What I’m Watching: House of Cards (Season Finale)

House of Cards: Season 3, Episode 13 “Chapter 39” (B)

After such an intense season, I’m not wholly sure about this finale compared to the rest of it. The most significant development of the episode is one that, by the time it happens, is inevitable: Claire leaving Frank. He’s always been cruel, but rarely to her, instead justifying his next power move as relevant and crucial to them as a couple. Now, after she expresses a legitimate acknowledgment that she’ll never be his equal, he explodes and tells her that she doesn’t deserve any of it and needs to bend to his will to help bolster him. Truthfully, leaving him is the most damaging thing she can do, far less ambiguous than not being at his side for campaign events. Though her political prowess has never been her best asset considering the public’s reaction to her interest in wanting to be ambassador, it’s still possible that she could end up winning some other office of her own as the more likeable of the two. At least Frank is keeping his other allies close, like Dough, with his unexpected knowledge and approval of his field trip to go take care of Rachel, who at first successfully pleaded for his life and then ended up buried in an anonymous ditch, providing Doug some closure and a clear transformation from a man who could barely walk to one who can beat someone like Gavin with his cane. Tom’s meeting with Claire was enlightening, and he hit the nail on the head when he said that neither she nor Frank ever answer a question directly. This season has been good, merging drama and scandal on a regular basis, and I look forward to seeing where a surely more divided season four takes us.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Kevin Spacey