S04.E06: Chapter 45

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Claire clashes with the Secretary of State over her involvement in negotiations with Russia. Dunbar must choose between her campaign and her ethics.

[knaankos]

Can someone remind me why it would be such a big deal if it were revealed that Jackie and Remy were a thing?

[mjc570]

Jackie/Remy - I seem to remember that she is married.  Even if not, it's still (1) extramarital; (2) interracial; and (3) lobbyist/politician, so possible corruption. 

[Chaos Theory]

Can someone remind me why it would be such a big deal if it were revealed that Jackie and Remy were a thing?

He is a lobbiest. She is a politician. It has the stink of corruption. It would ruin both their careers.

[peggy06]

I thought Dunbar was going to perjure herself there, but she avoided a direct lie, and when asked point-blank, she couldn't do it. IRL, I would admire a candidate who did that, and her argument would have carried weight with me. If Hammerschmidt and Kate do dig something up that leads to the story coming out, she will be vindicated. Has to happen before the convention, though.  

 

What ever happened to Jackie's new husband and step-kids, that were such a big deal when she was running for the nomination?  

 

I hate that Claire has been made smart all of a sudden. Last season, she was a political disaster. I feel she is every bit as ruthless and manipulative as Frank, with even less remorse. The hallucinations he had while in liver failure reveal that he hasn't put those ghosts to rest.

Edited March 8, 2016 by peggy06

[NeenerNeener]

So, was that some random kid that killed himself and provided Frank the liver, or was he the child of the guy who got bumped because of Frank?

They didn't focus on that picture on Doug's monitor for very long, but the kids in that picture appeared to be about the right age. 

[JBC344]

He was a random kid.  If he was the son of the guy on the list the Secretary of Health would of definitely thrown it in Doug's face.  The scene was just to show how the process works.  An organ can come from anywhere. 

[Samsnee]

That scene wasn't necessary at all. They could have easily just had a character say they got a liver from a suicide victim. The fact it was a teen was done purely for shock value.

[Ellaria]

Lots of things about this episode (and the prior one) worry me: the return of Raymond Tusk, Frank's ever-changing hair color, Dunbar's self destruction, Frank's hallucinations of Zoe and Peter. In all of these cases, it is either too much, too little or not soon enough.

 

Claire and Frank reconciling as partners in hell should be fun to watch but if either of them trust the other one...well, they deserve what they get. Doug is still the devil and apparently can convince the previously principled Sec of HHS to bump Frank to the top of the donor list. Or maybe no one in this show has principles.

 

Regardless, watching every decent person on this show go down or knuckle under to the demands of the Underwoods is frustrating. Someone (or a group of someones) has to successfully stand up to the Underwoods or this will feel like the "same old, same old." I am hoping that the reporters will keep digging but do it in a smarter manner using the power of the press appropriately.

 

Since Dunbar candidacy appears to be over, I am also hoping that Conway assumes a bigger role. The show needs a new character that is shrewd and imposing and can go toe-to-toe with the Underwoods. I don't like LeAnn; she is just another ambitious cog in the Underwoods' machine. Seth can leave at any time; a pointless character. But someone needs to make Frank and Claire fear that the walls are closing in around them. And it needs to happen soon.

[elzin]

I almost always HATE HATE HATE dream/hallucination sequences.  This wasn't an exception. They're so boring and a waste of time.

[Pike Ludwell]

I almost always HATE HATE HATE dream/hallucination sequences.  This wasn't an exception. They're so boring and a waste of time.

 

A lot of these directors came of age around the time of Twin Peaks and so they lust after the idea of doing dream sequences as a way of showing creativity. So they write them in to make these people happy. I find it ok as long as they are brief, but if I see a dancing midget  in any of them I will scream.

[elzin]

A lot of these directors came of age around the time of Twin Peaks and so they lust after the idea of doing dream sequences as a way of showing creativity. So they write them in to make these people happy. I find it ok as long as they are brief, but if I see a dancing midget  in any of them I will scream.

If I see a singing Big Mouth Billy Bass I'm out

[Primetimer]

A medical issue arises, and we get an exclusive from a key figure.

Read the story

[Maysie]

It said so much that it was Stamper and Blythe waiting out Frank's surgery. As awful as Doug is, I find him pathetic in his absolute, unquestioning, slobbering devotion to Frank.

 

Edited to add:

I think I missed what Claire's motivation was for inserting herself into the negotiations with the Russians and the Chinese and that whole situation. Was she counting on Frank dying and then somehow using her experience to build her own political career? What exactly did she have to gain by manipulating that entire situation, including winning over Blythe and all that stuff?

Edited March 8, 2016 by Maysie

[JBC344]

I think that Claire was laying the groundwork for her plan.  Whether or not that included Frank.  If Frank survives she can show him how she took charge and orchestrated the deal.  At this point Frank was still leery about the plan working.  If Frank does die she has now cemented herself as Blythe's right hand man/woman.  Blythe becomes President and he will have to choose a Vice President, enter Claire.

[NutMeg]

I had to look away from the screen during some of the dream sequences - the thumbs pressing on the eyes in particuliar - I honestly could not watch.

 

Don't know what it means, but there were many times when Claire was framed - like in front of Francis' bed, she was standing still, framed but the doorway and perspective of rooms behind her. And there were other times as well. It could be just an esthetic choice, or it could have some other meaning. Any thoughts?

 

Also, when Francis made his comeback to work, the way Doug was looking at Claire... Felt like a lot of jealousy at being relegated back to second place in Frank's life to me. Plus suspicion and intense dislike. And probably more complex emotions. It was fascinating. Then again, I'm always convinced Doug is showing an incredible range of emotions, even when he's as poker face as you can get :).   

[DrLar]

What did he imagined Zoe with short hair? last I remember she had it medium-long, I guess Kate Mara didn't want a wig...but looking as hot as ever.

That was an odd scene Frank/Zoe/Russo, 

[Maysie]

Thank you JBC344. Sometimes I get distracted during the show. That explanation makes sense.

 

 

Also, when Francis made his comeback to work, the way Doug was looking at Claire... Felt like a lot of jealousy at being relegated back to second place in Frank's life to me. Plus suspicion and intense dislike. And probably more complex emotions. It was fascinating. Then again, I'm always convinced Doug is showing an incredible range of emotions, even when he's as poker face as you can get :).

 

As much as I dislike Doug, he is an interesting character. I could easily see him killing Claire at some point for some real (or imagined) slight or threat to Frank. Doug's a little too devoted to Frank and I'm trying to figure out what it's based on (i.e., all politics, father figure, etc.)

 

 

What did he imagined Zoe with short hair? last I remember she had it medium-long, I guess Kate Mara didn't want a wig...but looking as hot as ever.

 

The short hair threw me off too. However, I noticed that when seen from a distance, cropped-hair Zoe could pass for a Claire (I'm talking in silhouette). I don't remember enough about how Zoe routinely dressed, but the dress, heals and hair all channeled Claire for me. I don't know if that was intentional or accidental (going with Kate Mara's hair and wanting to make her look hot).

ETA: THREW not Through! My Engiish teachers would be disgusted with me.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Maysie

[JBC344]

The Zoe appearing with short hair was definitely because of Claire.  Remember they kept interchanging with each other in Frank's dream.  Also remember back in season 1 when Zoe was a little intimidated by Claire so she dressed in Claire's heels and dress in front of Frank to mark her territory, so to speak.

[Maire]

Holy HIPPA violations!! So far that's the most unbelievable part of the show; that the HHS secretary has all that patient info at her fingertips and then just shows it to Doug.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I agree, Doug has serious father issues.  Frank explicitly said in some long ago episode that he loved Doug like a son.  I don't think we know why Doug feels it is ok to kill for Frank, though.

 

I enjoyed Claire-Petrov and the Frank-Claire reconciliation, even though neither of them made any sense.  They just have such great chemistry.

 

Add me to those who would be glad to see the hallucination scenes end.  Blech.

[ShellSeeker]

As much as I dislike Doug, he is an interesting character. I could easily see him killing Claire at some point for some real (or imagined) slight or threat to Frank. Doug's a little too devoted to Frank and I'm trying to figure out what it's based on (i.e., all politics, father figure, etc.)

Doug's slavish devotion to Frank is creepy, unnatural, and disturbing. It's like a mix of seeing Frank as a father figure and being in love with him. It's so weird. Everything he does, every move he makes, is done in hopes of getting Frank's approval. It would be interesting to see their backstory, and find out just why Doug is so devoted to Frank.

Claire and Frank reconciling as partners in hell should be fun to watch but if either of them trust the other one...well, they deserve what they get. Doug is still the devil and apparently can convince the previously principled Sec of HHS to bump Frank to the top of the donor list. Or maybe no one in this show has principles.

Well, we've seen what happens to people when they say no to Doug. And even if the Secretary of HHS doesn't know what we know, Doug is fucking scary. She was probably afraid he'd kill her and take her liver if she refused to do what he asked. Even though he's got the world's best poker face and is very soft-spoken, his fanatical zeal is quite obvious, and it makes him one sinister, frightening dude. I would have said yes too in her position.

[PRgal]

I saw the Zoe hallucinations as a near death experience.  Didn't he crash right after/during?

[ToxicUnicorn]

I watched the scene between Francis and Claire when Claire helps Francis to his feet after surgery and Francis asks her to stay.  I was trying to figure out their dynamic.

 

I think Francis genuinely loves Claire and wants her in his life as a partner.  He seems to value her intelligence, her determination, her charm, and her manipulative ability.  I believed him when he said he felt lucky to be married to her and that he didn't feel sometimes that he deserved her.  However, I have never felt that Francis had any sexual attraction to Claire.  I think it is basically a meeting of the minds, but one that he cherishes.

 

Claire, on the other hand, seems as though she is interested in using Francis more than Francis is in using her.  She seems completely pragrmatic and deliberate - hes the one who seems more emotional and reckless.  I believed her when she wouldn't reconcile unless Frank promised her something different.  I'm not sure she loves Frank.  

 

If I'm correct that the affection in that relationship is more lopsided than not, that could make some interesting side by side stories to come... if Frank thinks they are completely reconciled when it is Claire who has changed her priorities so much.  

 

Also, I don't remember anyone remarking on the way Claire seemed to be seducing the VP/acting Pres.  I have no problem believing she would hitch her star to that wagon, if that wagon were going anywhere..

 

It's odd to be feeling sorry for Frank in this senario.

[micat]

I would have loved the Secretary of HHS to stand up to Doug. In the real world, and even in the HoC world, I can't imagine it would go unnoticed if the Dept of HHS burnt through a Secretary a day until suddenly Underwood got a liver. The things that could bring Doug Stamper down are piling up: Rachel's murder, this move regarding the liver, threatening Seth. One could send him to prison, one is political suicide, and one could touch off a more underhanded solution. Any or all, please, show. I hate Doug Stamper. Like, can't stop frowning when he is on my screen. Kudos to Michael Kelly for playing such a thoroughly unlikeable character - I have to believe his acting ability is what is making me have such a visceral reaction when normally I would just roll my eyes at a character like Doug. I, like Kim our recapper, thought the scene with the Secretary was going to go, Doug looks at liver recipient list, cut to Doug scribbling something on his hand, cut to Doug smothering the poor number one guy with a pillow.

[Maysie]

 

I would have loved the Secretary of HHS to stand up to Doug. In the real world, and even in the HoC world, I can't imagine it would go unnoticed if the Dept of HHS burnt through a Secretary a day until suddenly Underwood got a liver.

 

And here's the thing that I didn't realize until I read your post, micat. The way I was taking it, Frank was going to be dead within days if he didn't get the liver. It's not like they can just go out and grab someone to fill that chair - there has to be some vetting, some research, etc. And I don't see how Doug would be in a position to remove that person from the post - seems that would have been Blythe's job (It is a cabinet post, after all). I think that was bad writing and honestly, it would have been more believable to have Doug kill liver recipient number one. Of course, that the secretary even had the list, let alone showed it to Doug, strains credibility, imo.

[Kenz]

Come on, Claire keeps her very high high heels on even when she takes a nap on the loveseat? 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My main takeaway from this episode is that if you're ever in a coma and near death, you will dream about the people you murdered.

 

Doug threatening to fire everyone until someone put Frank at the top of the transplant list was not at all surprising. I'm more surprised that it took him so long to do it.

 

Although I have mixed feelings about Claire using her knowledge of Remy and Jackie's affair, I couldn't argue with her when she blamed Jackie for being sloppy about it. If you don't want people to find out your secret, be stealthier!

Edited March 14, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[jsm1125]

I kind of want to see Cathy and Jackie team up and try to take down Frank and Claire. I'm not sure we have ever seen the former two interact with each other, but it would be a nice twist. The press and/or Dunbar being the latter two's downfall would be too obvious to me. I'm not sure how Cathy hasn't had a stroke in her Secretary of State role, as both the Underwoods make cringe-inducing decisions.

 

I'm trying to figure out if Doug did some research and had someone else, a psychiatrist or counselor, violate HIPAA and blab the names of his or her patients who have tried to commit suicide, gas lighting one of those patients into finishing the job.

[Dobian]

I also tire of dream sequences, they're boring and don't advance the story.  Another tiring theme in this series is how everyone is either totally spineless (the Secretary of Health), easily blackmailed (Jackie), or easily dispatched (Dunbar).  The Underwoods are made out of Teflon and no one can touch them.  At some point karma has to catch up with them, they've made way too many enemies (or so-called allies who know too much) and left too many bread crumbs out there about their sordid activities.

[Ms Blue Jay]

That scene wasn't necessary at all. They could have easily just had a character say they got a liver from a suicide victim. The fact it was a teen was done purely for shock value.

 

So gratuitous.  Thank you.  The scene really upset me.  I swear, shows like this continue to punish its viewers for viewing, which is the only reason they exist and make money and gain awards.

[RustbeltWriter]

I get the feeling people in the White House have come to the understanding that Doug is not just a shrewd political operator who can end their careers but that he is also batshit crazy and will do far worse if prompted. He is thoroughly unlikable and his devotion to Frank is beyond odd. These folks, like the HHS secretary, have to wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

[millennium]

Thank goodness Frank woke up because I find Claire unbearable on her own.   The character is a humorless robot.   Nearly two episodes of Claire cruising on autopilot is more than I ever want to experience again.   Frank is just as ambitious but at least he has emotions and a roguish sense of humor to mask the hum of his machinery.   Claire is about as engaging as a fluorescent light bulb.

 

This was a terrible episode.

[Mattipoo]

Too bad Frank woke up, I was kinda hoping he would just die. Stamper is despicable especially the way he blackmailed the secretary of health. I guess the purpose of these last 2 episodes is to establish that Claire is capable of running the country without her husband. I hope the ex-newspaper editor guy (forgot his name) is the one who takes Frank and Claire down by finally exposing their treacherous secrets to the public once and for all.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Mattipoo

[Anela]

When I heard that certain characters would be seen again this season, I was hoping for all of his skeletons to come tumbling out of the closet. I was only half paying attention, and was thinking about watching it again, but if they're only here for hallucinations, then I won't bother. 

[EarlGreyTea]

I almost always HATE HATE HATE dream/hallucination sequences.  This wasn't an exception. They're so boring and a waste of time.

 

I do too. They're almost always used in dramas like these and loaded with heavy handed, yet obtuse symbolism. Off the top of my head, The Sopranos and Mad Men (also great shows and also rather full of themselves, in my opinion) have done similar sequences.

 

Thank goodness Frank woke up because I find Claire unbearable on her own.   The character is a humorless robot.   Nearly two episodes of Claire cruising on autopilot is more than I ever want to experience again.   Frank is just as ambitious but at least he has emotions and a roguish sense of humor to mask the hum of his machinery.   Claire is about as engaging as a fluorescent light bulb.

 

This was a terrible episode.

 

The hook for me in the beginning was Frank and Claire's relationship. Their total and complete devotion to one another, everyone else be damned. I was pretty disillusioned last season and now this one, because it has become quite clear Claire could walk away at any time if she is not given what she wants. That's not the solid partnership we saw (or rather, I interpreted) in the earlier seasons. It's pretty disappointing and I hope to see them back on solid ground. Part of the problem is the writers' complete obscuring of what it is Claire really wants. Do they even know what she wants?

 

Having said that, it's ballsy to have their lead female character so cold, calculating, and self-serving, so I applaud them for that. In a lesser show the roles would be reversed.

[Bananna]

Too bad Frank woke up, I was kinda hoping he would just die.

Same, I thought that if he had died it would have been an interesting change in the dynamic in the show. A VP who is drastically unprepared to be President, Claire having to be the mourning wife and having to withdraw herself the political scene as a result. Then maybe Hammerschmidt digging up Frank's shadiness and putting a mark on his legacy. I thought it would have been a more interesting story than what we got.

[Milburn Stone]

For the life of me I can't remember who Conway is.

[GreekGeek]

On 4/29/2016 at 11:32 PM, Milburn Stone said:

For the life of me I can't remember who Conway is.

Republican candidate for president.

[Milburn Stone]

Thanks, GreekGeek.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[marcee]

I just want Jackie and Remy to live happily ever after. Is that too much to ask?

[J-Man]

Wow. Frank is even into three-ways in his hallucinations. I wonder if he'll ever have one with Doug and Claire? Or Petrov and Clalire?

[Hanahope]

I'm half expecting Claire to kill Frank and convince Blythe to appoint her as the new VP (since she's the only one he'll listen to), and then she'll 'take over' Frank's candidacy to get the sympathy vote, especially now that Dunbar has shot herself in the foot.  I know, I know, honesty is usually the best, but when many in your audience have an average IQ or less, and don't understand the nuance between meeting with someone who is reporting a possible crime, who you then find out is a criminal who then becomes unhinged enough to shoot the president when you refuse his report, and knowingly meeting with a criminal planning on shooting the president, sometimes you have to do the 'wrong thing' in order to later be able to do the right thing.  (cough cough, this is why I'm fine with Hillary).

I almost wondered if the boy that killed himself was the son of the man that lost his spot on the liver donation list to FU, but there was no mention of it.

So Frank being shot might end up being good for him because now he has sympathy, plus Dunbar blew it.  But may be bad because now Claire will absolutely refuse to step down from power.  She's had a real taste of it now.

[LeGrandElephant]

Who was the kid who killed himself? Was it his liver that Frank got, and did he kill himself knowing the president would get his liver?