All Episodes Talk: Frank Underwood Controls Us All

[maraleia]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[rungirl911]

My fiancé and I just started watching HoC and it's brilliant.  We just watched ep 11 last night and I am NOT at all liking what transpired there.  We have two more episodes to watch to complete season 1 but holy CRAP -- I lost a ton if not all my respect for Frank in that episode.  That doesn't fall under complicated for me but just outright WRONG! and I was really upset at Stamper for putting Rachel in that position. How often will they do that to that girl?

 

Corey Stoll is incredible and I am not sure what I am going to do now that he's gone :( I really am bummed out. 

Edited May 22, 2014 by rungirl911

[rungirl911]

Ok, finished watching the last two episodes last night.  Didn't really enjoy the last scene with them running outside.  As a runner, (or just a smart person!!) Claire should know that you don't run at night all in black.  I mean, what the hell is that? Dumb.

 

I didn't know if I missed some clue about them running together or not? Was she going to tell him about the lawsuit and stuff?  I had really hoped that she was recording the confrontation with what's her face. She would have had her right there with the admission of lying.  I don't know. 

 

Does Claire know about what REALLY happened to Peter? Does anyone else think that Christina is pregnant? She started crying looking at what appeared to be a baby pic/younger pic of Peter's son?  I am not sure. 

 

Stamper is going to be the one who gets screwed for everything, I feel.  Poor Rachel.  Just trying to live a normal life and this "I promise" thing from Stamper is a bit frightening.  What else are they going to do to / with this poor girl?

 

Excited to start season 2. 

[nyxy]

 

Corey Stoll is incredible and I am not sure what I am going to do now that he's gone :( I really am bummed out.

I couldn't agree more. He was just so great to watch....I too am bummed out. I didn't see it coming. I was interested enough in the Rossi story when he was introduced but he made it better and better to the point that it was my main focus up through about episode 9. Then I had a grim feeling and spoiled myself about his fate. Easy to find spoilers when you watch the show long past the airdate. I'm glad I did read the spoilers.

 

Then decided to shelve (for now) the episode we're discussing, and, for good measure, the two leading up to it.

 

One smart thing they did is not ending the season with episode 11.

Edited June 3, 2014 by nyxy

[allthatglitters]

Just finished season one.

Yeah, Stamper is just as evil as Frank. Setting up that poor girl. I had a feeling it was all too altruistic of Stamper to be saving some poor white trash and putting her up and thinking he wanted to help her to get out of hooking. Then he makes her screw a john for his own purposes. And it doesn't help that the john "kills himself" after.

 

I was certain Claire taped that pregnant ex-employee. It was written exactly the way it should have been for that to happen. The way the woman finally, right at the end, blurted out how she would lie for certain things. I was totally expecting a shot next of Claire outside turning, with a slow smile forming on her face as she pulls out a digital recorder from her pocket.  The fact that she didn't makes me question the height of my admiration for her cunning.

 

I like the idea of the journalists all catching up to Underwood in a parallel storyline. It can't be that predictable though. I suspect that Zoe will break away from that pack, maybe even sabotage the story, and renew her vow of allegiance to Frank once he becomes VP. Protecting such an inside lead right at the top of the Washington food chain will be too appetizing for her to deny.

 

And now I can jump right into season 2 and answer some of those questions. I love Binge watching!!  :)

 

 

[ShellSeeker]

I'm re-watching Season 1. I discovered this show on a flight to Europe last year, and watched the first 7 episodes on the way over, and the last 5 on the way back. I've finally joined the rest of the world and joined Netflix. I'm re-watching because I'm pretty sure I missed some of the subtle details, plus, I watched it over a year ago. I'm currently on episode 10, and I'm remembering now that I found Peter Russo to be such a tragic character. He wanted so much to be a good, upstanding person, and wanted so badly to do the right thing. But he was no match for Frank Underwood. He did not have the strength of character he wanted to have.

[Prevailing Wind]

I drove past The Peachoid on my way to my brother's for Xmas.  They're doing some sort of maintenance on it and it's got stick-like things sticking out all over it.  Now it looks like a prickly ass, just like Frank!

[Charlesman]

America Works? That's what his grand purpose was? All the machinations, all the behind-the-scenes scheming, the murder(s!)... was all the means to justify the ends of reforming social security? That's what Frank did all this for? It just feels like a lame payoff. Now that this Frank has all this power, it's just weird to see him spend it all on a mediocre jobs program. Now all his scheming is for DC's unemployment rate. Kinda boring.

[CherryMalotte]

I've just started watching.  I was a hold out because I loved the original series and love Ian Richardson's performance.  I thought 'how could it get any better than Ian?'  

 

Wrong again.  I am so over the moon with Spacey and Wright that I am eating this up.  I have given up cleaning the house so I can binge watch between work shifts.  I am Frank's Netflix bitch.  

Edited March 9, 2015 by CherryMalotte

[Fen]

Thought I'd start a character thread since season finale threads can always get a bit off-topic.  Really good interview here:

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/12/house-of-cards-secret-weapon-doug-stamper-tells-all.html

 

Snipped my post from the episode thread that was getting a bit too off-topic:

 

For me, back in seasons 1 and 2, Doug said a couple things I thought were telling.  First, that he preferred to have nothing 'extra' or messy in his life because it made things 'blurry' - which was backed up by what we saw of his barren apartment and estranged family this season.  Secondly, that his relationship with Rachel was 'messed up', that she was 'like his mother, or sister'.  What I wheedled from that is that Doug kept his life intently focused on work (possibly because Frank forgave him after his initial brush with alcoholism?).  Then, due to the situation with Rachel, he was suddenly seeing a woman on a semi-regular basis outside work.  The lines got pretty blurry pretty fast after than - and she was every female figure he didn't have in his life: wife, mother, sister, daughter.  He actually looked pained when she offered to make him something to eat that little glimpse of intimacy, of domesticity, knocking him totally off-balance.  It was about what she represented to him - as we saw when he couldn't actually tell Gavin a damn thing about her.

[Falafel]

What season is your favorite and why? Do you think the show changes as the seasons progress? I'd ask no specific plot spoilers, except in tags.

 

I ask all this because I am about halfway through season two and I've just gotten so bored. There are no twists or turns. All of Frank's plans come to pass and he always wins. No one has any inkling of what Frank is all about. What really has me questioning whether or not to jump ship was that storyline, if you can even call it that, with Lucas Goodwin.

We are told very clearly what is going to happen to him: He is going to be tricked into thinking he found a hacker to help him get justice, but really he is being set up for an FBI bust. And then we spend half the fucking season watching exactly that play out. He was never even remotely close to figuring out what was going on or foiling Doug's plans. There was no pay off or suspense or twist to the story, and it was just completely tedious and boring. Now, he's in jail for like 10 years and the character is effectively gone -- the only remaining character who could've possibly pinned down Frank.

 

I have read, without getting into spoilers, that season three moves away from the "breaking the fourth wall" thing and it lets us be more in the dark about what happens, so we'll be more surprised, I guess so we don't have a repeat of

the Lucas Goodwin story

. Do the storylines themselves become less predictable? Does anyone catch onto Frank? I am trying to decide if I should jump past season two and try again at season three or four, give up entirely. This show moves too slow for everything to be so obvious so far in advance.

 

There's also a general likability question -- do we end up with anyone to root for? Frank is a sociopath. Claire seems like an actual human with feelings, but she just chooses to be shitty. Doug is evil. The only characters I rooted for, Lucas and Zoe, were bumbling idiots who couldn't investigate their way out of a paper bag. I can't believe I feel this way, but

I ended up missing Peter.

 

Try some more, or this show just isn't for me?

[ethalfrida]

I remained intrigued all the way through so maybe it is not for you. That happens. I couldn't get into lost or any show like it. 

[notyrmomma]

Falafal - you're going to hate this most current season (3rd)

Edited November 21, 2015 by notyrmomma

[EarlGreyTea]

While it's refreshing to see a childless couple on a show, now that I'm finally catching up on the latest season, I kind of wish Frank and Claire had had an adult child when the show began. Their Chelsea Clinton, if you will. A child in their image, raised up with their ruthless values. You'd see a young adult child of theirs try to maneuver through Washington, making mistakes, maybe even lending assistance to Frank and Claire at some point. It was pretty grim in season 4 that Claire had no one but asshole Doug and the VP at her side while Frank was in the hospital. Another confidant besides Doug and everyone else whom they've backstabbed would have been fascinating. It would also make for meaty television if a child of theirs screwed up so badly that Frank and Claire had to decide whether to cut him/her loose.

 

Maybe my imagination's gone too wild, but it's one thing I wish the show had done. On the other hand, the Underwoods having a child could quickly descend into cliche. A child of theirs around Zoe's age might have been gross when that whole affair was going on.

Edited April 24, 2016 by EarlGreyTea

[Chaos Theory]

On 4/23/2016 at 9:52 PM, EarlGreyTea said:

While it's refreshing to see a childless couple on a show, now that I'm finally catching up on the latest season, I kind of wish Frank and Claire had had an adult child when the show began. Their Chelsea Clinton, if you will. A child in their image, raised up with their ruthless values. You'd see a young adult child of theirs try to maneuver through Washington, making mistakes, maybe even lending assistance to Frank and Claire at some point. It was pretty grim in season 4 that Claire had no one but asshole Doug and the VP at her side while Frank was in the hospital. Another confidant besides Doug and everyone else whom they've backstabbed would have been fascinating. It would also make for meaty television if a child of theirs screwed up so badly that Frank and Claire had to decide whether to cut him/her loose.

 

Maybe my imagination's gone too wild, but it's one thing I wish the show had done. On the other hand, the Underwoods having a child could quickly descend into cliche. A child of theirs around Zoe's age might have been gross when that whole affair was going on.

There is a show with Kelsey Grammer called Boss.  It lasted a few years and Grammer played a powerful mayor diagnosed with dementia struggling to keep his grip on Chicago.  Anyway he had an adult daughter with drug problems that he and his wife publicaly disconnected with.   It was an intriguing story but I am not sure it would work on HoC.  I actually like that they share the same dream at least initially.  Kids were never that dream.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Hanahope]

Boy don't you think that FU wishes he had the power trump does, haha, or at least more loyal minions.  

[Charlesman]

After watching season five, it strikes me how often the show hooks us by denying us catharsis. Every big "moment" is sidestepped. Episodes end on cliff-hanger moments, but then the next episode picks up a week later after the moment is over and we only see the fallout.

We never get that release. We never satisfy the binge. We have to see what happens next but never get shown it. Easily three or four times this season, I lost count, we get led to the brink and then... nothing. But here's what happened after.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

20 hours ago, Charlesman said:

After watching season five, it strikes me how often the show hooks us by denying us catharsis. Every big "moment" is sidestepped. Episodes end on cliff-hanger moments, but then the next episode picks up a week later after the moment is over and we only see the fallout.

YES! One example is the tapes on Conway that the Underwood team released. We didn't get to see them released in the media, only a conversation about the aftermath. Also, we never saw Conway's reaction. That would have been epic! I was looking forward to it but they just skipped over it.

[Chaos Theory]

This show has the same problem all other political minded shows do these days.  No matter how crazy they want and try to get real life has already topped it.  I probably would have really enjoyed season 5 if not for real life.  The Underwoods make awesome villians and watching them manipulate the system and ultimately each other is dark fun but I just wasn't feeling it this season and just like other political shows I enjoyed last year I don't really think it's this show's fault.  Life just got stranger then fiction.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Hanahope]

At least we got a female president in fiction.  Gotta start somewhere.  We had a black president on TV before we got one in real life.  I guess people have to get used to the idea.

It'll be interesting to see how they completely write Frank out of the show.  Prison?  Death?  Can we get rid of Doug too, please?  I hope to see Leann back, hope she survived somehow.

[K42]

Spacey shouldn't have been fired. This is absurd. He's a great actor. 

[Ottis]

For about four, maybe five, episodes this last season it sort of worked. Then it went off the rails in the ep where Claire starts blaming men. At that point, the plot diverted from anything that made sense and became a crazy person’s fantasy. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Ottis