What I’m Watching: House of Cards

House of Cards: Season 4, Episode 3 “Chapter 42” (B)

This was an involving episode, to be sure, but there’s a sense of this show overextending its sense of theatrics. Claire trying to undercut Frank in the same way that he did so publicly on television to her is no surprise, and getting someone to fund a highly-placed billboard that would do plenty of damage to her husband was a very smart way to do it, especially when it showed Frank’s father meeting with a member of the Ku Klux Klan just after he gave a stirring speech at a black church. Suspecting Meechum was an unnecessary step since he’s always been loyal and knows much more about Frank that would have been extremely damaging to his election chances. Imagining choking Claire and drinking blood from the tap showed how angry he was from the start, and he exploded once he realized that she was the one who tried to screw him over. Claire freely admitting it was bold, and he responded cruelly to her ambitious request to be his running mate with a harsh and truly unkind statement of contempt. Revealing that he kept the damning photo of his father because he was proud of him was enlightening, but also shows his capacity for self-destruction. Lucas made a big resurgence as a car salesman, but he didn’t stay out of trouble for long, going straight to Dunbar. She really seemed not to be interested, but I think her curiosity and her desire to take Frank down will lead to Lucas coming back in a big and important way.