S04.E13: Chapter 52

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As the hostage situation continues, Claire secretly negotiates with Yusef al Ahmadi. Frank confronts Hammerschmidt.

[ForeverAlone]

All I can say, is that this episode both excites me for season five and scares the crap out of me trying to imagine what Francis and Claire will do next. They definitely will not go quietly into that good night, but I want them to both burn at the end of it all. 

[Penman61]

This was Claire's first fourth-wall break, yes?  

 

The final scene may have stepped over my line of using actual atrocities as dramatic fodder.  Claire and Frank are now melodramatic nearly cartoon villains (whom I totally enjoy watching), but beheadings are a visceral, horrible reality, and melding the two makes me queasy.  YMMV, of course.  I've had the same problem a few times with Homeland.  

[tomsmom]

Whoa.

When Claire looked at the camera I think I peed a little! How are we supposed to wait a year???

Edited March 5, 2016 by tomsmom

[Bama]

Yeah, when Claire broke the fourth wall with Frank and he said "WE are the terror!" I may have uttered a little whimper.

 

I really, really hated Claire in the first third because of her stupidity with the stealth congressional run attempt and the stupid billboard stun.  But after Frank was shot and they both finally realized that when they combine their evil powers, then they can do anything - then I was sold.

 

Their back and forth prep sessions "go for the throat", "find your inner steel", "no, say something to make her froth at the mouth and storm from the room" - that sold me.

 

And while a sitting FL as VP is on it's face ridiculous, they way they went about it - brokered convention and secret behind the scenes machinations instead of Emperor Frank declaring it so - made sense and worked in the HoC universe.

 

And finally, I <3 Joel Kinnaman so much but it was so weird to see him all country club republican - I kept waiting for Detective Holder to show up in his performance but it never did.  I thought he did great in the role and I think once we get to know him better next season we'll find he's every bit as dirty as Frank.  His small line from a flashback about 9/11 being a political opportunity was just a small glimpse into his mindset.

 

For me, Season One > Season Two = Season Four >>>>>>>> Season Three

[Penman61]

Forgot to mention Kinnaman!  I love the way his role was written, but ultimately didn't buy him in it.  He's too brooding and handsome in the wrong way to be a young social-media-savvy charismatic war-hero politician.  The character is definitely meant to have ruthless ambition as well as charisma, but, for me, Kinnaman is just too hunkily inert and somber.  That one-on-one showdown with Frank in the convention basement room should have been a clash of titans.  It wasn't.

 

We needed a young, (non-crazy) Baldwin brother/nephew/son to play this part.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Penman61

[numbnut]

When Claire proposed using fear, I thought "Yikes! Are they gonna concoct some 9/11 stunt and play the hero?" That would be off-the-charts awful. I'm hoping Tom will see that Claire is a reptile next season.

Edited March 6, 2016 by numbnut

[RCharter]

Wow -- this show is amazing.  No other show has created so many unlikable characters to the point where I don't know who to root for.  I despised the Conways even more than the Underwoods.  

 

But my goodness, just when you think that the Underwoods can't stoop any lower in their desperate bid for power.....they go and do that.  I guess its lucky for Frank that Yusef (sp) went off the rails, and those two dummies walked right into his plan.  But what a gamble, and I'll be interested to see how it goes next season.  I mean, the economy slowed to a damn near halt directly after 9/11 and people were scared to leave their homes and go about their business.  I can see it being much worse if people think they can just be grabbed off the street and killed by a terror organization in broad daylight....so will there be economic fallout?  Is Frank going to fuck up another oil situation so they are back at $6 gas?  Is any other nation really going to care to join the US for what they may see merely as the unfortunate kidnapping of three people and the death of one person?  Even after the London train bombing there wasn't quite that heavy a military response.  Is Frank going to try to use some obscure war power to suspend the election?

 

And by the bye, there is something way off about Doug's new "girlfriend" and I don't dig it.  It reeks of rotten cheese when a woman will leave her children alone on a day when there is going to be an televised execution and an atmosphere of fear in order to sit in a car with her new squeeze.  The new squeeze consequently that she has known less than 2 months.  Oh, I mean, she did "forbid" them to watch it and all, so I'm sure that was good enough parenting.  Those kids have just lost a father, and in an atmosphere of fear and terror culminating in a televised execution that they shouldn't watch but probably would be interested in watching their mother is hanging out in a car with some new creepy dude who...as far as she knows....randomly donated 5k to her husband's memorial fund.  Oh, and it gets better, since apparently he will be spending the night.  "Hi kids, meet my new dude......you can just call him 'dad number 2.'"

 

And when she asked Doug if he ever watched anyone die......girl.....you don't know the half of it, maybe if you got to know him more than 10 minutes you would figure some of this out...

[numbnut]

And by the bye, there is something way off about Doug's new "girlfriend" and I don't dig it.  It reeks of rotten cheese when a woman will leave her children alone on a day when there is going to be an televised execution and an atmosphere of fear in order to sit in a car with her new squeeze.  The new squeeze consequently that she has known less than 2 months.

 

That romance was rushed. Claire and Tom's romance/breakup/romance was rushed too. This felt like half of a season to me, maybe because I wanted to see more of Tom H's investigation (his call to Durant, his call to Jackie, etc.) and Jackie telling her husband about Remy (I totally forgot Jackie was married and thought they were hiding the affair for political reasons). I hope to see Gavin the hacker next season now that Tom's article is major news.

[LilaFowler]

I totally forgot that Jackie was married, too.  At first I didn't understand why her relationship with Remy was such a threat to both of them but I didn't care enough to really investigate. 

 

I don't quite know what to think about this show right now.  If it wasn't fully in Days of Our Lives territory before, it certainly is now.  I was rolling my eyes at a lot this season.

 

Good for Farshad Farahat, getting a high-profile role.  He was so great in his small role in Argo.

[RCharter]

That romance was rushed. Claire and Tom's romance/breakup/romance was rushed too. This felt like half of a season to me, maybe because I wanted to see more of Tom H's investigation (his call to Durant, his call to Jackie, etc.) and Jackie telling her husband about Remy (I totally forgot Jackie was married and thought they were hiding the affair for political reasons). I hope to see Gavin the hacker next season now that Tom's article is major news.

The interesting thing about the rush job on Tom/Clarie is that both the Underwoods have no qualms about using sex as power, or at least intertwining the two.  I don't think Frank was even all that attracted to Zoey, I think they had sex with Mechum just so they could solidify him and an unquestioning ally (he was already in awe of the Underwoods, but I think the sex just cemented it).  So I have to wonder if there wasn't some form of power move on Claire's part to start a relationship with Tom.  I'm not entirely sure the two of them know how to love if its not weird and bound up in some power trip.

 

I mean, if I think about it, Claire's relationship from Tom assures he doesn't put that book out.  And there was no other way to "buy" him.  He didn't care about money, he didn't care about power, you could kill him and try to find the manuscript, but how you could insure he doesn't have another?  His relationship with Claire was the only think that really, really kept him from putting that book out.  And I think he feels deeply for her, so no matter what she does, I don't think he will hurt her like that.

 

But the Jackie thing seemed poorly handled, did we even see her new husband and family during the season?  Not even a picture, I forgot he existed too. 

[Chaos Theory]

Wow! Intense. When Claire looked at the screen I giggled and clapped my hands. That was awesome.

Tom and Claire was a bit of a rush job but not so much so that it was jarring. They flirted a bit in season 3 and you could tell he liked he and I can see her using him because she needs the sexual release that Frank can't give her.

I am enjoying how the show has brought back the reporting angle and having the Underwoods sins come back to haunt them and their response to egg on terrorist to make them look strong in the military was interesting.

I am more then looking forward to season 5.

[DrSpaceman73]

While I like the ending and look forward to next season, overall I thought this season, while better than the 3rd, still did not live up to the first two

I just really don't care one bit about Claire and Tom. Might as well have been a Harlequin romance/lifetime movie with the parts about the two of them.

Mostly I was disappointed with how easily things were resolved at the convention. Her mom dies, she gives what I thought was a fairly pedestrian speech and all at once they are ready to overlook everything and just give them the nomination without voting? Come on. Also he basically just physically threatens the Sec of State. Don't ANY of these people know by now in those situations, hey, maybe I should take a microphone into the room and catch Underwood being a pushy deranged psychopath? It just seemed to easy for the serious predicament they were in. I love the storyline about the brokered convention, even how they were getting Claire into the race, but just didn't like how they resolved it.

Doug is creepy. And I have a hard time seeing him have some guilty conscience over what he did for the president after all the much more horrible things he has done in the past.

Really the only two I care about are Remy and Jackie. Jackie should just quit and they go off together

I liked the new Repbulican candidate as a foe, though he of course is his own piece of megalomania. It's a nice portrayal though of the selfie generation/all about me things of the youth movement, even though he is actually a bit old for that. He is a Gen Xer at 40 years old, not a Gen Y/Millenial. I'll overlook it though for the story. The line from Frank about how 99% of the stuff he does is day to say things that go unnoticed and he gets little to no credit for I think was one of the better ones of the season. This last episode where Conway helps save two hostages but is upset he basically doesn't get credit, then the fight with his wife over this I think was a great illustration of his character. A different type of power hungry than Frank/Claire. They want the power not for notoriety but just because they like being in control. COnway likes the power because he likes the spotlight and the media attention. Very different reasons.

[Ottis]

Doug likes the widow because she reminds him of Rachel Posner. Guilt made him curious, the physical resemblance drew him in. No idea what she thinks she is doing.

I, too, thought Claire's convention speech was underwhelming. Jarringly so, for the reaction it received.

[Calamity Jane]

Impossible to say for sure what she's up to at this point, but that widow activates my paranoia radar.  Could she be setting Doug up for a huuuuuuge fall?  How on earth will I wait an entire year to find that out, or what the fall-out of the beheading will be, or... or...or... so many things.  We binge-watched this season, and now I'm kind of sorry.  It was a wild ride, though!

[MizAddams]

I love HOC but feel like this season is not as credible as previous ones. There is no way in sweet hell that the First Lady would get authority to handle a terrorist negotiations one-on-one, seriously the writing here was sooo far-fetched it was insulting. I know they've established Claire's reach and power in previous episodes but still WTF...Great season overall. RIP Lucas Goodwin (turned out to be the most ironically named character).

[mwell345]

 

Impossible to say for sure what she's up to at this point, but that widow activates my paranoia radar.  Could she be setting Doug up for a huuuuuuge fall?  How on earth will I wait an entire year to find that out, or what the fall-out of the beheading will be, or... or...or... so many things.  We binge-watched this season, and now I'm kind of sorry.  It was a wild ride, though!

 

Yeah, binged here too - I really wish we didn't have to wait so long between "seasons". 

 

The liver transplant almost has to come out at some point.  Wouldn't this woman have realized at some point that (a) her husband was 1 on the list, (b) he dies waiting for a liver and © at the same time, the President gets one.  Wouldn't she at be asking - "hey what happened here?".  And good grief, if Reporter Guy gets to sniffing around....

 

And when can the President's Chief of Staff threaten to fire Cabinet members ( like the HHS secretary) to begin with?  Why didn't she go to the VP?    That whole thing was way too easy.

 

Once again Spacey and Wright were brilliant throughout.  

[caligirl50]

I despised the Conways even more than the Underwoods.

 

I so agree!!!!

 

And by the bye, there is something way off about Doug's new "girlfriend" and I don't dig it.  It reeks of rotten cheese when a woman will leave her children alone on a day when there is going to be an televised execution and an atmosphere of fear in order to sit in a car with her new squeeze.  The new squeeze consequently that she has known less than 2 months.  Oh, I mean, she did "forbid" them to watch it and all, so I'm sure that was good enough parenting.  Those kids have just lost a father, and in an atmosphere of fear and terror culminating in a televised execution that they shouldn't watch but probably would be interested in watching their mother is hanging out in a car with some new creepy dude who...as far as she knows....randomly donated 5k to her husband's memorial fund.  Oh, and it gets better, since apparently he will be spending the night.  "Hi kids, meet my new dude......you can just call him 'dad number 2.'"

And when she asked Doug if he ever watched anyone die......girl.....you don't know the half of it, maybe if you got to know him more than 10 minutes you would figure some of this out...

 

Yeah, I was confused with this storyline.  Did I miss something?  How did he find her?  I thought, did Doug killed her husband and now he feels bad?  And then I thought, well is he going to kill her next?  I thought that when they were sitting in the car.  He is SO WEIRD.  

Edited March 8, 2016 by caligirl50

[Ellaria]

I love HOC but feel like this season is not as credible as previous ones. There is no way in sweet hell that the First Lady would get authority to handle a terrorist negotiations one-on-one, seriously the writing here was sooo far-fetched it was insulting. I know they've established Claire's reach and power in previous episodes but still WTF...

Thank you! Exactly what I was thinking. It actually affected my ability to watch the rest of this episode objectively.

Wright and Spacey are terrific but much of their words/actions are moving too close to campy and over the top. They play it out very differently but still...

Count me among those that are suspicious of Doug's GF. Although I will cheer when his downfall comes, Doug may have met his match. Surely she must suspect the someone in the WH may have reshuffled the list of liver recipients.

Why was Tom - the guy that writes speeches - in the Situation Room watching the execution? Just in case the three of them want to discuss it during breakfast the next morning?

I enjoyed this season but I think that HOC has run out of steam. I hope that next season is its last. The downfall of the Underwoods is eminent and that could make it the best season of all.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Ellaria Sand

[JBC344]

Really loved this episode, great conclusion to a really good season.  One thing that did surprise me though was when Tom and Frank were talking in the conference room.  The fact that Tom still didn't know that Frank was Zoe's source during season 1.  I thought that would of been in Lucas's research or at least Janine would of told Tom.  Tom genuinely didn't know of that particular connection which means he definitely doesn't know that they were sleeping together. 

 

It was a nice reminder about how much information was out there and how much of the behind the scenes schemes Tom still has no idea about. 

[Maysie]

 

Why was Tom - the guy that writes speeches - in the Situation Room watching the execution? Just in case the three of them want to discuss it during breakfast the next morning?

 

And not only was Tom there, but Blythe was nowhere to be seen. In fact, where the hell has he been? I know he's not on the ticket, but come on, he's still second in line should Frank's liver give out (as they've telegraphed a couple of times this season).

 

So, I was glad Hammerschmidt's story came out, and it's surely nice to see the Underwoods squirm a bit. And I guess it's good that there's a bunch of different ways next season could go . . . will the Underwoods have won the election based on fear and terror? What impact did the article have? What/who else has been exposed? Is Frank's liver going to give out? Is he for real with his support of Claire? Is Claire's support of Frank real - and if so, only enough to get herself into the presidency?

 

On one hand, I am disappointed in the season. I feel like the writing has been uneven and often strained believability. However, I have to hand it to the writers: I want to know what happens next. I hate pretty much everyone involved right now and think I need to watch so that I can see someone go down. Someone, please. Anyone, really . . .

 

I know that the norms for what is acceptable on television have changed dramatically over the years. However, I can't imagine that an execution would be televised, at least during prime time. As a citizen and a voter, I think I'd be switching parties or staying home on election day because between the Hammerschmidt story, Claire's insertion into sensitive situations/presence on the ticket and then the hostage situation, I can't imagine voting for the Underwoods under any circumstance. As well, the whole "IT'S WAR" scenario smacks a little too much of a "wag the dog" scenario.

[Primetimer]

The way Season 4 finishes makes Sarah D. Bunting wonder if the show knows its own strengths.

Read the story

[itainttippithebird]

 

Did anyone else think we'd surely find out eventually that Frank had arranged his own assassination attempt in a kind of attempted-murder/suicide pact with Lucas? Did anyone else only tolerate the coma dream bits because s/he also thought the machinatory reveal would make almost any artsy interlude worth it? Did anyone else assume Frank had also arranged for the taking of the hostages, since it happened on U.S. soil, since a couple of ex-urban Tophers did the kidnapping, and since it seemed like his only opportunity to out Conway as a puddle-deep pretender?

 

YES TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE! I really enjoyed this season but was disappointed that not even one of these panned out (in this season, anyway).

I was comPLETEly sold on "Frank orchestrated his own assasignation by Lucas" and pretty bummed as that theory was picked a part piece by piece over the remaining episodes.

[RCharter]

I know that the norms for what is acceptable on television have changed dramatically over the years. However, I can't imagine that an execution would be televised, at least during prime time. As a citizen and a voter, I think I'd be switching parties or staying home on election day because between the Hammerschmidt story, Claire's insertion into sensitive situations/presence on the ticket and then the hostage situation, I can't imagine voting for the Underwoods under any circumstance. As well, the whole "IT'S WAR" scenario smacks a little too much of a "wag the dog" scenario.

I'm going to have to get the tiniest bit political here and say that I think the sole reason GW got a second term was on the strength of a war he pretty much pulled out of thin air.......after a terrorist plot was executed on US soil........much like FU is going to likely pull a war out of thin air......after a terrorist plot executed on US soil.  

 

As for televised executions, probably not on network TV....however, I vaguely remember Al-Jaazera playing full video of a beheading (please, someone correct me if I'm wrong....I do not want to put "televised executions" into Google and have the FBI at my doorstep)  But I remember it was a beheading of a US contractor, or something along those lines.  Now, Al-Jaazera may seem like a far off network, but Al-Jaazera America is in the standard cable package offered by DIRECTV.  So, it may not be as off the wall as it seems.  I mean, of course, the main point was to feed into the Underwoods evil plan, but sadly I don't think we're that far away from that being a reality.  Especially given the short news cycle and competition amongst news channels (I say this absolutely hoping that I'm wrong forever).

[peggy06]

I was enjoying the middle of this season, but I'm pretty disappointed by the way it ended. This terrorism subplot is not well done and veering on the exploitative, IMO,with the beheading.

 

It seems to me like Frank and Claire are really on the ropes. Hammerschmidt's story is out, and Frank has been careless in the way he keeps challenging people over whether they think he's a murderer. Now he starting a war with 3 weeks to go before an election. Is Conway going to sit on his hands? He seems like a pretty ruthless operator himself. I don't know, Frank's enemies list seems to be getting longer and longer. Seth isn't really on his side, Cathy isn't, Claire has Tom to turn to if it goes bad. Even Doug is distracted. And Frank is now showing signs of organ rejection. My problem is, I can't work up much interest in a war plot or another medical crisis.

[Maysie]

 

I'm going to have to get the tiniest bit political here and say that I think the sole reason GW got a second term was on the strength of a war he pretty much pulled out of thin air.......after a terrorist plot was executed on US soil........much like FU is going to likely pull a war out of thin air......after a terrorist plot executed on US soil.

 

I agree with that^. But it could go the other way, too. I remember during the Lewinski scandal, Clinton did some air strikes, which if I remember correctly, turned out to have been an effort to kill bin Laden (so they were legitimate, if not also opportunistic). At the time, the film "Wag the Dog" had just been released (rather unfortunate timing for the president) that centered on a president who creates a war to distract from a scandal. The accusations that Clinton was "wagging the dog" were everywhere. And though the phrase has kind of dropped out of usage lately, I can see where it could be easily resurrected by Underwood opponents.

 

Televising the execution of a terrorist, imo, would also prompt at least some segment of the population to make accusations of exploiting terrorism for political gain. However, I can see how the media would jump on the bandwagon, especially since it's more about "news" than actual journalism any more (which is why I root for Hammerschmidt, the journalist). But there's something about an execution as home theater that bugs me - "get out the popcorn Grandma! There's gonna be a shootin tonight!"

 

After the episode aired, I did google televised executions and came up empty, other than pros and cons of doing them. I vaguely remember the execution you're referring to RCharter, and I can't remember if it was released on Al Jazeera America, the website or what. I do seem to remember a great deal of controversy however.

[attica]

The thing that I find delicious about HOC is not the plotting, or the actual plots. I love how absolutely every character is scheming 24/7, even when they themselves don't think they are, and how my allegiances shift from character to character from minute to minute. Doug is my hero, until he gets all stalker-creepy. Frank is a delightfully devious bastard, until he clunks his way through liver failure. Claire is awesomely cold (oh, that minute when she asked Hannah if she regretted having kids! So so good) until we see how much a bitch she is to her mother. Her mother's a bitch, until you see the saved baby teeth. Hammerschmidt is dogged and virtuous, but damn if I wasn't tickled when Freddy kicked his ass. Cathy's in an undeservedly terrible position, but she's often kind of a tool. Seth's a wuss, but he's not wrong that Doug is out of control. Stat guy is a genius, but then he hangs out listening to godawful jazz.

See my point? Everybody's awesome, everybody's awful. all the time. It's a whole bunch of fun.

[ethalfrida]

but, are they just going to leave us there?

[Dancingjaneway]

When I saw that Claire was going to be the one to talk with Yusef all I could think of was "Really?? Really? You do remember a guy hung himself after she was sent to talk to him and persuade him to see things her way?? Her? Really?? O.k." I also KNEW that Yusef was going to all of the sudden tell the two guys to kill the last hostage. Duh! I'm looking forward to next season because I really want to see what will happen and if Frank and Claire will finally get their asses kicked but the show is not what it used to be. I found this episode to be just o.k. There is NO way that they would ever be able to show an actual execution on national television. Online maybe but on t.v no damn way. The Doug/"grieving widow" storyline is horrible and I hope it dies early next season. For someone who lost her husband she sure got over him fast! I'm so thrilled Tom H's story is going to come out and I'm glad that he told people where he would be. Sadly I think his story will end up on the back burner because of Frank & Claire's little execution show. I too thought that maybe Frank had set up the kidnapping of the family to make sure that he could control the narrative but it looks like he didn't. As much as I love this show I really think season 5 should be it's last unless they finally pull the plug on Frank & Claire's good fortune. 

[Aethera]

They had said the execution was going to happen live online, not on TV. So they were all watching live streams somewhere, I guess. There was a discussion about how they could try to block some sites, etc but it would hard to block it all.

 

Funnily enough, I was convinced that Conway had staged the terrorist plot, since that way he could try to be the hero (with them only wanting to talk to him, and his little speech that went viral, etc). I'm sort of disappointed that wasn't the case.

 

I've given up on expecting this show to be logical, and have just contented myself with getting drawn in to the soapiness. I will say that I was pretty excited when Claire turned to Frank and it was clear that she could hear him breaking the 4th wall though. So great.

[CleoCaesar]

Well, that was underwhelming. (Or as Frank would say, underHHHHwhelming.)

 

I mean...that's it? Hammerschmidt's story was barely given a chance to make a ripple, so narratively it felt totally flat after a season of build-up. And call me totally jaded, but a single beheading is not enough to throw the country into "total war", even if it happens on U.S. soil. If the Underwoods orchestrated a 9/11-like event to hold onto power, then maybe.

 

It was all just so blah. I'll be in the tiny minority that actually liked season 3, and probably in an even smaller minority that thinks it was better than season 4.

 

Claire's look at the camera at the end was great, though. And Remy Danton is still a sexy, sexy man.

[Wouldofshouldof]

Yeah, when Claire broke the fourth wall with Frank and he said "WE are the terror!" I may have uttered a little whimper.

I didn't like that line.  I felt like the writer(s) were trying to go for their own version of "I am the one who knocks!"  Sorry, Walter White already killed that line.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Wouldofshouldof

[RCharter]

Well, that was underwhelming. (Or as Frank would say, underHHHHwhelming.)

 

I mean...that's it? Hammerschmidt's story was barely given a chance to make a ripple, so narratively it felt totally flat after a season of build-up. And call me totally jaded, but a single beheading is not enough to throw the country into "total war", even if it happens on U.S. soil. If the Underwoods orchestrated a 9/11-like event to hold onto power, then maybe.

 

It wasn't just that it was an American dying on US soil.  It was the terror created by the thought that an American can randomly be kidnapped, without any reason, or any connection to a cause...just a regular American family can be randomly kidnapped off the street and killed.  And it had nothing to do with money, nothing to do with any political or social leanings...just totally random.  I think that instills the same fear that people had after 9/11. The fear that 9/11 created for people was that you could just go to work, be minding your own business, having done nothing wrong and a plane flies into your workplace and your dead.  You could just have gotten on a plane, thinking you were gonna head home or head to a conference or wherever, and end up dead.   Here, you could just be hanging out with your family, and be kidnapped right off the street and killed. The fear...the terror, to me, it seems the same.  And, the same way it was with 9/11, there was every indication that it wasn't going to be a "one and done" but rather that the group responsible was going to keep doing it if they could get away with it.  The same way kidnapping a random family would make people feel so much more vulnerable, especially when the group is clear that they are going to keep doing it.

 

I think the fear/anger created by those situations is what spurs people to want to either teach the group a lesson out of anger, or to completely destroy them out of fear that they may end up being the random person chosen for such an awful fate.  9/11 was terrible because of the immense damage, and because it was an act of terror on US soil, but also because it was random and there was no indication that it would ever stop.  If you contrast 9/11 to the OK city bombing, people in federal government were freaked out after OK city, but for the most part, the world seemed to move on after a while.  And to me that was random and terrible and actually ended up killing children as well as adults.  However, it was clear that the group had a problem with the federal government, so while it was insane, there wasn't that "random" feel to it.  So, some tiny part of people could at least say "well, that was terrible, but I don't work for the federal government, so I'm probably not in danger."

 

Will the Underwoods create a 9/11, or allow a 9/11 to happen in order to increase their stranglehold on power?  Maybe.  But I don't really think they need to in order to make the story believable.

[Chaos Theory]

I didn't like that line. I felt like the writer(s) were trying to go for their own version of "I am the one who knocks!" Sorry, Walter White already killed that line.

Maybe but it fits with the whole Macbeth thing the season went all gangbusters with this season.

[CleoCaesar]

It was the terror created by the thought that an American can randomly be kidnapped, without any reason, or any connection to a cause...just a regular American family can be randomly kidnapped off the street and killed.

 

Not to sound argumentative, but how is that different from any other kidnapping case? Those are very rare but of course they happen, and have always happened. Just because it was done by two white guys in America doesn't really make that much of a difference. It just doesn't feel like ENOUGH to cause a state of lasting terror in the U.S.

A good example was the San Bernadino shootings last year - two Muslims, totally random setting, mass casualties, round-the-clock news coverage. But people have gotten over that already, I'd say even months ago.

Edited March 14, 2016 by CleoCaesar

[RCharter]

Not to sound argumentative, but how is that different from any other kidnapping case? Those are very rare but of course they happen, and have always happened. Just because it was done by two white guys in America doesn't really make that much of a difference. It just doesn't feel like ENOUGH to cause a state of lasting terror in the U.S.

A good example was the San Bernadino shootings last year - two Muslims, totally random setting, mass casualties, round-the-clock news coverage. But people have gotten over that already, I'd say even months ago.

Because honestly, most of the time people are kidnapped there is a reason behind it.  Something that another person can point to and say "if I just don't do x, or I don't do y, I won't be in the same position."  Even if they are dead wrong.  But in this situation there was absolutely nothing you could point to that family doing that any other person could do differently to avoid the same fate.  

 

The SB shootings were done in a government building IIRC, so again, you can say "as long as I don't work for the government...I'm safe"  whether you are right or wrong about it, its something people can point to and say "if I just don't do x, y won't happen to me."  Not the same randomness as getting picked up off the street after being out with your family, or just being out period.

 

And even worse that it was done by two regular looking white dudes, you really can't protect against that.  People can't just say "well, if I just avoid people who look like x, I can avoid fate y"  Because these aren't "the usual suspects."  So avoiding the same fate is completely out of your control, which creates that fear and terror.  And it was done on behalf of an organization -- much like those responsible for 9/11 -- that are committed to acts of terror that are random and unforeseeable.  Which means that there is nothing you can do to be safe, because its always going to be random.  

 

And not to mention, that while getting shot is terrible, I don't think it invokes the same feeling as being on a plane, knowing that you're going to die and having to deal with that fear as you're in the plane, as you make the turn and seeing a giant building looming ahead.......some of the most haunting images of 9/11 were those of people basically jumping to their death, knowing that as they sat in a crumbling building they felt such terror and fear that it was better for them to jump, and the total terror they must have felt as they plunged.  The same way that you're picked up off the street at random and not just shot immediately, but rather forced to go through days of fear and in those final moments being perfectly conscious and petrified knowing that someone was going to behead you and you desperately cried out for your wife and daughter.  Those are the things that stay with people, in SB we had the accounts of people who were scared, but survived, but we didn't have those images....either real, or those that can be conjured up by the situation.  There is a reason why scary movies generally don't have people getting shot.....its terrible, but its not the same.

Edited March 14, 2016 by RCharter

[Ottis]

Did anyone else think we'd surely find out eventually that Frank had arranged his own assassination attempt in a kind of attempted-murder/suicide pact with Lucas?

 

 

I definitely thought this, given a scene before it happened had Frank, after strategizing with Doug, asking Meechem to come into his office and then we cut away. What threw me was Meechem getting killed. He is devoted but that's a bit far. So I wondered if Lucas had interrupted a different plan.

[Lemons]

It looks like they are setting it up for him to die and for,Clare to step in as president. It's too silly for me to bother with the next season. I wish it had been a little more realistic.

[RCharter]

It looks like they are setting it up for him to die and for,Clare to step in as president. It's too silly for me to bother with the next season. I wish it had been a little more realistic.

I sincerely hope thats not the plan.

[JusLaugh]

I don't often binge watch shows, but when I do, it's usually House of Cards. 

 

The Underwood's never cease to make my jaw drop with their schemes and plans.  It's...just...so...deliciously evil that I can't stop watching. 

 

Beheading...wow!

[MartinKSmith]

I've enjoyed Claire all season. The moment she joined Frank in breaking the fourth wall... I definitely got a little chill.

[RCharter]

I don't often binge watch shows, but when I do, it's usually House of Cards. 

 

The Underwood's never cease to make my jaw drop with their schemes and plans.  It's...just...so...deliciously evil that I can't stop watching. 

 

Beheading...wow!

Its so funny, I binge watched HOC and now I'm watching Army Wives.  The difference is hilariously jarring.  I mean, lets discount the depth of the characters and the quality of the writing.  Everyone on HOC is unlikable and selfish and doing something for the wrong reasons.  On AW its just so different, everyone is good, and honest, and is truly looking out for his fellow man.  I'm sure NF doesn't even know what to recommend I watch next because those two shows are just so damn different.

[Paws]

I think during the beheading scene they were watching in a conference room, not the situation room.  The sit room has dark paneling and this one didn't.

 

 While DH and I were watching we remembered back when Seth seemed so sleazy. Now he's one of the more decent people on the show!

[loki567]

 

I mean...that's it? Hammerschmidt's story was barely given a chance to make a ripple, so narratively it felt totally flat after a season of build-up. And call me totally jaded, but a single beheading is not enough to throw the country into "total war", even if it happens on U.S. soil. If the Underwoods orchestrated a 9/11-like event to hold onto power, then maybe.

 

I felt exactly the same. I could buy the idea that the Underwoods would force the country into a war to maintain power. I just wish it was set up better. A beheading wouldn't be enough, pre- or post-9/11. And it wouldn't be enough to shock the country into ignoring Hammerschmidt's story. 

 

As for Claire as vice-president, a part of me came to almost embrace it. It's completely ridiculous but I really appreciate the fact that the show has done everything in its power to make her an equal player in everything. That's one area that makes this show completely unique over all of its anti-heroes competitors.

 

I'm curious how much longer the show can go on. Beau Willimon's gone. Netflix has built up its originals to the point where I don't know if HoC is still necessary to their success. Story-wise, how much longer can the Underwoods keep dodging bullets? Especially since they never seem to put their problems to bed. 

 

Something I find funny? Frank sucks at being President. America Works apparently didn't work (heh), his Jordan Valley peace proposal failed, and he's just running from problem to problem like a chicken with his head cut off. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Wow, Claire - you've come a long way, baby.

 

Claire's evolution has been dramatic -- from asking for Frank's help to get donors to her fundraiser in the first season, to beating Frank to the punch in finding their only way out (chaos! fear!) in their most precarious situation yet.  The tables are turned, she has become the master.

 

In the meantime, Spacey is doing a great job of portraying a waning Francis.  I think they're not going to kill him, but incapacitate him again, so that someone has to become Acting President.  Whether it is Blythe, with Claire looming, or whether they'll somehow win an election and it will be Claire, I don't know, but I can see Francis acting as advisor and co-conspirator to Claire from his sickbed.

 

I'm sort of proud that I didn't see their ultimate decision to sacrifice the kidnapped dad coming.  That was stone cold cynicism, right there.  I feel like there may be some hope for me yet.

 

Jacquie and Remy deserved more time; I thought they were sort of unceremoniously put aside.  On the other hand this was the most I ever enjoyed the newspaper editor,the former president, and Seth.

 

As everyone else has said, Robin Wright was scarily brilliant in that last scene.

 

As far as the kidnapping vs. 9/11 comparisons, I don't think those are at all on the same level of terror, nor do I feel the 9/11 attacks felt random.  They were unexpected and shocking, to be sure, but I never thought they were random.  But that's me.

[RCharter]

 

As far as the kidnapping vs. 9/11 comparisons, I don't think those are at all on the same level of terror, nor do I feel the 9/11 attacks felt random.  They were unexpected and shocking, to be sure, but I never thought they were random.  But that's me.

I felt 9/11 was random and unexpected.  although perhaps I don't see the functional difference in the words.  And I think the terror that the situations created were the same.  You had two events with graphic images designed to inflict terror as to the randomness of the targets.  The idea that you could go to work, or just go about your day minding your business and be killed in such a horrific way would make you just not want to go to work or not want to go out and do your business out of fear.  If a person can find a reason behind something than they can find a way to avoid it (at least in their own minds), but if you have no rhyme or reason for an act, you can't know how to avoid it, which makes it, to me, an effective act of terrorism.  The same way 9/11 just demonstrated for people that you could get on a plane, or go to work and randomly be targeted for death with no way to avoid it, nothing you could do could make you feel any safer besides simply to avoid flying.

[Maysie]

 

As far as the kidnapping vs. 9/11 comparisons, I don't think those are at all on the same level of terror, nor do I feel the 9/11 attacks felt random.  They were unexpected and shocking, to be sure, but I never thought they were random.  But that's me.

 

 

I felt 9/11 was random and unexpected.  although perhaps I don't see the functional difference in the words.  And I think the terror that the situations created were the same.  You had two events with graphic images designed to inflict terror as to the randomness of the targets.  The idea that you could go to work, or just go about your day minding your business and be killed in such a horrific way would make you just not want to go to work or not want to go out and do your business out of fear.  If a person can find a reason behind something than they can find a way to avoid it (at least in their own minds), but if you have no rhyme or reason for an act, you can't know how to avoid it, which makes it, to me, an effective act of terrorism.  The same way 9/11 just demonstrated for people that you could get on a plane, or go to work and randomly be targeted for death with no way to avoid it, nothing you could do could make you feel any safer besides simply to avoid flying.

 

Not to get too far astray - the attacks on 9/11 were a surprise but the actual targets were far from random. The WTC and the Pentagon are both symbols of the US's wealth and power; hitting targets like them accomplishes two goals: it meets the symbolic element that terrorists aim for (we'll destroy what you stand for, what guides you, what protects you) and shows that even the strongest hard targets are vulnerable. As well, it makes a statement to the world that the group can hit the biggest power of all, in a big way, in its most vital areas (Wall Street, Pentagon and Congress, if the one plane hadn't been brought down). Destroying large buildings, including a country's military headquarters and seat of government is pretty much asking for war. I think the implied terror/randomness for the victims becomes an added bonus for the terrorists.

 

I feel like the kidnapping on the show is random and this is a different kind of strategy - you go about your business and you don't know when you're vulnerable (such as taking a bus ride or dining in a cafe in some places). If it happens enough, then people may start to adjust their behavior. For terrorists, this is more of a mindgame, I think, putting out the "nowhere is safe" idea.

 

Killing a few random American citizens on American soil is vastly different than a coordinated attack, such as 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. Tragic, to be sure, but it's really dicey to consider a single beheading a declaration of/provocation for war. In my opinion, it would have to be something that's not only occurring regularly, but would have to be "owned" by someone so that there's actually something/someone to declare war on. 9/11 hit all the markers: an organized group (Al Qaeda) coordinated a multi-pronged attack on two government buildings and the country's financial center. That's a pretty blatant provocation to war, imo, which is why it was easy for Congress to okay the use of force in Afghanistan. Much beyond that, it gets to be a slippery slope . . .

 

I don't see how the Underwoods make a war out a beheading. Drone strikes, single use of special forces, maybe, but not an all out war. Of course, realism hasn't been such a strong suit this season, so who knows.

[ShermanSnide]

"the writing wanted to explore the real-world effects of Frank's (and to a lesser extent Claire's) ruthlessly ambitious actions"

Claire's lesser extent why? Do I have to remember you that it was HER idea, to create chaos, more than chaos...WAR?!? Didn't you guys realized by now that it's her and not him the puppet master? He's been the executor and her is the mind. Remember ones of the first scenes of season 1 when Frank got screwed over the Secretary of State job? She said to him: you should be angry...I don't see that. She's the one pushing him and he follower her lead, even if subtle.

[Mama No Life]

I thought it was perfectly appropriate that Hammerschmidt's story fell to the back when this happened.  It was stupid of the Herald and the bitchy mother from The Affair to release it during the crisis.

 

I also hope we get to see Remy and Jackie get bored with each other.  Clearly, the sneaking and political intrigue is what gets them off....no one's gonna be making jam and joining Junior League there.

[NutMeg]

"the writing wanted to explore the real-world effects of Frank's (and to a lesser extent Claire's) ruthlessly ambitious actions"

Claire's lesser extent why? Do I have to remember you that it was HER idea, to create chaos, more than chaos...WAR?!? Didn't you guys realized by now that it's her and not him the puppet master? He's been the executor and her is the mind. Remember ones of the first scenes of season 1 when Frank got screwed over the Secretary of State job? She said to him: you should be angry...I don't see that. She's the one pushing him and he follower her lead, even if subtle.

This is very interesting and makes me look at their dynamic in a new way. Yes, I alternated between who between Frank and Claire was the driver, and ended up thinking they were co-drivers - but then again he needs her and she (at least, acts ask if she) doesn't really needs him.