Jackson Ball reviews the fifth episode of House of Cards Season 3…
Season 3 of House of Cards may have found its stride in the previous episode, but it’ll need to repeat that success to keep audiences enthralled throughout the difficult mid-season. ‘Chapter 31’ finds the Underwoods in yet more challenging scenarios; struggling to deal with all that Washington has to throw at them…
Warning! Spoilers Ahead – You have been warned!
It appears that there is no end to the Presidential turmoil for Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Clare (Robin Wright). Indeed, it seems like any substantial victories have eluded the couple since their arrival at the White House, political or otherwise.
That trend definitely seems to continue in ‘Chapter 31’, as the poison chalice of presidency takes a further toll on their political wellbeing, and their marriage. The nation’s opinion of Frank is beginning to plummet, and things go from bad to worse when his new rival Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel) begins to draw yet more attention to his questionable ethics. Furthermore, we gain confirmation of a long-suspected rift in the Underwood marriage, as it is revealed that Frank and Clare have been sleeping in different beds for some time.
Despite this though, the presidential pair aren’t going quietly into the night; the POTUS and First Lady have picked up right where they left off in the previous episode and are continuing to take the fight to their enemies. It is pretty clear that, as well as the audience, even the characters are relishing the heated environment; ‘I gotta say, it feels good to be on the offensive again,” Frank declares to his wife.
And he’s exactly right; it does feel good to have the Underwoods back in attack-mode.
As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, the major difficulty with this third season is that it’s totally unchartered territory, unlike anything we’ve seen thus far. The real times of televisual elation in the show’s first two seasons were when Frank and Clare were charging all-guns-blazing towards their ultimate goal: The White House.
Well, now they are there. They reached the goal, the hunt is over. So now what?
It’s a tricky situation for the show’s writers to combat, but having the Underwood Empire begin to crumble is an intriguing concept. It also gets the characters in a position that we the audience love to see them in: back in the hunt, but this time for survival.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=ONsp_bmDYXc&feature=player_embedded
Originally published March 11, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
