Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S04.E03: Chapter 42

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in House Of Cards [V]

Recommended Posts

Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

Blood in the water.

I like the symbolism of Frank and Claire violent fights. Even if they are just in Frank's imagination.

People incessantly complained that no one was able to stand up against Frank but now there is someone just as ruthless and cunning as he is....his wife. And it is beautiful.

Best line this show has ever put out "I've always been your running mate. You just didn't want to see it."

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

(edited)

But...But...Claire sucks at everything.

what are you talking about? The writers have made her basically omnipotent so far this season.

She made some critical tactical errors in season 3. I thought those errors and the ones Frank made were there to show that when Frank and Claire didn't work together they fell apart.

As for this season I would hardly call Claire omnipotent. She is ruthless, callous and cunning and with a focus which she didn't really have in season 3 which has made her a dangerous enemy to Frank. Like Frank she knows the people she is dealing with and knows how to manipulate them to do what she needs them to do. That is not omnipotence that is strategy.

Edited by Chaos Theory
  • Love 2
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

Wow, I knew that Claire was mad but the way she torpedoed Frank with the KKK picture of his dad was brutal. So how long before everyone figures out that Leanne is Claire's errand girl?

 

Poor Meecham that entire conversation with Frank at the end had to be so confusing. I could practically see the word bubbles over his head: Have you done anything to make me unhappy? Look into your eyes? What the hell is happening? Can I go now?

 

Oh, Lucas. You seemed to survive prison without having to engage in forcible sex only to get put into witness protection and proceed to get yourself blackmailed into having sex with a creepy guy at work so that you can go off on this wing and a prayer mission to see Heather Dunbar.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
NorthstarATL

NorthstarATL

Wow, I knew that Claire was mad but the way she torpedoed Frank with the KKK picture of his dad was brutal. So how long before everyone figures out that Leanne is Claire's errand girl?

 

Poor Meecham that entire conversation with Frank at the end had to be so confusing. I could practically see the word bubbles over his head: Have you done anything to make me unhappy? Look into your eyes? What the hell is happening? Can I go now?

 

Oh, Lucas. You seemed to survive prison without having to engage in forcible sex only to get put into witness protection and proceed to get yourself blackmailed into having sex with a creepy guy at work so that you can go off on this wing and a prayer mission to see Heather Dunbar.

I shuddered to think what the other guys working at that place must look like! I did, however, want Meecham and Frank to kiss or at least hug, but, then, I always want that. The KKK pic was/is a bridge too far for me to accept in a depiction of pseudo-reality such as House of Cards. There is NO way on earth that Frank got to where he is now without that ever surfacing. The only thing Claire would have access to that no one else would be aware of is bedroom type stuff, and airing that, if it had any impact, would implicate her as the leak.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
JBC344

JBC344

I shuddered to think what the other guys working at that place must look like! I did, however, want Meecham and Frank to kiss or at least hug, but, then, I always want that. The KKK pic was/is a bridge too far for me to accept in a depiction of pseudo-reality such as House of Cards. There is NO way on earth that Frank got to where he is now without that ever surfacing. The only thing Claire would have access to that no one else would be aware of is bedroom type stuff, and airing that, if it had any impact, would implicate her as the leak.

I don't know what you mean.  They made sure to say that the picture was an original which is how Frank was shocked that it got out.  It is also why Frank had a suspicion that it was Claire, and more importantly how he knew that someone had gotten it from the safety deposit box because it wasn't a picture that would of had copies roaming around out there. 

 

In light of the recent evidence that just surfaced in the OJ case, I would say that it does make sense that this random one copy picture never got out because the only people who knew about it were Frank and Claire.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
JBC344

JBC344

Considering Frank's father went to one meeting, just to persuade the Klan leader to get the bank manager to give him a loan, I doubt anyone even remembers Frank's father.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
ToxicUnicorn

ToxicUnicorn

So far, I don't like Frank's recurring dream/vision of the violent fight he has with Claire.  I also didn't like the blood in the faucet.  These characters' normal personalities are far enough out on a limb for me to feel plenty of unease when they're acting deliberately.  I do not need to add layers of uncontrolled subconscious or actual mental instability to be interested.  In fact, I find those fight scenes jarring and I think they detract from the psychological tension, rather than adding to it.

 

Having said that, I thought this one was much better than the last episode.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
DrLar

DrLar

I wasn't aware that some or all banks deleted the previous day footage... what's the point of recording then?

 

Also big mistake of Frank for even having a safe deposit box in some brand x bank, he should know better.

 

Loved MeechUm (with a U), bewildered look at Frank when he asked the question.

 

So is the Speaker on Claire's side? if I'm not mistaken he send the photo of Frank with the Confederate guy

  • Love 1
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

So is the Speaker on Claire's side? if I'm not mistaken he send the photo of Frank with the Confederate guy

Seth isn't the Speaker of the House. He is Frank's director of communications. Seth isn't on anyone's side except his own. Doug asked Seth for phone and email records for everyone and he pointedly told him to include his own (meaning Seth's) so Seth sent the second picture from the White House and then asked Frank if he thought Meechum could be the leak, specifically to draw suspicion away from himself.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
jsm1125

jsm1125

How has Doug not suspected that Leann was involved in some way with leaking at least one of those photos, given their standoff in the season premiere?

 

I noticed that when Frank was enraged at Claire for wanting to be his running mate, one of his lines was something along the lines of "I would rather have a spineless Donald Blythe than a woman who has never held elected office as my Vice President." Will we find out that Frank has sexist viewpoints? He could have easily substituted the word "person" or "individual" for woman.

 

I did like how we saw some socioeconomic tension explicitly addressed between Claire and Frank in this episode, as he mentioned that Claire has no idea what it means to have nothing.

 

So I take it we won't see Yates or Kate Baldwin this season?

Link to comment
Ms Blue Jay

Ms Blue Jay

Seth isn't the Speaker of the House. He is Frank's director of communications. Seth isn't on anyone's side except his own. Doug asked Seth for phone and email records for everyone and he pointedly told him to include his own (meaning Seth's) so Seth sent the second picture from the White House and then asked Frank if he thought Meechum could be the leak, specifically to draw suspicion away from himself.

 

I still don't get this.  I, like DrLar, came to the conclusion that Seth was working for Claire.  I didn't understand anything else.  We saw Seth take a picture of something on a laptop -- 

 

"sent the second picture from the White House" -- sorry what does this mean?  How did Seth get a hold of the "second" picture (Is the second picture the KKK picture?).

 

Thank you.

Link to comment
jsm1125

jsm1125

(edited)

I still don't get this.  I, like DrLar, came to the conclusion that Seth was working for Claire.  I didn't understand anything else.  We saw Seth take a picture of something on a laptop -- 

 

"sent the second picture from the White House" -- sorry what does this mean?  How did Seth get a hold of the "second" picture (Is the second picture the KKK picture?).

 

Thank you.

It's my understanding that while Seth is officially Frank's Press Secretary, he is not loyal to anyone in particular, hence his communications with Dunbar this season and with Remy in previous seasons. The second picture I believe is the one of Frank with that Civil War actor. As to how he got that photo? Your guess is as good as mine.

Edited by jsm1125
  • Love 2
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

Seth did a lot of research on the Underwoods (which is how he finangled this job in the first place). IIRC after Doug asked for everyone's phone and email records, including Seth's, Seth got a look on his face, which I read as the proverbial lightbulb going on over his head aka remembering that there was a photo of Frank at the Civil War reenactment. Seth knew that Doug already suspected he was the leak which is why Seth then suggested it was Meechum. Leaking a second photo was Seth's way of drawing more attention away from himself/toward someone else. I could be interpreting this all wrong though.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
TV Anonymous

TV Anonymous

I have to throw a flag on the scene of LeAnn in the safe deposit box fault. The standard practice is that each box has two keys. One for the bank officer and the other for the owner. Both keys have to be used simultaneously to open a box. It is to ensure that owner opens only the box he / she is registered to, exactly to avoid this kind of situation.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
EarlGreyTea

EarlGreyTea

Frank is so entertaining when he's furious. Snapping the box closed and turning to the audience in anger was hilarious.

 

I noticed that when Frank was enraged at Claire for wanting to be his running mate, one of his lines was something along the lines of "I would rather have a spineless Donald Blythe than a woman who has never held elected office as my Vice President." Will we find out that Frank has sexist viewpoints? He could have easily substituted the word "person" or "individual" for woman.

 

I actually think the word "woman" was used to give Claire's response more oomph: "You're losing to a woman who has never held elected office."

 

Lucas is usually useless for me, but his crying at the bottom of the stairwell in pure anguish was very well done. The actor is doing a phenomenal job.

 

Meechum is my favorite character. His bewildered, Bambi in the headlights look was so endearing. I think he's kind of how most of us would act if we interacted with the Underwoods. How dare Seth try to implicate him!

  • Like 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
GreekGeek

GreekGeek

I have to throw a flag on the scene of LeAnn in the safe deposit box fault. The standard practice is that each box has two keys. One for the bank officer and the other for the owner. Both keys have to be used simultaneously to open a box. It is to ensure that owner opens only the box he / she is registered to, exactly to avoid this kind of situation.

Not only that, but I found it hard to believe that anyone would be left alone with all the safety deposit boxes. If you want some alone time with your own box, you're ushered into a small room with it, and the door leading to the vaults is locked again until you're done. The implausibility of the whole thing spoiled the episode a bit for me. I also didn't buy Frank's explanation why he kept such a damaging picture. We saw him piss on his dad's grave last season, so why is he so sentimental about this photo? 

 

I'm also wondering why Clair is so popular with voters. She's even less convincing as a "person of the people" than Frank, who at least legitimately came from humble beginnings.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Hanahope

Hanahope

Agreed with others that how LeAnn got into the safe deposit box was unconvincing, as well as Seth's attempt to slander Meechum.  How in the world could Claire think she could become the VP and I can see where Frank would not want her (the least of which is probably realizing that she could figure out a way to kill him so she could become President).  What is so wrong about being First Lady for a few years first Claire?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
LeGrandElephant

LeGrandElephant

(edited)
On July 11, 2016 at 11:51 AM, Hanahope said:

What is so wrong about being First Lady for a few years first Claire?

This is what's keeping me from getting into this season (and I was so irritated by the end of the last season that I waited until now to watch this one). I don't buy Claire's attitude and motivations and terrible strategy. Why not be first lady and THEN pursue her own career? And if her entire life goal is to hold elected office, why did she never run for anything in all the decades before? I can see that the writers thought it would be fun to pit Francis and Claire against each other, but I don't think it makes sense for her character to be doing this, on many levels.

Also, does Claire know that Francis murdered Zoe, who he had been sleeping with? Claire better watch her back and keep an eye on her drink... 

Edited by LeGrandElephant
Link to comment
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...