What I’m Watching: House of Cards

House of Cards: Season 2, Episode 11 “Chapter 24” (B+)

Most of what happened in this hour was relatively par for the course, even if it meant that characters were on high alert and tensions and drama were heightened. But the scene that was most startling and shocking was the one in which Frank walked in on a drunk Meechum and Claire drinking and flirting, and promptly inserted himself into their play, kissing Meechum after he kissed Claire. You’d think that this power couple would want to be a bit more discreet about what might be seen as a questionable act in the eyes of the public, but I suppose Meechum plays as close to the vest as possible, though it’s also hard to believe that he would feel comfortable with the idea of bedding both of his bosses and expecting to keep his job as if nothing had happened. Frank is up to his usual dirty politics, trying to get Walker’s therapy sessions outed as a way of deflecting attention from his proven use of Doug to investigate Tusk’s operation. It’s good to see Frank give Doug a third chance and Doug in turn decide that Seth should be treated as an ally. Let’s hope Doug doesn’t have to suffer too much for throwing himself under the bus at the behest of the Vice-President. At least destroying his cell phone to cut off communication with Rachel has (literally) taken him off Gavin’s radar, a threat he isn’t even aware of that is likely to have extremely worrisome implications in the near future.