What more formidable foe, then, could there be for a man with as many secrets as Frank than the woman who knows (almost) all of them?
insanity is the fact that nearly every other politico, especially at first, is as guileless and trusting as a puppy, and thus never stands a chance against the perpetually scheming POTUS. At the top of the stack of reasons why House of Cards routinely fails as a believable portrait of D.C. And Claire’s willingness to square off against her husband - technically the most powerful man in the world and, as of last year’s finale, her abuser - promised to finally give Netflix’s political soap the antagonist it so deeply needs. Claire’s exit from the West Wing - during Frank’s troubled presidential reelection campaign, no less - exploded the only stable element in a world of frenetic instability.Įntropy is a positive, even necessary, force in serialized storytelling. Played by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, the Underwoods have been as co-dependent as a glazed ham and a silver tray - the former gaining refinement it might otherwise lack, the latter a sense of purpose in its supportive role. Despite the occasional affair, the precariousness implied by the show’s title has rarely applied to the Underwoods’ union. The third season of House of Cards concluded with the series’ most intriguing prospect yet: the bitter demise of Frank and Claire’s marriage.