S03.E06: Chapter 32

[Guest]

Frank and Claire travel to Moscow to negotiate the return of an imprisoned U.S. citizen. Claire takes a stand that jeopardizes their plans.

 

 

[whyjen8]

This is my favorite chapter so far.  Robin Wright blew me away in the cell and every scene after.  

 

Christian Camargo was impressive, wish his role wasn't so brief.  Loved him in Dexter as well, why haven't I seen more of him?

 

Small nitpick, Claire states Corrigan was found hung, shouldn't it be found hanged?  Men are hung, people are hanged is what  I what I was taught.

 

This season started slow for me but has really picked up, I need sleep now.

[Bama]

This has been my favorite episode so far, too.

 

This season has been a very slow burn so far but I have a feeling things are about to get nuts.

 

The Underwoods never should have put Stamper out to pasture.  That is something I have a feeling they are going to live to regret.

[Guest]

"What are you looking at?" Line of the season so far. That last scene was amazing. I really don't know what the hell Claire was thinking, growing a conscience all of a sudden at the worst possible time. I have to wonder if anyone could really sleep through someone hanging themselves. 

Edited February 28, 2015 by Trichromatic

[Chaos Theory]

Loved the conversation in the jail cell.  It was really well done.  In a few brief scenes  Michael Corrigan dropped some truth bombs on Claire that the show has subtly and not so subtly insinuated since the season began.  Even if she wanted something else at this point getting out isn't really an option anymore.  

 

Claire: "You Should Eat."

Corrigan :"Said The Snake To Eve."

"Claire:  "Eat Your Apple, the world won't end."

Edited February 28, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[LADreamr]

"What are you looking at?" Line of the season so far.

That seemed kind of familiar. Has he done that before?

That last scene was fantastic. They are at their best when they are raw and honest with each other. They have some mad chemistry.

[NorthstarATL]

Claire is an extremely sound sleeper. Of course, as rich as she is, her clothing woud be made of highly durable fabric.

[lion10]

I feel like Claire should've just read the statement.  After all they've done, it's a little late to grow a conscience and she torpedoed a peace deal that took months to build.  It seems like their marriage is pretty much over at this point.  

 

It's funny, because if you had asked me which Underwood had more ice in their veins, I would've said Claire, not Frank.  But it seems the reverse is true now.  What caused that to happen?  Frank isn't a sociopath because he clearly fills regret for some of his past actions but he's still full steam ahead and they've both heavily benefited from their rise to power.

Edited March 1, 2015 by lion10

[DrSpaceman]

That was a great episode. Even though I knew as soon as Claire fell asleep he was going to kill himself.

I agree Claire should have read the statement and moved on. Maybe its because I have been rewatching game of thrones in preparation for next season, but on that show every time someone tries to make a personal sacrifice on principle and out of personal regard for an individual, they usually end up dead.

And also just last season, this was the same scenario as the bill that was passed in the wake of the rape allegations. She made a choice, compromised and passed a bill that was not ideal even though the women that was raped and involved in the bill didn't like it at all

I feel like Claire should've just read the statement.  After all they've done, it's a little late to grow a conscience and she torpedoed a peace deal that took months to build.  It seems like their marriage is pretty much over at this point.  

 

It's funny, because if you had asked me which Underwood had more ice in their veins, I would've said Claire, not Frank.  But it seems the reverse is true now.  What caused that to happen?  Frank isn't a sociopath because he clearly fills regret for some of his past actions but he's still full steam ahead and they've both heavily benefited from their rise to power.

Thats interesting because I have always felt just the opposite. Claire a few times actually seems to feel regret and seems to have a conscience, this being one of them. Frank on the other hand I don't recall seriously, personally regretting anything. He may admit to mistakes, but I don't recall any regrets for personal reasons. Like he may end up regretting not letting Doug back on the team, but it will be because it hurts him politically, not personally

Ultimately Frank is going to have to make a choice between his career and Claire, I think. For all the wrong things he has been doing she is hurting in many way now more than anything else.

Also she likes to think she can do the job herself and is more than just the "behind the scenes" person guiding things, but really from what we have seen from her as ambassador so far, she is wrong. She's in over her head, she can't do the job.

[rozen]

I feel like Claire should've just read the statement.  After all they've done, it's a little late to grow a conscience and she torpedoed a peace deal that took months to build.  It seems like their marriage is pretty much over at this point.  

 

It's funny, because if you had asked me which Underwood had more ice in their veins, I would've said Claire, not Frank.  But it seems the reverse is true now.  What caused that to happen?  Frank isn't a sociopath because he clearly fills regret for some of his past actions but he's still full steam ahead and they've both heavily benefited from their rise to power.

 

I think it's a case of a convert versus a true believer. Claire has been more unbending because she's constantly having to beat down her own inner turmoil to serve The Cause. I bet she married him because she admired Frank's control, but it's really just that he completely lacks all the knobs and levers inside that a normal person does. 

 

I'm surprised that Frank even let her lock herself in a cell with a sensitive artist type. He should already know that wasn't going to go anywhere but down the toilet. 

[lion10]

I think it's a case of a convert versus a true believer. Claire has been more unbending because she's constantly having to beat down her own inner turmoil to serve The Cause. I bet she married him because she admired Frank's control, but it's really just that he completely lacks all the knobs and levers inside that a normal person does. 

 

He seemed genuinely sad about Freddy losing his job because of his idiot of a son (pulling a gun on fucking reporters with cameras?  Really?) and his was definitely extremely upset when Claire told him that the general was the man who raped her.  Them shelving Doug was a really stupid thing to do.  And I guess the woman Doug's working for is supposed to be the Elizabeth Warren of the House of Cards world.

[rozen]

I always interpreted those as Frank being upset at people who messed with "his" things. I think he was angrier that his favorite place was being taken away from him, not so much that all of Freddy's work just got torched. If he'd actually cared, the first thing he would have done upon assuming the presidency was have Freddy as his white house chef, or something like it. It's not like it would have added much to the current shitstorm he's wading through.

 

Claire told him to redirect his rage at the general into something productive, which he did. But he was truly as invested in her pain as much as his own, he would have destroyed the guy's life on his own time. Because that's what he does to his true enemies. Beat them completely into the ground and figuratively piss on their graves.

Edited March 1, 2015 by rozen

[LateJuliet]

Well that was excellent, I agree best of the S3 so far.   Was getting a little bored but now it's on.  If we can just get the whole Rachel subplot shitcanned and spend that time on the Underwoods shredding each other, I'd be a happy girl.

 

Mendoza called it - Claire was in over her head, inexperienced and not temperamentally suited and boy did it blow up on Frank.  It's not even mendable what she did, it's just a disaster in every possible way.  I can't even imagine what Frank's going to do with her now.  Remember back in S1 she torpedoed his legislation because she was wasn't getting her funds for the NGO.  It's not like she's ever been anything else...they're a team to the extent she gets what she wants.

[hincandenza]

Wow, this is the first episode this season I felt compelled to comment. I'm 100% agreed that for once, Frank was completely right. Claire should have just read the statement; it seems wholly out of character for her to suddenly grow a moral center, when we've seen how ruthless she is. Heck, she's known her husband to have outright murdered people in their rise to power, and never cared before... but a few speeches from a stranger in a jail cell and she's completely changed?

She knew perfectly well this wasn't about- quite frankly- that childish coward, it was about saving countless lives in the middle east. For some reason, at no point did Claire explain to Corrigan that if Michael he played ball, he'd help de-escalate war zones, maybe extract a quiet agreement from Petrov that his cellmates would be treated well and let free quietly in a few months. But he was an idiot, so to hell with him and his narcissitic pity party.

Because of her actions, she condemned thousands to pain and suffering and spoiled US/Russian relations for years. All because an entitled rich white woman had an attack of conscience and wanted to dictate that the world should function or flip on a dime to suit her current mood. I think Frank could have done damage control on the spot and am not sure why he didn't instead of leaving with her. Apologize for the remarks, explain that due to her emotional closeness his wife was unfortunately acting as First Lady and not Ambassador, and continue with the conference to salvage things. But at this point, Petrov's paranoia is never leaving: I can't even blame the dude.

Claire always was the more sociopathic of the two, that became clear halfway through season 1. Frank is evil, but a calculated evil that while it glorifies power does try to accomplish something (his AmWorks program is great). Claire is like Lady Macbeth trying to play the part of Hester Prynne. She goes through the motions, but it is ALWAYS about her. Who cares who is hurt by her actions, eh?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Man, the shit really hit the fan.

[Jael]

The idea that she could or would fall asleep in the cell was just so unbelievable to me, I couldn't buy any of the resulting plot. Chess pieces, not characters. Bah.

 

On the other hand, I guess I did react to Michael Corrigan as a character instead of as a creation of the writers, because I wanted to slap him most of the time. Come on, dude! If you really want to help, read the stupid words and go back to the States. Live to fight another day.

[islandgal140]

At the end of S2, I found the very sight of Frank and Claire so distasteful that I wondered if I could even watch S3, yet here I am. There better be a comeuppance. 

 

I think the one thing that this show has illustrated so far is that the manipulative and outmaneuvering skills set that got them to the white house, may not be enough to keep them there. Those skills sets may have made Frank a damn good whip but they seem to be making for a piss poor President at best!

 

Count me among those who found Claire's actions very out of character. I could actually believe that if Claire wasn't a light sleeper and factoring in jet lag that she may not have heard a man hanging himself but actually potentially throwing away what it took decades for them to get and embarrassing the Russian President like that just made no sense to me. However, the resultant dialogue between her and Frank on AirForce 1 was some of the best dialogue ever on the show.

 

Speaking of AirForce 1, I know the one of the show isn't the real one, but damn how amazing.  I would put flying on AirForce 1 on my bucket list if the chances of it actually happening weren't 0 to none. it wasn't so damn unlikely. 

[Sesquipedalia]

I could tell that Claire was going to jump ship as soon as she said she wanted to speak at the press conference, but I was disappointed in her. I thought she was more hardcore than that. If ever there were a time to let the ice run in her veins, this was it. Her new-found conscience would have been more believable if Corrigan had been a more sympathetic, inspiring character, but he came off as a jerk.

 

By the way, does Claire know for sure that Frank committed murder? Or is it more of a don't-ask-don't-tell situation? When she said "we are murderers," I thought Frank got a look on his face like he was worried she was talking about something other than Corrigan.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I knew it was a mistake as soon as Claire closed her eyes and promised she'd sleep "Just for a bit" but I honestly thought Corrigan would kill her.  A emotionally distraught and desperate man in a jail cell.  No offence but I wouldn't close my eyes.  Kind of hard to believe that the First Lady would be kept in such a situation long enough for that to happen.

 

To be fair I'm waiting for someone to be killed every 5 seconds on this show... 

[hincandenza]

I could tell that Claire was going to jump ship as soon as she said she wanted to speak at the press conference, but I was disappointed in her. I thought she was more hardcore than that. If ever there were a time to let the ice run in her veins, this was it. Her new-found conscience would have been more believable if Corrigan had been a more sympathetic, inspiring character, but he came off as a jerk.

 

By the way, does Claire know for sure that Frank committed murder? Or is it more of a don't-ask-don't-tell situation? When she said "we are murderers," I thought Frank got a look on his face like he was worried she was talking about something other than Corrigan.

 

I agree, Michael was childish and egotistical- especially how cruelly he dismissed his soon-to-be-widow's emotional pain and worry- but Claire from this episode on was like a totally different character than she had been through 2.5 seasons.  I think the show wanted to start her on the "reformation" storyline, where we conveniently forget her own guilt and responsibility over the past seasons, and paint her as the nobly suffering victim of an overbearing tyrant.

 

As for whether she knows about Pete Russo, Zoe, and now Rachel... I firmly believe- but can't cite exact episodes or dialogue right now- that in season 1 and 2 it was made extremely clear that Claire is- or at least was- 100% aware of and in full support of any and all Frank's "necessary" actions to maintain and expand power.  This including destroying political careers or even outright murder.  Hell, it seemed to turn the two of them on, since they are the "Nick and Mallory of the Beltway"...

 

And honestly, even in season 1, I quickly came to realize that Frank is ruthless in what is only a more southerly and charming version of Petrov's brutal expediency... but Claire is another level of Lady MacBeth scheming and plotting.  She has her own trail of destruction that was delivered with even more iciness than Frank's "Well, you fucked me over or are a grave threat to me, so now you must go" revenge.  Claire attacks and destroys people who haven't hurt or betrayed her- like the rape victim, or her friend Adam- unlike Frank who is mostly more pragmatic in dealing out his own form of "justice".  He only killed Pete Russo and Zoe because each was pulling too hard at their leash and threatening his career and his freedom.  It's not right, but it's at least more understandable than immediately firing your head of staff after making her go through the emotional process of laying off half the staff herself, or publicly exploiting a rape victim to further her own pet causes and celebrity.

[Ellaria]

This is my favorite chapter so far. Robin Wright blew me away in the cell and every scene after.

Small nitpick, Claire states Corrigan was found hung, shouldn't it be found hanged? Men are hung, people are hanged is what I what I was taught.

Completely agree. Excellent episode and RW was masterful. Claire is an incredible character. Her unbridled ambition, her steely exterior and her pragmatism are scary at times. And then she gets an attack of conscience and, for a brief moment, I almost find myself admiring her. 

And yes, I thought that proper word was "hanged."

 

Well that was excellent, I agree best of the S3 so far. Was getting a little bored but now it's on. If we can just get the whole Rachel subplot shitcanned and spend that time on the Underwoods shredding each other, I'd be a happy girl..

I'm not enjoying the Rachel subplot either, mostly because I don't care for Cashew's daddy. Her reappearence is inevitable, I suppose. Doesn't she have information that could implicate Frank in Peter Russo's death? (I still want Frank to have to answer for that...and for Zoe's death.) As long as Doug is still around, there is hope.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Ellaria Sand

[alexvillage]

 

Small nitpick, Claire states Corrigan was found hung, shouldn't it be found hanged?  Men are hung, people are hanged is what  I what I was taught.

 Not smal nitpick. It bugged me so much, I started doubting myself. But yo are correct. Major fail, imo, to have Claire say those words.

[Ellaria]

 Not smal nitpick. It bugged me so much, I started doubting myself. But yo are correct. Major fail, imo, to have Claire say those words.

 

And I am pretty sure that she said it twice.

[revbfc]

I agree with everyone who loved Robin Wright's acting in this episode.

Having said that, Robin Wright was not acting like Claire. When did she grow a conscience? Did the Northern Lights grant her a soul or something?

[CleoCaesar]

On the other hand, I guess I did react to Michael Corrigan as a character instead of as a creation of the writers, because I wanted to slap him most of the time. Come on, dude! If you really want to help, read the stupid words and go back to the States. Live to fight another day.

 

You and me both. He seemed like such an asshole and left me largely devoid of sympathy. Tiresome martyr type who seems blinded by how oh-so-noble he is, who lives for some abstract ideal while shitting on those who care about him (like his husband).

 

The whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth.

[laprin]

I think this season we're really starting to see the human side of Claire - from the vomiting to the way she didn't tow the political line. I think she's a woman divided - wrestling with her voracious need to succeed and the ideal she has of herself. It's nice to see her calm, cool exterior being slowly chipped away like when she got angry during the congressional hearing. I continue to be impressed with how HoC is half political intrigue and half love story. I love Claire and Frank together although I find them each distasteful.  

[Broderbits]

I may be all alone in this, but I don't believe for one moment that Claire has suddenly grown a conscience. First she made the Russian ambassador her Ladies Room attendant, then she pissed all over Not-Putin, probably as a payback for that "assault/kiss".  Everything she does is in service of her goal: the presidency for herself, with a little revenge on the side. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the prisoner's suicide was what she wanted to happen all along. It may be distasteful to her to have collateral damage, but it doesn't stop her.

[Haleth]

In the meantime Cathy is banging her head on the desk.

[LADreamr]

The ambassadorship storyline bothered me because it's not something you can just drop yourself into and expect to immediately do well. It was within her character to just assume it should be hers, but I think that ambition had a lot more to do with the title than the job itself. When I was in the Marines, I worked in the school that trained the embassy Marine guards, and we worked with the State Dept., foreign service officers and the embassies. It is its own world, and the fact that she didn't even bother to acclimate herself with it so she could speak intelligently about it during the confirmation hearings just ticked me off.

I know I'm taking it too personally, but still.

[BusyOctober]

What was the paper/folder Doug showed Dunbar? He said " Claire Underwood told me to burn this." There's soooo much dirt he holds over their heads, but this particular piece has me curious!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm assuming it was the log that proved Claire had an abortion. I'm glad that Dunbar didn't want to use it. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind. Doug seemed pretty determined to use it.

[Broderbits]

Doug said the paper proved she lied to Congress, but she didn't she admit to the abortion? I seem to remember her advisers freaking out about that.

[ZootSuitWyatt]

Claire told the public that she had one abortion (after being raped in college). If I remember correctly, the truth was that she had three abortions (none after the rape?). 

[Haleth]

I don't read spoilers for this show so I don't know if it's where they are heading or if I'm completely off base, but does anyone else think Doug is pulling a long con on Heather?  I'm thinking he is going to torpedo her candidacy right before the convention so the party will have to nominate Frank.  And I don't know if he's working on Frank's instructions (communicated through the other guy, Seth?) or if he's doing this on his own.  It just doesn't seem characteristic of Frank to leave Doug out in the cold or for Doug to be bitter enough to use his particular set of skills to support Frank's opponent.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Claire told the public that she had one abortion (after being raped in college). If I remember correctly, the truth was that she had three abortions (none after the rape?).

IIRC when she was being interviewed, the reporter asked if she had had an abortion and then Claire said she had been raped by the military guy, so everyone assumed that the abortion occurred as a result of the rape. The ledger shows that the date she had the abortion was years later.

 

ETA: I am not 100% sure because it's been a while since that storyline and I haven't rewatched recently. If anyone else remembers better than I do, feel free to correct me!

Edited March 4, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[BusyOctober]

 

I don't read spoilers for this show so I don't know if it's where they are heading or if I'm completely off base, but does anyone else think Doug is pulling a long con on Heather?  I'm thinking he is going to torpedo her candidacy right before the convention so the party will have to nominate Frank.  And I don't know if he's working on Frank's instructions (communicated through the other guy, Seth?) or if he's doing this on his own.  It just doesn't seem characteristic of Frank to leave Doug out in the cold or for Doug to be bitter enough to use his particular set of skills to support Frank's opponent.

I'm thinking the same thing!  This show has me hyper suspicious of everyone's motives.

 

I hope the new reporter doesn't get pushed in front of train or in a car wreck.  I like the actress a lot from other roles and I don't want to see her "offed".

[rubyred]

ElectricBoogaloo, I think you're right. The crux of the matter wasn't so much that Claire had had an abortion, it was when (or at least that's how the Underwoods were able to spin it. The abortion admission was not insignificant, but Claire ran with it and got a lot of credibility with women voters for her "honesty.") I don't remember if she let people assume it or if she stated flat out that the pregnancy was a result of the rape; the real story was that she got the abortion well after she and Francis were married. It was election time and she was getting hammered in the press for being childless. Ya know, because those of us without kids are somehow less than the ideal woman.

Edited March 4, 2015 by rubyred

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

You and me both. He seemed like such an asshole and left me largely devoid of sympathy. Tiresome martyr type who seems blinded by how oh-so-noble he is, who lives for some abstract ideal while shitting on those who care about him (like his husband).

When Frank said "[Corrigan] was a coward and I'm glad he's dead," I found myself agreeing with him. Corrigan could have just read his stupid statement (EVERYONE would have understood he was just saying it to get out of a Russian prison) and gone home. But he chose to traumatize Claire (who was trying to help him) and leave his husband a widow. Edited March 4, 2015 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Schmoopy]

The Ice Truck Killer lives.....only to die once again. 

 

Amazing acting all the way around.

 

Great episode.

 

I once again have that tingly feeling that has me excited to watch more.

[Fen]

I'm assuming it was the log that proved Claire had an abortion. I'm glad that Dunbar didn't want to use it. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind. Doug seemed pretty determined to use it.

 

 

I don't read spoilers for this show so I don't know if it's where they are heading or if I'm completely off base, but does anyone else think Doug is pulling a long con on Heather?  I'm thinking he is going to torpedo her candidacy right before the convention so the party will have to nominate Frank.  And I don't know if he's working on Frank's instructions (communicated through the other guy, Seth?) or if he's doing this on his own.  It just doesn't seem characteristic of Frank to leave Doug out in the cold or for Doug to be bitter enough to use his particular set of skills to support Frank's opponent.

 

I don't think the particular piece of information Doug chose to show Heather was a coincidence.  It's notable that she said she would never use this against another woman, and nor would her campaign manager.  Aside from her personal scruples in this regard, in terms of sheer pragmatism - she can't try to run to the left of Frank (her vocal support of gay rights, for example), and then try to shame Claire over an abortion issue.  Doug cannily shared information she will not and cannot use.  He bought her trust at no risk to himself.  I think it's a long con to try and prove himself indispensable to Frank.  Contrast Doug in the last few episode - polished, in control, knowledgeable - with Seth and Remy, who have looked clueless recently.

 

I found Claire tiresome here, I'm afraid.  It reminded me of season one, when she had her jaunt off to New York to play at being an alternative version of herself for a few days, and then headed home.  Her outburst had less to do with Corrigan's legacy, and more to do with salving the burn she felt when he asked her what she believed in, and what she was willing to die for.  Totally at odds with the last episode, where she essentially told Frank to just forget about the man who had his legs blown off. 

 

It also rankled to find her suddenly feeling the need to sit on a moral high horse when she was perfectly happy for her husband to gift her a massively important job for which she is completely unqualified, and apparently completely unsuitable.   

 

Found Corrigan equally tiresome.  He could have done more back home to help his cause than he could by hanging himself in his cell.  His demands were irrational, naive, and driven by ego.

 

Does anyone else think the author guy looks like Frank's ex from military school?  i think Frank is attracted to him, which could be risky given that his marriage is on rocky ground.

 

I thought Gavin's facial expression when Lisa gave him the clue to where Rachel might be was perfect.  He is horrified by what he's doing, but is doing it all the same.  Not particularly keen on the reappearance of Rachel, though - found her tedious.

[Jade Foxx]

 

Her outburst had less to do with Corrigan's legacy, and more to do with salving the burn she felt when he asked her what she believed in, and what she was willing to die for.  

 

I thought it was also (in part) because of the burn she felt by Corrigan picking up on the fact that she's in a loveless marriage, yet couldn't do much about it. "Bad for business."

 

Corrigan was a dead ringer for Marc Anthony. I kept getting distracted.

 

As far as Frank and Claire - AHHH IT'S ON NOW, PLAYA!!!

[missy jo]

By the way, does Claire know for sure that Frank committed murder? Or is it more of a don't-ask-don't-tell situation? When she said "we are murderers," I thought Frank got a look on his face like he was worried she was talking about something other than Corrigan.

 

 

She knew about Zoe.

 

Doug showed Dunbar the physician's personal diary detailing the abortion, the one that Seth originally procured.

[Joimiaroxeu]

As far as Frank and Claire - AHHH IT'S ON NOW, PLAYA!!!

IMO, this is what the series has been building up to. It'll be like Godzilla vs. Rodan.

[Mattipoo]

I find it unbelievable that Claire would fall asleep in the prison cell and not hear the man hanging himself. the way she sabotaged the deal is also extremely out of character for Claire, who has been known to be even more sociopathic than Frank when it comes to climbing the political ladder. It was nice seeing Petrov again. He makes a formidable antagonist to Frank and Claire unlike the morons who were easily defeated and/or killed in the earlier 2 seasons.

[peggy06]

I thought it was also (in part) because of the burn she felt by Corrigan picking up on the fact that she's in a loveless marriage, yet couldn't do much about it. "Bad for business."

 

Corrigan was a dead ringer for Marc Anthony. I kept getting distracted.

 

As far as Frank and Claire - AHHH IT'S ON NOW, PLAYA!!!

Yeah, I thought the "takes one to k now one" comment was pretty key. I've never been able to figure out the Underwood relationship. For the longest time, I thought it was purely platonic. This season is the first time we've seen them have sex. There was that weird thing with Meacham, but I thought Claire engineered that as a favor to Frank. Early on, I think around the time she goes off to Adam in New York, I seem to recall an incident that seemed to turn her against Frank, but I can't remember what it was. Ever since then she's seemed to keep him at a distance. Was there a hint that she would have liked to have a child? (Hard to believe, but something like that sticks in my mind.) Maybe it was always a case of hitching her wagon to someone with ambition. Maybe she never cared about him.

 

I was mostly rolling my eyes during the cell scenes, because of impatience with Corrigan. But I think, from the way it was written (and from Claire's subsequent actions), we were meant to side with him. The suicide was telegraphed as soon as Claire closed her eyes, and then Corrigan was shown looking wistfully our of the window. Um, Claire? Hello? Jail cell? No belts no shoelaces? I think she feels guilty on a personal level, both for having slept, and for having badgered him.

 

Must say I have no idea where things are going next! Frank is on harder times than he's ever been on the show. Stamper's agin him (I believe that's for real); Claire's agin him, he comes back from Russia empty-handed, and having made an implacable enemy, he has no allies in Congress, no money behind him,  and has stuck his neck out for some extremely dodgy maneuvers to get his agenda going. 

 

Show just got real.

Edited March 14, 2015 by peggy06

[quarks]

Great episode with only three tiny tiny problems:

 

1. Why would the already infuriated Russians let Claire stay in the cell after dinner?  Or after Frank agreed to read the revised speech, which presumably removed the need for Corrigan to say anything?  They could have just called Claire, had her talk to Frank to confirm this, Claire leaves the cell, there's not a single convenient scarf around, all is good.

 

2. How deeply does Claire sleep? Right through losing her scarf and the sounds of someone hanging himself?  I'm assuming he made at least some noise during that.

 

3. The Rachel plotline is still with us. 

[millennium]

Michael Corrigan was an asshole.   I'm with Frank, I'm glad he killed himself.

 

Count me among those perplexed by the attention being lavished on the Rachel storyline.  Why is a third-string character (Gavin) currently occupying half the screen time?

 

I suppose Doug's storyline will pay off in the long run but at the moment it's boring and annoying.

 

Claire was pretty shitty to the writer.

2. How deeply does Claire sleep? Right through losing her scarf and the sounds of someone hanging himself?  I'm assuming he made at least some noise during that.

 

 

 

Unless Claire strung him up herself, then took a restful nap afterwards.   That's the Claire I know and love.

Edited March 18, 2015 by millennium

[Pike Ludwell]

Corrigan was a dead ringer for Marc Anthony. I kept getting distracted.

 

Corrigan was a dead ringer for Dexter's psycho serial killer brother, Rudy -- that's what distracted me.

[Milburn Stone]

I suppose Doug's storyline will pay off in the long run but at the moment it's boring and annoying.

 

The one element of intrigue (and I haven't watched any episodes beyond this one yet)--and also the one element that connects it to the rest of the story--is whether Doug is tracking down Rachel in order to have her killed (thereby returning to Frank Underwood's good graces by removing an obstacle to his reelection) or is tracking down Rachel in order to bring her to light (thereby ruining Frank and clearing the path to the presidency for Heather Dunbar). That's the only reason I've remained interested in the subplot.

[morgankobi]

So Doug was able to get a high-paying and important job by showing his new boss how he didn't always follow orders from his old one?