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The lazy man’s guide to House of Cards Season Three

Underwoods find out if a White House divided against itself can stand in latest series of Netflix political drama
The lazy mans guide to House of Cards Season Three
Gif courtesy of brooklynmutt.com

“House of Cards” finally dropped during the wee hours morning of the morning Friday, Feb. 27, and if you were brave enough to set a 2 a.m. alarm and binge it by skipping that one Friday class, you finished around 3 p.m.

President Frank Underwood’s first six months are clearly not going well. His approval ratings aren’t good, Congress isn’t cooperating and his prospects for the 2016 general election are slim.

Going into the season I deduced this: The first two seasons each had 13 episodes, as does season three. Thirteen multiplied by four is 52, the same number as cards in a deck (my brain hurts now). Therefore, the first two seasons are about Underwood’s rise to power. The last two … his downfall.

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Welcome back. (Spoilers ahead).

Chapter 27

HOC has been known for its intriguing starts (the first clips of Season 1 are Underwood snapping a dog’s neck). This time, he’s in his hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina to visit his father’s grave, which he promptly relieves himself on in a big “I made it without you” moment.

The focus then shifts to Underwood’s former Chief of Staff, Doug Stamper, who surprisingly survived his attack from former prostitute/last loose-end of Underwood’s maniacal plotting to reach the White House, Rachel. It was a frustrating and long recovery process, and it’s clear that he’s upset as the Underwood administration continues to flounder while trying to roll out the “America Works” job program. Stamper also falls back into his addictive past; hiring prostitutes, drinking bourbon from a syringe and taking painkillers.

Underwood’s former press secretary Remi Danton is now the Chief of Staff while Seth Grayson remains as press secretary, the pair serving as his primary confidants.

The program has the potential to provide a reelection platform for Underwood. Putting 10 million Americans to work would be no small task and vastly increase his electability.

We also learn a Supreme Court justice has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but Underwood convinces him to stay on the bench until he regains some political klout. In the same scene, we learn that Underwood appointed former liberal congressman Donald Blythe as Vice President. Blythe’s wife had recently died which, according to Underwood, made it easy to push his nomination through the Senate.

As for the First Lady, she has her sights set on becoming the next UN Ambassador. Secretary of State Kathy Durant and Underwood himself display some concerns regarding her lack of experience in international affairs.

It also becomes clear during a meeting between Claire and Senate Majority Leader Hector Mendoza that Mendoza is the Republican frontrunner in 2016.

Chapter 28

The episode opens at Claire’s confirmation hearing. Things seem to be going well before Claire slips up during questioning from Mendoza, when she says, the “military is irrelevant.” She spends the rest of the episode attempting to sway senators on the phone, but ultimately loses the vote 52-48.

The Democratic Party Leadership (Speaker of the House Bob Birch, Majority Leader Terry Womack and Whip Jackie Sharp) inform Underwood during a meeting in the Oval Office that they don’t want him to run in 2016. They’d rather he join them by consolidating behind one candidate (like the Republicans with Mendoza) that actually has a chance.

Jackie Sharp leaks to a reporter that the meeting between Underwood and the leadership lasted less than five minutes, instead of the presumed hour, raising suspicion.

Frank tries to outflank the leadership by heading straight for the big donors, straying from his mantra that power is more important than money, with the exception that money comes rather close in elections.

He becomes disgusted by this, saying, “It’s humiliating to beg from a kid who was on Facebook before his testicles descended.”

Claire finds a distraught Francis on the floor of his study, when a series of firsts in the show begin.

First, Frank cries. Second, his comforting wife then gently lays him on the floor, straddles him and the Underwoods have sex for the first time on the show. Up to that point they’d never so much as kissed each other on the cheek.

After much deliberation, Underwood launches another scheming crusade that makes HOC the show we know and love. He meets with the leadership again, telling them he won’t run and instead will use his final 18 months in office to govern and pass meaningful legislation, something a president nearing the end of his first term normally isn’t able to do because of reelection efforts.

It’s clear Underwood has ulterior motives. Shocker.

That night, he goes on national television and lays out his bold “America Works” program, which is funded by $500 billion in cuts from entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, with the intent to appeal to both the political left and right.

The episode concludes with Frank singing jovially while whipping up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Claire informs him that although she wasn’t confirmed, she wants a recess appointment in the forthcoming weeks.

Francis obliges. This is the beginning of an ominous relationship that now includes the Underwoods’ personal life and political lives.

Chapter 29

With the Russian President Viktor Petrov visiting Washington soon to talk about a peacekeeping mission in Palestine, newly appointed UN Ambassador Claire and Secretary of State Kathy Durant meet with a Palestinian delegation to gauge how they feel about it.

Claire feels she overstepped during the meeting, and throughout the episode tries to prove to Durant that she knows her place. The two are on good terms after the State Dinner, when they play a game of Beer Pong in their White House and come up with a plan to circumvent Russia in Palestine.

In the meantime, Underwood and Petrov (who’s easily comparable with Vladimir Putin) carry out several discussions for the peacekeeping mission. At first, their relationship seems beneficial with the small chance a deal may be reached. However, between planting an over-zealous kiss on Claire after the booze-fueled State Dinner and demanding for the removal of the United States’ missile defense system in Europe, Underwood sends Petrov on his way with no deal.

Then, Underwood throws Petrov under the bus for his totalitarian policies, which three Russian guests protested at the State Dinner who advocated for basic rights and criticized Petrov for torture. Underwood makes a calculated statement to please the American people, saying that peace is a priority and shouldn’t have a price.

Stamper becomes disconcerted with the White House since he hasn’t been offered a job. A junior congressman from Hawaii asks him to be a special advisor, and he voices his grievances when Seth visits his apartment.

Gavin, the former hacker turned FBI agent who has periodically appeared, feels heat from his bosses to reveal more names but declines. Stamper has tasked him with tracking down Rachel, which he does by using his superiors’ files, running a great risk of getting caught.

Chapter 30

Russia vetoes the initial vote to install a peacekeeping force in Palestine, as expected. Claire then uses Durant’s tactic of bypassing the Russians by getting the vote back to the General Assembly.

Not so coincidentally, an American gay rights activist named Michael Corrigan was captured in Russia for their leadership to use as a bargaining chip.

The Solicitor General, Heather Dunbar, who led the investigation against former President Walker (whom Underwood pardoned) now defends the government’s drone strike that killed a target but also severely injured an American citizen. Using Underwood’s advice, Dunbar plays the emotional card, which sways the court.

Sensing that Dunbar is ramping up for a presidential campaign, Underwood decides the best way to deal with this is to nominate her to the Supreme Court and force the ill justice to retire. Dunbar initially accepts the offer.

Then, Dunbar announces her candidacy for the Democratic nomination, after she learned Underwood had threatened a Supreme Court justice to step down.

Her parting words with Underwood, “See you in Iowa,” clarify that anyone with a brain understands Underwood still has every intention of running in 2016.

Stamper, feeling scorned by the White House, approaches Dunbar and tells her he’s ready to work for her.

The episode ends with Frank in a church with a priest. When Frank asks to pray close to the altar, he mocks Jesus on the cross and spits in his face. In a symbolic moment, the cross falls and the replica of Jesus shatters.

Is it reassurance that Underwood is the most powerful person in the world? Or does Frank have to acknowledge he is mortal?

Chapter 31

To draw votes away from the ever-increasingly popular Dunbar, Underwood enlists Jackie Sharp to run for president in a few weeks time. In return? A spot on the 2016 ticket with him.

Underwood also unleashes his brutal FEMA plan to kickstart his “America Works” project, since Congress refuses to bring it to the floor. Using the $3 billion from the FEMA fund, and with the support of the District of Columbia mayor (who declares a state of emergency due to rampant unemployment, allowing him to use the funds), they roll out the program to employ the nation’s capital.

The president achieves this in his usual ruthless and intimidating manner, something that was lacking in the season’s first few episodes. He forces the Secretary of Homeland Security to resign, giving Underwood the power over FEMA, and intimidates the FEMA director to make the funds available.

Eventually, veteran reporter Kate Baldwin arrives and starts digging, and she’s hot on the trail with the FEMA plan. She meets with the two scorned bureaucrats and the White House is under attack from the press. The scene is set for Baldwin to become a real thorn in the administration’s side.

Stamper continues meeting with Dunbar, demonstrating his worth, but he requires a big pay day. Dunbar remains interested and hires him, but not after Stamper shows Claire’s diary revealing she had multiple abortions, which would be a bombshell after she went on national television and said she only had one.

Claire maneuvers around the Russian delegation, and by the end of the episode a deal is in place for the Underwoods to travel to Russia for another round of negotiations. Michael Corrigan will be released during the visit.

Chapter 32

The Underwoods arrive in Russia to a more compromising Petrov, who needs a deal.

While Frank fleshes out the details of a plan with Petrov, Claire visits the imprisoned Corrigan to fetch him for his release. However, Corrigan refuses to leave. He feels that his release is a sign of weakness and that by staying in prison he is accomplishing more. Corrigan also refuses to read a statement condemning his actions, which is an essential condition of the release.

The two talk about their relationships, about love and the lives they’ve chosen to spend with their significant others. All this time Claire is trying to play on Corrigan’s emotional side so he can agree to his release, an important political win for the Underwoods.

Claire decides to take a nap in the cell and when she awakes, Corrigan is hanging from the scarf she was wearing.

Instead of sticking to the script at the ensuing press conference, Claire tells the truth about Corrigan’s death and criticizes Petrov publicly. This jeopardizes the already tense relations between the two nations.

Claire’s actions have repercussions beyond the political sphere: the Underwood marriage. Frank believes that Claire is taking her position for granted, while Claire fires back, “I made you president.”

Chapter 33

The episode opens with the Underwoods renewing their wedding vows at a church, with Claire’s hair dyed brown.

Throughout the episode, the Underwoods mend their marriage, based on the success of Claire’s plan for the peacekeeping mission in the Jordan Valley. The mission relies on pressuring the Russians with an overriding vote in the General Assembly.

In classic Underwood forthrightness, the two work out their differences as the episode goes a little back in time to recount the details of the deal to have the Russians join the peacekeeping force.

Gavin befriends one of Rachel’s ex-lovers (Lisa from season two) in an attempt to track her down, so Stamper will get his passport cleared and allow him to leave the country instead of essentially being held hostage by the FBI.

Stamper’s obsession with Rachel goes to the next level, but is typical of a character who has addictions to alcohol, a woman and Frank Underwood.

At this point, author Tom Yates has met with the president several times. At first Frank wanted him to write a book about America Works, but that quickly evolved into a book about the man behind the idea.

Chapter 34

The episode begins as a narration of Kate Baldwin’s proposed column, which compares an impending (and potentially disastrous) hurricane with the “hurricane” that is Francis Underwood. We knew Underwood started his political life when he was young, but find out that he began his legislative career when he was just 25 years old.

With the hurricane approaching, Underwood faces the tough decision of signing appropriations that would free up money for disaster relief (with the $3 billion safety net already gone for FEMA).

Dunbar and Sharp, both campaigning in Iowa, suspend their campaigns together, foreshadowing future agreements between the two candidates.

Underwood expresses his doubts about the likelihood of the storm reaching land, but ultimately becomes persuaded of his duty to protect the people before putting his agenda first. He realizes that not funding the relief funds could kill his entire career, so he signs the bill.

When Frank wakes up, he finds out that the storm didn’t actually hit landfall, just like he predicted it would not. Because, of course, Frank is always right, and this is one of the few times he doesn’t stick with his gut in the entire show.

Yates also begins a romantic relationship with Kate Baldwin, the muckraking reporter hell-bent on exposing Underwood’s authoritarianism, which sets up for an eventual conflict of interest. And as Kate paints him as a tyrant, Tom paints him as a visionary, using passionate storytelling of the president as a boy proving everybody else wrong that he could swim to Fort Sumter.

The relationship between the president and his Chief of Staff (Remy) becomes strained, with Underwood consistently disrespecting his ideas. Remy becomes fed up, reminding Frank that he and Seth are his only “soldiers.”

Freddy, the beloved rib-joint owner, returns as a landscaper at the White House after originally being hired under the “America Works” program.

Chapter 35

The episode opens with Underwood hot on the campaign trail in Iowa. An intersting aspect about this season compared to the previous two is the increase in time jumps, but it’s necessary to line up with the 2016 election cycle.

While stumping in Iowa, Claire informs Frank that eight Russians were killed in a roadside bombing. Suspiciously, the Russians didn’t allow any of the other UN nations to inspect the site, leading to speculation that the Russians blew up their own troops.

Claire also receives intelligence from the Russian UN ambassador, who implies that Petrov did in fact blow up his own men. She tells her husband this, and he devises a military plan to infiltrate the blast zone with a team of Navy Seals, putting his wife’s advice over the advice of his joint chiefs.

The plan fails and an American soldier is killed. The episode will later end with Underwood using his typewriter that bears the same name (which he uses only for emotional letters filled with lies, apparently) and tells the soldier’s family he died during a training exercise.

After Gavin shows Stamper pictures of Rachel’s dead body, he becomes distraught and relapses back into alcoholism. He goes to see the president drunk, and says he doesn’t want to wind up like Peter Russo (an alcoholic dead at the hands of Frank). Underwood arranges for Stamper to go home, and under the watch of his brother (with whom he cultivates a nice relationship) gets sober again by the end of the season.

We also see further deterioration in Remy, who is still clearly in love with Jackie, and working for Underwood who is taking such advantage of her clearly pains him.

Chapter 36

Petrov and Underwood meet in a bunker in the Jordan Valley (and we finally get to see Frank in that Kevlar military uniform, oh yes). This time, it’s Petrov with the upper-hand, and Underwood needs to leave with a deal.

He agrees to the scaling back of the missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, but goes on to request the termination of the peacekeeping mission and one final requirement: that Claire be removed from her ambassadorship.

This is either a result of Petrov’s obsession with Claire, or his way of forcing the president to choose between his wife and politics (which have become so intertwouned Underwood can hardly tell the difference).

Now, Frank has to make a decision. He calls the presidency an “illusion of choice.” Either he’s going to protect his biggest supporter, backbone and motivation (Claire), or give in to Petrov’s demands.

It’s clear that Claire must go, but she becomes disappointed with her husband’s lack of loyalty to her. It is the beginning of the unraveling of their relationship and struggle for power.

Yates and the president are up late drinking together (again), and this time, both of them allude to their homosexual past. And just when we thought we were going to get another bisexual tryst from the president, he puts the kibosh on it. It’s clear that now Yates is no longer focused on writing about “America Works,” but a large-scheme idea about Underwood.

Chapter 37

This is the debate episode, which was so clearly scripted it was a little painful to watch. Other political dramas, like “The West Wing” taped their debate episodes live. And while the show is on Netflix, that would’ve been a cool environment for a skilled actor like Kevin Spacey to let loose.

The episode begins with Jackie and Frank working out their debate strategy to crush Dunbar for her lack of political experience, with Jackie doing the dirty work and Frank remaining presidential. But when Jackie becomes uncomfortable about some of her talking points (calling Dunbar sexist and bringing up private schooling for her kids), Frank reminds her of the deal.

Then, Dunbar and Sharp meet in a parking lot in Iowa. Sharp’s willing to drop out, but not for Frank — for Dunbar. In return? The Secretary of Defense position. Dunbar, who plays by the rules, doesn’t accept her deal.

Jackie does her job during the debate, going after Dunbar and touting on her record of military leadership and commitment to women. Frank hits his potential future running mate below the belt though, calling her out for bringing up Dunbar’s kids attending private school while her stepchildren also attend private school.

When Jackie voices these concerns back in the Oval Office, Frank unleashes on her, telling her to get in line. When Remy comes to her defense, Frank does the same to him.

Jackie drops out of the race like she was supposed to, but endorses Dunbar, giving her an advantage in the tight Iowa caucus. Moments later, Remy resigns.

Yates had spent two days with Claire on the campaign trail. While giving blood, Claire passes out, telling him she hates how much she and Francis depend on each other. It’s a telling angle of their twisted relationship that gives Yates the idea to make the book about the two Underwoods and their marriage.

Chapter 38

It’s this episode in which we realize what season three is about. It’s not the Democratic nomination. It’s not finding Rachel.

It’s the deterioration of Frank and Claire, and their path from an indestructible team to two power-hungry individuals working against each other.

Disgusted after reading the first chapter of Yates’ book (which uses Claire’s description of their marriage as a suicide), Underwood fires him and thanks him for his time. This greatly upsets Yates, either in a spurned/creepy lover way or the professional way.

Claire also starts campaigning door-to-door for her husband in Iowa, and knocks on the door of a woman who actually supports Dunbar. While trying to convince the woman to vote for Frank, the woman unknowingly helps Claire realize that her marriage isn’t what she thought it would be.

But Claire keeps up her act as the fantastic campaigner she is. Only during the flight back to Washington does she speak up, saying that not only has their relationship been based off of lies to the American people, but lies to each other.

Needing a big push in the polls to put her over the edge, Dunbar has to run something negative on Claire, given her ever-increasing popularity. After digging, she remembers the journal entry Stamper showed her months before.

Instead of getting $2 million for the diary entry, Stamper burns it in front of Underwood in the Oval Office. That signifies the trust Frank places back in Stamper, and hires him as his new Chief of Staff.

In a back-room meeting with Dunbar at the White House, both candidates threaten each other, with Frank showing his lasting commitment to Claire saying Dunbar can attack him but not his wife.

Stamper tracks down Gavin in Venezuela, bludgeons him with his cane, and finds the actual location of Rachel, who is still alive.

Jackie and Remy resume their romantic relationship.

Chapter 39

With the Iowa caucus rapidly approaching, Claire starts to slowly lose her mind. One evening, in their hotel room, Claire commands Francis to roughly engage in sexual intercourse.

Confused and probably slightly afraid, Frank can’t do it. The First Lady goes home the next day, with the plan she will come back to be at Francis’ side for his concession or victory speech.

There’s no tense vote-counting scene, instead just a flash to the Dunbar concession speech and the Underwood victory speech, which he gives without Claire there because she decided to stay in Washington.

One of the final scenes is Frank coming into the oval office and Claire sitting in his chair. She says she wants more out of Frank, but Frank points out that she only wants a husband of convenience, and knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to marry him and his plan. The conversation escalates to Frank grabbing her by the face and intimidating her. It becomes clear what Claire’s intentions will be from there.

The episode opens with a soulful song playing and we finally check back in with Rachel, who’s somewhere in the southwest United States. Stamper tracks her down and kidnaps her, but instead of killing her, he spares her.

But not for long! He turns around after letting her go and kills her in the grave he dug for her hours before.

Finally, when the Underwoods are about to leave for New Hampshire, Claire says she’s not going, and that she’s leaving him.

The final words of the season are, “Claire!” demonstrating Frank’s dependence on his wife.

Claire stoically leaves the residence.

***

Until next February, “House of Cards.” Thank you once again.

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