What I’m Watching: House of Cards

House of Cards: Season 3, Episode 9 “Chapter 35” (B+)

I forget sometimes just how sensationalist this show is, though it’s rarely about the politics and more about the sex, as evidenced by the introductory scene with Kate and Tom having sex with a campaign button for Frank hanging nearby. Kate is doing her very best to piss off the president, and he’s responding aggressively to her questions and to the fact that she just won’t give up. I suspect he won’t be happy at all to discover that Tom has a personal relationship with her, as it might make him paranoid that he is divulging secrets of their interactions. The latest developments with the Russians and the Jordan Valley are certainly disconcerting, especially since Claire was told that it was the Russians who killed their own people so that they could pull out and blame the Americans for being uncooperative and forcing them into a dangerous situation. Doug discovering that Rachel is dead still doesn’t seem finite, but it did get him an audience with the president, which is a big deal. The most notable part of that was Frank calling Dunbar and threatening her life if she ever stressed Doug out again. The joke’s on him, of course, since she was taking the time to sit with the would-be supporter that Frank had Remy drive to the airport. That didn’t go well either, and it’s clear that Remy is not over Jackie, which should complicate things given their close working relationship and her future role as vice-president for Frank’s second term.