ElectricBoogaloo March 4, 2016 Share March 4, 2016 At the convention, Frank and his team publicly push for Catherine Durant to be chosen as his running mate, but privately pursue a different agenda. Link to comment
Dancingjaneway March 5, 2016 Share March 5, 2016 I am SO thrilled that Cathy turned on the Underwoods! I have hated how they have been towards her(especially Claire). I'm so glad that Seth told LeAnne what Doug is up to. I really want Seth and LeAnne to take Doug on together and hopefully bring his smug, douche ass down. 10 Link to comment
knaankos March 6, 2016 Share March 6, 2016 Really happy for Cathy turning on them twist. I was getting a little fed up with how easily everything was working for the Underwoods. 2 Link to comment
hincandenza March 6, 2016 Share March 6, 2016 Just finished this episode, and I remember a couple months back reading about how a possible fifth season was in talks. It was upsetting at the time, because it seemed like a sign the show would overstay it's welcome and destroy the symmetry of finishing at 52 episodes. After this one was over, it occurred to me that it'd be an insanely crazy twist to have the Underwood's blindsided by something like a Durant/Claire ticket, with Frank suddenly painted as the lame duck. That would let them continue the show with a new "deck" of the Claire Underwood VP and eventual presidency while Frank is skirting with growing scandal as an ex-President. It would also make Petrov's speech earlier this season about Claire just "playing" at power some wicked ironic foreshadowing. I doubt they'll be that bold, but with 4 episodes left to watch, I'm torn between wanting the titular House of Cards to come crashing down in the most spectacular and cathartic way, and seeing some continuation of the larger fictional story, even if with Conway winning and being as bad as a Frank ultimately. The purpose of this episode was almost as if to show Conway as basically the 2.0 Frank, just as cunning and craven in a relentless pursuit of power, but more polished and likeable on the surface. Whatever the end result of this series, I do think this season has been much better than last one, largely due to the absence of every weird thing about the Doug story line. I ultimately want and need the catharsis of seeing Frank and Claire humbled and brought low very publicly and painfully, but if they can find a way to pay off some of the tease of scandal while still organically continuing to explore what is a very well produced and bleakly cynical look at the worlds of power, money, and politics... I'd be invested to keep watching this HoC universe. 1 Link to comment
nara March 6, 2016 Share March 6, 2016 I do like Claire's arc this season because she's not a complete screw-up. The timing works too. Last year, I would have scoffed at the idea of a person who has never held elected office running for veep, but Ben Carson and Trump have shown us that plenty of people would support someone like that. On a practical note, would the Underwoods live separately for security purposes? Having the prez and veep living in the same building seems risky. 3 Link to comment
mjc570 March 7, 2016 Share March 7, 2016 Wow, the only way I could watch that Cathy/Frank convo was to assume that she was playing him, that she couldn't POSSIBLY be as credulous as she seemed. It seems obvious to me that anyone so out of touch with reality couldn't possibly function at a cabinet level position. Did she really think Claire's role at Brandenburg wouldn't come out? I hope she's at least starting to remind people of Claire's disastrous ambassadorship. I liked the Frank/Conway interaction - I really hope Frank has finally met his match. I'm not just saying that as a huge Joel K. fan, but my major complaint has been that there has been no effective anti-Frank/Claire action AT ALL. Yes, I know they are uber-manipulators with the vast power of the presidency but watching them steamroller over all opposition is just boring. The only 5th season I want to see is Frank's impeachment, and imprisonment. I absolutely refuse to believe that Doug is feeling any qualms about bumpiing Frank to the top of the transplant list, no matter how worthy the sacrificial victim was. He's committed murder for Frank, and ruined people's lives, so this is ridiculous. I hope Mr. Fausto (the editor, sorry can't remember his name) is coming up with something SOON. 2 Link to comment
nara March 7, 2016 Share March 7, 2016 I absolutely refuse to believe that Doug is feeling any qualms about bumpiing Frank to the top of the transplant list, no matter how worthy the sacrificial victim was. He's committed murder for Frank, and ruined people's lives, so this is ridiculous. \ Part of me expected Doug to kill himself so that a liver would be available for Frank...He is obsessive in his devotion to Frank. 8 Link to comment
JBC344 March 7, 2016 Share March 7, 2016 I do like Claire's arc this season because she's not a complete screw-up. The timing works too. Last year, I would have scoffed at the idea of a person who has never held elected office running for veep, but Ben Carson and Trump have shown us that plenty of people would support someone like that. On a practical note, would the Underwoods live separately for security purposes? Having the prez and veep living in the same building seems risky. I've been thinking about this myself, but I think Frank and Claire are covered with living together since they are at the White House. The separation of President and Vice President applies in public settings. So in that case Frank and Claire would be restricted from events together but still be able to work/live together in the white house. Link to comment
Maysie March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 Wow, the only way I could watch that Cathy/Frank convo was to assume that she was playing him, that she couldn't POSSIBLY be as credulous as she seemed. It seems obvious to me that anyone so out of touch with reality couldn't possibly function at a cabinet level position. Did she really think Claire's role at Brandenburg wouldn't come out? I hope she's at least starting to remind people of Claire's disastrous ambassadorship. Thank you. That entire conversation was ridiculous. "Why, Claire would make a wonnnderfulll vice president. You'd keep lil ol me on as Secretary of State???" It's part of what has bugged me about the show from the start: everyone seems to drop about 30 IQ points when they start dealing with the Underwoods. Part of me expected Doug to kill himself so that a liver would be available for Frank...He is obsessive in his devotion to Frank. Well he did offer up his liver to the doctor but his alcoholism presented a problem with that little scenario. I absolutely refuse to believe that Doug is feeling any qualms about bumpiing Frank to the top of the transplant list, no matter how worthy the sacrificial victim was. He's committed murder for Frank, and ruined people's lives, so this is ridiculous. Yeah, that made no sense at all. Perhaps when it's all said and done and Frank has done something to finally disappoint/disillusion Doug (though I can't imagine what that would be, but maybe it's connected to Leanne) it would make sense for Doug to go look at the innocent bystander he basically signed a death warrant for in his pursuit to serve Frank. Doug killed without remorse for Frank's political life so I have a hard time believing he'd feel guilt over manipulating the transplant list to save Frank's actual life. About the Conways: They are too made for television. If they were real lifers, I'd be giving them the side eye because everything they do seems to be done with the eye for the camera - playing on the bed with the kids, grabbing his wife and giving her a kiss in the crowd, propping the kid into the video chat. Attention whores get on my nerves and that's what I'd call them if they were real. However, that conversation between Frank and Mr Conway (wth is his first name?) was probably one of the most interesting scenes of the season for me. It was two very ambitious, power-hungry men letting their guards down because they know themselves, and subsequently, each other so well. So while I find the characters kind of empty on one hand, it is appealing to see Frank have a worthy adversary (and I do think that the Conways are worthy adversaries). It's dull watching Frank and Claire run over everyone else (and try to do so with each other) so this was much more interesting for me. I can't tell if this show helps or hinder the organ donor movement . . . And add me to the chorus of naysayers about JK playing Conway. He isn't doing it for me. I don't see any charisma there and I agree that his speech pattern is strange. Of course, I don't see anything especially amazing about Claire, so maybe I'm picky about my politicians. If this was a real election I think I'd be sitting it out. 1 Link to comment
JBC344 March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 Thank you. That entire conversation was ridiculous. "Why, Claire would make a wonnnderfulll vice president. You'd keep lil ol me on as Secretary of State???" It's part of what has bugged me about the show from the start: everyone seems to drop about 30 IQ points when they start dealing with the Underwoods. Well he did offer up his liver to the doctor but his alcoholism presented a problem with that little scenario. Yeah, that made no sense at all. Perhaps when it's all said and done and Frank has done something to finally disappoint/disillusion Doug (though I can't imagine what that would be, but maybe it's connected to Leanne) it would make sense for Doug to go look at the innocent bystander he basically signed a death warrant for in his pursuit to serve Frank. Doug killed without remorse for Frank's political life so I have a hard time believing he'd feel guilt over manipulating the transplant list to save Frank's actual life. About the Conways: They are too made for television. If they were real lifers, I'd be giving them the side eye because everything they do seems to be done with the eye for the camera - playing on the bed with the kids, grabbing his wife and giving her a kiss in the crowd, propping the kid into the video chat. Attention whores get on my nerves and that's what I'd call them if they were real. However, that conversation between Frank and Mr Conway (wth is his first name?) was probably one of the most interesting scenes of the season for me. It was two very ambitious, power-hungry men letting their guards down because they know themselves, and subsequently, each other so well. So while I find the characters kind of empty on one hand, it is appealing to see Frank have a worthy adversary (and I do think that the Conways are worthy adversaries). It's dull watching Frank and Claire run over everyone else (and try to do so with each other) so this was much more interesting for me. I can't tell if this show helps or hinder the organ donor movement . . . And add me to the chorus of naysayers about JK playing Conway. He isn't doing it for me. I don't see any charisma there and I agree that his speech pattern is strange. Of course, I don't see anything especially amazing about Claire, so maybe I'm picky about my politicians. If this was a real election I think I'd be sitting it out. Wait, I don't understand the confusion. Cathy didn't drop any IQ points because she was in fact playing the president. The whole conversation was made to look like Frank was again just manipulating another person and they were falling for it. When in reality Cathy was playing him the whole time by pretending to play into his trap. I think we like to forget that there are a lot of people who don't fall for Frank and Claire's schemes. Most of those people don't have the power to do anything about it, or there are people who just don't care because they benefit as well. Take Cathy Durant, I have no doubt that she knows that Frank and Claire are underhanded, but they also made her Secretary of State so she is more than willing to look the other way or have no reason to get involved. Also Frank has not been as beloved by the public as we like to think. There seems to be a huge subset of the population who don't think he is a good president, and as the show likes to tell us when it comes to public opinion Claire is more heavily favored. 5 Link to comment
Maysie March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 Wait, I don't understand the confusion. Cathy didn't drop any IQ points because she was in fact playing the president. The whole conversation was made to look like Frank was again just manipulating another person and they were falling for it. When in reality Cathy was playing him the whole time by pretending to play into his trap. Well, I didn't know she was playing him until the end; up until that point I perceived her as just another dumb politician who was taking whatever Frank was doling out She acted incredibly naive and it didn't alarm Frank at all. You are right that the people who don't fall for the Underwoods' schemes are either benefiting from them or powerless, which is the one reason the Conways make a good plot point. The Underwoods have met their younger, better looking match. And though there's something about them that isn't quite working for me, it is a nice change of pace (perhaps one of the few benefits of an election year). I don't think Frank is very beloved at all; in fact, I seem to remember Conway mentioning that Frank lags behind him by 15%, which is a significant lead. I think it's even more significant given that Frank had an assassination attempt on him - people often get sentimental/forgiving when someone almost dies in the line of duty. I know we're supposed to think that Claire is well-regarded, but in the real world I don't know how that would be given how she forced her way into her diplomatic position and then made an absolute mess of things. I'm unspoiled so I have no idea how this plays out. However, if the Underwoods pull out the victory they want, then something big has to make it happen because it's hard to believe that the addition of Claire to the ticket is going to give Frank that much of a bounce. Link to comment
JBC344 March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 Don't get me wrong I didn't mean to imply that I knew Cathy Durant was playing Frank. It was a welcome addition to me as well. I just wanted to make the point that the writers didn't make her gullible or unintelligent just to further the story. I think when it comes to Claire and her appeal, I think the "average joe" really connects with her emotion even if they recognize that she isn't as politically astute. For example her lashing out at Pietrov last year over the activist hanging himself. I'm sure those that cared about the issue were proud of Claire for shaming him in a public way and having a "real" emotion to the hanging. I'm also sure that the average Joe doesn't care that she wasn't as successful as an ambassador. They can look at her body of work and still feel confident. For those that would care about her experience the fact that she brokered the latest deal with Pietrov and was single handedly responsible would probably go a long way to her competence as a Vice President. 2 Link to comment
Primetimer March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 But who will emerge from this episode the clear winner? Read the story Link to comment
DoubleUTeeEff March 9, 2016 Share March 9, 2016 To be fair to Cathy, I'm not sure anyone could predict a brokered convention and a First Lady angling to be Veep. Link to comment
TWOPrefugee March 10, 2016 Share March 10, 2016 Frank said it well in this episode. The idea of the First Lady also serving as the Veep is "ludicrous". In no real world could this scenario ever come to light. The writers better at least give some credence to what I hope are the coming opposition calls of "Queen Claire" and those of a burgeoning Underwood monarchy. 1 Link to comment
Cthulhudrew March 12, 2016 Share March 12, 2016 I was glad to see that Cathy didn't fall for the Underwood BS again, like it appeared she was doing. She's always been portrayed as being fairly quick on the uptake and adept at traversing the potholes of DC (it's why Frank put her in the position she is in), so I have been a little alarmed with how gullible and ineffectual she's been shown so far this season. I did not see that twist coming at the end, and was happy that she fired back. That said, I felt the episode really ground to a halt with the Frank/Conway meeting. There had been some interesting intrigue and good momentum up until that point, when it came screeching to a stop. Maybe it is because I just don't feel any charisma from Kinnaman in his role; perhaps an actor more on Spacey's level would have made that scene more palatable? I'm not sure, but possibly. Things got going again with the DNC vote, which was good, but yeah, that middle bit just was a big misstep in writing. Link to comment
Chaos Theory March 12, 2016 Share March 12, 2016 Frank said it well in this episode. The idea of the First Lady also serving as the Veep is "ludicrous". In no real world could this scenario ever come to light. The writers better at least give some credence to what I hope are the coming opposition calls of "Queen Claire" and those of a burgeoning Underwood monarchy. Without giving too much away or spoiling the answer is...it depends on how realistic you think the show is. One of the things I liked about another show Sons of Anarchy was despite its many flaws it was largely based on Hamlet. This is based in a lot of ways on Macbeth. Which in its simplest form is about the damaging effects of political ambition. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two of the most ambitious, mad, and ruthless characters in Shakespears plays so I can see the Underwoods being based on them. It you want realism in your story then the answer is no. This show has never been a realistic look on politics in America. It has it moments but if realism is your thing then it's just going to get worse from here. 3 Link to comment
Misstify March 22, 2016 Share March 22, 2016 Frank and Conway played Agario! I once spent a 30-minute car ride listening to two 10-year-olds talk nonstop about Agario. How you can talk for 30 minutes about a game where dots eat other dots, I don't understand. Frank and Conway squeezed a few seconds of dialog out of it, and they at least were using it as a metaphor. Link to comment
EarlGreyTea April 24, 2016 Share April 24, 2016 (edited) Funniest visual of possibly the entire series for me: Frank using a cup to listen in on Conway's conversation. I hate Yates. They're making him into some kind of Yoda to the Underwoods, someone all-knowing about their marital dynamic and it's annoying for reasons I can't fathom. The writers love to toss in so much metaphor and vague dialogue to further his image as the mirror unto which the Underwoods can project themselves. It's not working for me. I do NOT want to see Leanne and Stamper to hook up, but another possible scenario is forming that I want to see even less: Claire and Yates. They seem to be laying the groundwork there. And if that artist from season one is anything to go by, he's just about her type physically. The Agario game was just too neat for me in terms of metaphor. Everything is a little too on the nose this season. Edited April 24, 2016 by EarlGreyTea 3 Link to comment
Ms Blue Jay May 11, 2016 Share May 11, 2016 I agree, this past episode should have been titled "Are Claire and Yates gonna bone, or what?" I think Yates could be a good character, but the actor is just D U L L AND W E I R D Link to comment
Hanahope August 1, 2016 Share August 1, 2016 I don't quite understand why Doug is after Leann. Is it just jealousy or does he just like to have dirt on everyone? Loved seeing Cathy turn the tables in Frank, but somehow that's going to change. Link to comment
Kalliste February 1, 2017 Share February 1, 2017 I didn't get the impression that there was an attraction between Yates and Claire, especially given her previous encounters with him. I definitely saw it much more previously between Yates and Frank. Which he also admitted to a few episodes back. I hope team Leanne and Seth can take down Doug, at least a little. Hopefully they don't both end up dead. Link to comment
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