What I’m Watching: House of Cards

House of Cards: Season 2, Episode 7 “Chapter 20” (B+)

Starting this episode off with an ad against Walker and his administration for the midterms helped to frame it as an hour focused much more than ever before on President Walker and his relationship with Frank. Telling Walker that he would be a punching bag for him got him truly angry, and getting him an actual punching bag as a gift was even bolder but somehow managed to win back his favor. Quoting himself while talking with Walker was even more self-important, and it’s a wonder that they manage to get along as well as they do. The dinner at Frank and Claire’s home was very intimate, and it was intriguing to see Walker and Frank on such a personal level. This show is doing an exceptional job with its supporting plotlines, forgetting about Lucas and his story for a moment to focus instead on some of the other players. Freddy being interviewed by a reporter for his story on Frank led to some unexpected business possibilities for the small-town restaurateur that seem too good to be true. Doug’s trip to Kansas City was productive, though he should know better than to sleep with someone that he meets in a suspicious situation. Jackie and Remy are still sleeping together, though Remy seems poised not to let it continue unless she commits. Seth and Connor are at each other’s throats, but we got confirmation on something very impactful in this hour: that Seth is indeed a spy sent by Remy to get dirt on Frank, but one who did not share the damning information about Claire’s abortions with his employers and instead came clean to Frank without any resistance.