining the momentum lost in season three as Frank campaigns for the presidential nomination. This season doesn't slow down and the Republican candidate Will Conway (Joel Kinnamon) is a great foil for Frank. Frank deals with an assassination attempt and picking a running mate while trying to gain ground in the polls. I never tire of seeing Frank manipulate someone into doing exactly what he wants. He and Claire form a formidable team that are willing to go one step farther than anyone else.
When Lucas Goodwin's story resurfaces, it could topple the empire Frank's built, but of course he has a plan.
This season is everything I want from House of Cards. I couldn't stop watching.
Watch it.
Recap
In season three Frank had said he wouldn't run for President before going back on his word. The Democrats don't want Frank to run. The recap for season three was riveting, more enjoyable than actually watching the season.
Episode 1
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| Frank and Claire are less than civil. |
Lucas Goodwin, the reporter Frank jailed, is telling bed time stories to his cell mate. It's an edgy scene that feels forced. Is Godwin gong to play a role this season? He's in jail, discredited, and no one believe him anyway, but Goodwin is a snitch. So that is his way out. It's contrived to continually reference this story that could be Frank's undoing. Even if Goodwin pursues it, he has lost all credibility and resources.
Frank is on the campaign trail. This could be an interesting story for Frank, plotting how to get nominated and then elected. He's facing insurmountable odds, which is the perfect situation. Talking down and backstabbing people is Frank's specialty.
Frank and Claire's relationship is rocky to say the least. She told Frank she was done iin season three, and Frank has a dream where they fight to the death.
Claire wants to run for Congress and hires LeAnn Harvey (Neve Campbell) as her campaign manager. Claire meets with Doris Jones (Cicely Tyson) who is vacating a seat, but wants to endorse her daughter. Frank wants to halt Claire's run for Congress. To cover up Claire's trip to Congress which is fueling rumors of their marriage failing, Claire reveals her mother has cancer. Claire's mother doesn't think much of Frank.
Frank and Claire agree that if she attends the State of the Union, he will stop interfering in her campaign.
Episode 2
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| Frank delivering the State of the Union and a pre-emptive strike. |
She and her mother are not close. Claire asks for money, threatening to sell the house out from under her mother if she doesn't give up money in the trust for Claire to hire LeAnn Harvey.
Episode 3
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| Frank points to the image Claire used in her revenge. |
I don't like this editing to show Frank practicing a speech, then delivering it. It's one thing to make a single cohesive edit, but we hear him repeat the same line in succession. It breaks the cadence and is unnecessary. We've seen it a couple times already, but luckily they leave that technique behind.
LeAnn Harvey returns the ear rings Frank asked Claire to wear at the State of the Union to a safe deposit box. LeAnn takes a photograph of something in the box and wants to put it on a billboard. The picture is Frank's father with a KKK member. Not all publicity is good publicity.
Claire and Frank rose to power together, but Claire is increasingly tired of being second tier. Frank undercut her run for Congress, so she's undercutting his nomination.
Claire proposes to be Franks running mate, and Frank is against every facet of it.
Goodwin is making a potential mistake trying to push his story, and goes to Heather Dunbar to plead his story. He's dismissed outright.
Episode 4
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| Man down! Man down! |
Frank wants LeAnn Harvey to run his campaign. Doug of course doesn't approve. Claire wants to file for divorce, and Seth, the Communications Director is looking to get out.
Frank is shot in an assassination attempt and secret service agent Ed Meechum is killed. Could this be a boost to his campaign? Lucas Goodwin was the shooter. I guess his introduction to the plot did have a point. We're only into the fourth episode and this season has more happening than all of season three. Vice President Blythe is having trouble making decisions. Doug asks Claire to help him, and it doesn't go as expected. Claire is pulling the strings in Frank's absence.
Episode 5
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| Man still down. |
I assume this world isn't far removed from the real world, but that's not entirely true. Gas is $6.50 a gallon and stations are running out.
Claire is getting to play president through Blythe. With Claire getting a taste of that power, I'm sure she'll want more. She wants to be in power and out from Frank's formidable shadow, but will Frank being in the hospital delay their divorce?
How long will Frank wait for a liver transplant? This season has a lot occurring, but having Frank in a coma, feels like a mistake.
With Goodwin's death and his suicide note that includes all of his research, where is that going to go? That was put to rest and now it's back at a time where Frank's campaign is hanging in the balance.
Doug fires Seth for leaking information. You've got to pay attention, otherwise you're going to miss the details.
Dunbar is ready to take the offensive as Frank's coma is giving him a lead in the polls. Seth has a plan to keep his job by ending the Dunbar campaign by exposing the Goodwin meeting Dunbar had.
LeAnn uses the photos of Remy and Jackie to convince him to join team Claire. Doug is irate that Claire has involved Tusk in fixing the oil crisis. He argues it isn't something Frank would do. Doug is extremely loyal, but he can't devise the the big plan like either Underwood.
Episode 6
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| The premiere power couple. |
Doug is making sure Frank gets to the top of the liver donor list, threatening the Department of Health head. He'll fire everyone in succession until someone agrees to put Frank at the top of the donor list.
Frank doesn't have long. His liver isn't regenerating and his ammonia levels are increasing. He has an unsettling dream about Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) and Rep. Peter Russo (Corey Stoll). I'm guessing they are more parts of his subconscious than haunting memories. Frank isn't one to cry over spilled milk.
Dunbar's chief of staff tells her to lie to the Goodwin inquiry team. She will provide her with an alibi. Dunbar doesn't want to lie. She doesn't want to sink to Frank's level. She reports her meeting with Lucas Goodwin to the Attorney General, and uses her deposition to talk about Frank's corruption. The inquiry is a smear campaign against Dunbar and she plays right into it. The media rips her for criticizing the President while in a coma. Dunbar's campaign is over.
Frank has a liver ready, while Claire proceeds with overseas negotiations. She takes the lead with Russian President Petrov, irritating Secretary of State Cathy Durant. Petrov tells Claire she is nothing without Frank. Undeterred, Claire fires back, calling him a beggar with a broken country. Claire gets an agreement from Petrov and Frank returns to the oval office, in a hospital bed instead of behind the desk. Frank and Claire share a moment, where he asks her to come back, crediting his success to her.
Episode 7
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| Despite what you may think, it's not a cemetary for Frank's foes. |
With Dunbar out, republican presidential hopeful Will Conway (Joel Kinnamon) is the new threat to Frank's campaign. LeAnn is pushing Frank to surveil domestic data through the NSA like Conway is doing with the search engine PollyHop, but on a larger scale. Frank can hide this surveillance by claiming to monitor domestically for ICO terrorists. This would allow Frank access to every household. It's a big weapon that would allow him to rig the election, but it's plan B. Plan A is to expose Conway. Doug doesn't like plan B due to the potential repercussions. but LeAnn has recruited a top data analyst, Aidan MacAllen.
Claire is pushing for background checks on all gun purchases after the attempted assassination. General Brockhart is feeding Conway information about ICO. Frank issues an order to go after ICO, which would shut down his plan B, the NSA surveillance.
Frank and Claire wheel and deal to get her the VP nomination. This is where the show excels. Frank will only approve a pro gun VP if Congress passes Claire's gun bill. The dems agree as long as Frank approves an anti-gun judge.
Conway does a live webcast and admits he's linked to PollyHop. The PollyHop founder is Conway's friend and says he supports Conway and politics. Conway spins it as his way to meet everyone, and it works. Conway states he will release all of his photos, videos, tweets, and emails. Would a politician video so much of his life? I wouldn't trust Conway to make everything available. It just seems like a ruse, but the show doesn't delve into that.
Frank can't push for the justice department to investigate Conway because people aren't upset. Frank needs his own data to mine. If he carries the order against ICO he can't get NSA surveillance. Frank aborts the mission.
Episode 8
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| Claier is just as formidable as Frank. |
The Conways want Tom Yates to publish his book about the Underwoods. Yates says it's fictitious now and only based on them. Conway knows it can still hurt them and in turn help him.
The NSA surveillance is working wonderfully, and the democratic leadership has picked Dean Austen as Frank's running mate. The Underwoods muse over Tom's book excerpt, missing the kind of connection they shared with Tom. Frank goes back to look at Ed Meechum's hand print he had traced on a wall behind a painting in episode four. It's been painted over.
The show really doesn't get into much of Frank's recovery. I don't know if he would need more bed rest or not. The surgery doesn't seem to trouble him.
Conway wants to make General Brockhart his VP, provided he resigns. Claire will give Tom Yates a chance to observe and finish his book based on them. Tom has an ending that's just good, but he wants it to be great. She'll employ him as a speech writer so he has a cover.
To keep the VP position, pro-gun Austen has to vote for Claire's bill. If he votes for it, Austen's fund raising will be pulled. Austen resigns, playing right into Frank's plan. Franks wants Secretary of State Catherine Durant for VP, so he says.
Hammerschmidt is looking into Goodwin's story and gets a break when a pizza shop owner tells him Ed Meechum used to stop by regularly. Hammerschmidt is just replacing Goodwin. With as many stories as this season is juggling why bring this back? Why not delve into something new, tied to the Underwood-Conway race?
Doug wants Seth to get dirt on LeAnn. Doug is jealous of her access and influence over the President. While Doug claims he has Frank's best interest at heart, Doug is addictive. He's loyal, but possessive.
Episode 9
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| Underwood and Conway face off. |
I really like this season. The pacing is good, almost too busy. Some of the big events seem to be forgotten quickly, like the liver transplant. It comes up, but only to emphasize the plot.
Conway is upset that the convention theatrics are winning Frank media coverage. A reporter questions Durant about the Petrov negotiations from a tip by Blythe. Claire closed Petrov and Durant just took credit. Claire urges Frank to talk to Durant to prevent her from turning on them. Durant is just a pawn to get Claire nominated as VP. Seeing them plant the seeds is exciting.
Frank is letting Durant do the talking. Durant says she supports Claire. Frank tells her she would remain Secretary of State as Claire courts a fellow nominee and promises him Secretary of State if he bows out of the race and gives her his delegates. Double dealing Underwoods makes this show run, and this season remembers that.
The Conways are trying to sabotage Franks coverage at the convention by making a stand with Brockhart about ICO. Frank is impressed at Conway's ploy. Frank calls Conway out and they meet privately. Frank's one on on with Conway is excellent. Spacey chews the scenery, and you know Frank is placating Conway, lulling him into a false sense of security. Where will it go?
Durant strikes a deal with Conway and gets her home state to nominate her for president. Frank is incensed. He's forgotten about all of the double dealing she's witnessed him do.
This season has a lot of really good episodes, but nine might be my favorite. Each step you wonder what Frank is planning, as you slowly see it unfold.
Episode 10
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| Youre future Vice President, Claire Underwood. |
I guess the end run to this season is Frank getting the nomination. it seems likely he will, though it could be more fun if he doesn't get the nomination. What happens then?
Claire travels back to her mom to distance herself from the convention. Frank travels back to Washington with Durant to distance her from her presidential run. Frank strong arms the convention into waiting for his return. Durant wants the VP votes from Claire. The Durant ploy backfired because Durant has seen Frank's lies, to Walker and to her.
Jackie Sharp is pushing California voters to Dunbar which puts Frank in trouble. Hammerschmidt contacts Dunbar. He wants to write a story that Frank can't run over or away.
Claire's mom urges her to put her out of her misery for the campaign boost. It's all about the gain. Seth confronts Doug head on, telling him to keep him for fire him. Doug is teetering on the edge of sobriety. He donates to the Anthony Moretti Fund. Moretti was the person that should have gotten the liver Frank now has.
With her mother dead Claire is returning with a Tom Yates speech. Frank needs to get Durant on board. Frank opens with an article that Petrov provided stating that Claire closed the deal while Durant was locked outside. Frank will allow Durant to remain as Secretary of State and stop the story or she can have the truth released. They go back and forth and Frank tells Durant he killed Russo and Zoe Barnes. He then points a letter opener at her before laughing and admitting he killed no one. He adds he would have if it was necessary. He will allow Durant to finish the term and she will turn over the delegates. Otherwise Frank will never forget. Durant understands. Claire and Tom share a bedtime moment after the death of Claire's mom. With an impassioned speech Claire leads the way for an Underwood-Underwood nomination.
Episode 11
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| Frank and Claire share a unique homelife with Tom. |
Doug gets a call from the Moretti widow thanking him for his generous donation. She wants to meet him, but has no idea that Doug has an addictive personality. This is trouble. I wondered if it was guilt, and maybe it was at first, but he's crushing.
Frank sees Freddy who is in the White House flower department and leaving for another job soon. Frank tries to convince Freddy to stay before asking if he'll cook ribs one more time. Freddy wants a send off or a congratulations, offended at Frank's request. Freddy insults Frank who retaliates. Freddy walks out after insulting Frank again.
Brockhart doesn't like that Conway wants to delay defeating ICO. Conway wants to defeat ICO himself once in office. While Brockhart thinks Frank could defeat them using Russian troops, Conway is interfering. Brockhart realizes Conway is just like Underwood.
Frank signs the executive order to attack ICO with American troops.
Hammerschidt finds Freddy and gets beaten up by him. He then meets Remy Danton who plays the drinking game Never Have I Ever to point Hammerschmidt in the right direction. Remy drinks a lot.
He has enough to approach a paper. He cites that Underwood is not a killer, just corrupt. Little does he know.
Claire meets with a couple who support the Underwoods and are ostracized by neighbors supporting Conway. She deliver s an endearing speech about love penned by Tom.
Frank and Doug meet secretly with Aidan who reveals Claire's speech about love was incredibly successful.
Frank meets with Tom to discuss the relationship with Claire. Frank isn't upset, "What would that achieve?" Frank can't be everything to Claire, and Tom can fill that void. Frank encourages Claire to continue seeing Tom. Claire invites Tom back, assuring him that Frank understands.
Episode 12
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| A manipulator and a fraud walk into a bar... |
Opening with a dual debate between both presidential and vice presidential candidates, Conway is still attacking Frank's ICO response despite the fact that Frank shut ICO down. Aidan monitors the debate in real time and feeds the results to LeAnn. Frank states that Conway interfered with the ICO assault, which Conway and Brockhart deny.
Stamper meets with Congress member George Wallach, demanding he confirm that Conway did in fact interfere
A member of the military halts the debate. ICO has taken American citizens hostage. The group will only communicate with Conway.
Of course Conway releases a video offering his condolences to the family. Brockhart takes issue with capitalizing on the tragedy, and he's still upset that Conway made him lie on television about ICO interference. Cconway states the family dies either way, he might as well get some press out of it.
Frank extends an offer to Conway to communicate with the terrorists, knowing that Conway loves the spotlight. If Conway takes center stage, he shares it with Frank. Applause or boos are shared too. Frank knows he'll take the bait. and Conway agrees despite his people urging him to avoid it.
I love seeing Frank work people. He tells Conway he's out after the press conference, and of course Conway demands to be involved which is exactly what Frank wants. Frank invites Conway and his family to stay in the White House for the night.
The NSA goes to Aidan to cross reference intel. Aidan assures Doug their data mining operation is masked.
Hammerschmidt meets with former president Walker who goes on the record. Jackie Sharp wants to go on the record too. She doesn't want to be in a Congress controlled by Conway, and she doesn't want to do Frank's bidding. Tom Hammerschmidt wants to release his article during the crisis, while Frank is distracted.
Claire and Conway's wife Hannah connect until she asks Claire if she regrets not having kids. Claire in turn asks her if Hannah regrets having them. Touche.
Frank is all to eager to let Conway handle everything during the communications. Conway is just as eager. To the chagrin of Frank, Conway does a good job. Conway gloats to Frank over his good press and about how great he'll be as president. Frank tells him he's good at running for the office when in the spotlight, but in the dark where the real work occurs he's not fit. Frank rattles that cage. These guys are great when together. Clarie and Frank's deep seated dislike of children shines through wonderfully.
Episode 13
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| Mr. President. |
The mother and daughter are released, but the father is killed when the ICO leader urges the terrorists to do so over a video link.
Conway is upset he's lost the potential spotlight and threatens to reveal it to the press. Frank has pushed the story that Conway lied during the debate to the press. Conway's word doesn't count for much right now. Conway is on the defensive, denying the allegations. He is not happy, verbally abusing staff and family. He wants to discredit George Wallach and develop a response. Of course Brockhart is upset that Conway admitted to the terrorists he was ashamed of his military service. Conway is growing tired of the complaining from Brockhart.
The NSA take over for MacAllen, leaving the data mining operation exposed.
Hammerschimdt forwards Frank a list of allegations and Frank agrees to meet. Frank downplays the allegations. Frank opens up about Zoe Barnes, stating his goal was to direct a weak president. Their relationship was business only. Hammerschmidt doesn't believe him and releases the story.
With three weeks until the election, what will the story do to Frank's reputation and chances? How will they not lose the election and their life's work? Claire proposes to make the hostage situation work for them by creating chaos. They need war and fear. Frank will respond with force. When the video of the hostage murder is released, everyone reacts with shock except for Frank and Claire. Frank turns to the camera and states, "That's right. We don't submit to terror, we make the terror."
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