The king is dead; long live the queen. That is the mantra for the sixth and final season of Netflix’s House Of Cards, which arrived Friday, November 2. Clare Hale( star-executive producer-director Robin Wright) is consuming her maiden specify — by the nature, “maiden name” is a painfully outdated word — as chairman of the United States. Claire’s husband Frank Underwood( Kevin Spacey) vacated the position during 2017 ’s season 5, leading to Claire’s “My turn” domination. Then, after Frank’s portrayer Kevin Spacey was outed as an alleged serial sexual predator, the Cards team decided to go ahead and kill his character off alone. Good riddance.

This is where we pick up in House Of Cards ’ last season, about 100 daytimes into Claire’s presidency and somewhat move away from last year’s plan. No, you didn’t is therefore necessary to stumble through all of season 5’s 13 episodes to understand this one. But, reading this history will help.

This time around , not only is this world’s first dame chairperson dealing with inescapable misogyny and the mess her criminal partner are lagging behind, but likewise the entrance of Annette( Diane Lane) and Bill Shepherd( Greg Kinnear ), a sibling duet of conniving and ultra-rich political puppet lords. Annette is a formidable adversary. Bill is the worst. But, we all know the steadfast Claire Hale can more than handle them — she can humble them.

Let’s see how she does it.

Episode 1, “Chapter 66 ”

Welcome to a new organisation, friends. The is the theme of season 6 premiere “Chapter 66. ” Claire Hale is not Frank Underwood, and Robin Wright is not Kevin Spacey. As you settle into a world where Claire is House Of Cards ’ obvious idol, it’s absurd not should be considered both truths. Especially when our new POTUS announces in a fourth wall burst admittance, “Here’s the thing, whatever Francis told you over the last five years? Don’t feel a word of it. It’s going to be different for you and me. I’m going to tell you the truth, ” and free-spoken meddlesome chicks instead of killing them with her naked mitts( as Frank, of season 1 pup slaughtering prominence, would do ). Claire even culminates the occurrence by paying Francis’ echoing the middle digit, while wearing it.

But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

We open “Chapter 66 ” with exceedingly detailed bulletin of death threats against Claire. People just wanted to scalped her alive, amputate her, and put all the body parts in the shape of the American signal. All of a sudden, it’s sounds like we’re reading an American Horror Story write rather than watching House Of Card. But Claire’s steely resolution reminds us where we are. Despite the mounting chance, President Claire Hale will still go out into the world and speak to a cluster of about-to-deploy work people on the Fourth Of July, damnit.

Yes, even when one of the would-be assassins claims to hiding on members of the military base Claire is scheduled to visit.

Before Claire psyches to the base, we learn some important initial detailed information on her upcoming campaign with the Shepherds. Her new vice president Mark Usher( Campbell Scott ) is her middle man between the prosperous siblings. Claire does not like having a middle person. The Shepherd were apparently financing Frank’s foundation prior to his death. The Shepherds require Claire to ratify a statute. Claire does not want to sign the invoice. The Shepherds don’t like a political nominee in their mood. Claire plans to support that candidate by name in her July 4th speech. Claire and the Shepherds can’t agree on anything.

Once Claire leaves the White House we get some more show-don’t-tell style expo. First Claire goes to the Shepherds’ pre-fireworks defendant. Clearly these three become practice back. Claire and the Shepherds are arguing over Nancy Gallagher, a retiring lieutenant general, Democrat, and soon-to-be politician against private contractors getting armed batches. Nancy is the candidate Claire and the Shepherd cannot agree on. Frank also had a inexplicable “agreement” with the Shepherds, where he very obviously promised to frame Claire in the family’s pocket in return for groundwork fund. Claire, however, constituted no such agreement.

So she goes to her official expression at the base and sheds her full buoy behind Nancy. Claire’s act of insurrection goes well, save for members of the military female who questions whether the president “even has a plan.” Ever the cool cucumber, Claire hits back, “Would you have asked me that if I were a subject? ” Of course, the answer is no.

Back in the car, Claire’s situation vanishes from tense to near-deadly when a sniper takes a shot at the president’s vehicle. The bullet misses Claire’s head by inches. The crap-shooter, a dishonorably discharged military representative then kill herself, or at least that’s what the scene advocates. Bill orchestrated the whole event. I told you Bill is the worst.

Following the try on Claire’s life, she questions whether Frank’s death was actually a slight homicide, hinting this season will too be part slaughter whodunit. It sure seems like the Shepherds were involved, from Annette disclosing Frank told the siblings a number of secrets, apparently about Claire, to the reemergence of Frank’s echoing. Towards the end of the chapter, Annette tells Claire she and her friend ultimately toured Gaffney, Frank’s hometown and the place he was probably embed. Seconds subsequently, Claire concludes the ring Frank was hid with on his bed.

The Shepherds exhumed Frank’s body, ripped a piece of jewelry off of his cold, dead paw, and then had that item placed in the presidential quarters. That is some Bond villain nonsense.

The most dangerous poster: For now, Annette’s strange lad Duncan( AHS prince of darkness Cody Fern ), if only because he is played by TV’s antichrist.

Frank’s haunted lackey Doug Stamper( Michael Kelly ), who falsely acknowledged to killing Zoe Barnes( Kate Mara) last season and was promptly placed in a mental health facility, to come down second. Doug truly, genuinely, really hates Claire … and his psychiatrist just so happens to be calling president with nighttime reports on Doug’s therapy times. This can’t purpose well.

The flashback: In the first stage of House Of Cards season 6, a young Claire Hale is told to “stop! ” by a boy. Eventually in the episode, we find out why: He and a cluster of other boys want to cut Claire’s garmented off with a pair of scissors while standing in the middle of the woods.

In a disturbing instant, we encounter Claire running away from the sons, drape in only her white underwear, supporting her ruined dress in front of their own bodies. It’s difficult not to be reminded of Camille Preaker’s( Amy Adams) own forest pain from Sharp Objects.

In the last part of the flashback, Claire obstructs out in a barn and fads a belt to contained her dress to her body. One of the sons shows up to apologize for assaulting Claire and tell her she can leave her secreting recognise. She responds by picking up a broom and piercing her intruder in the eye with it( he was looking through a excavation in doorway, which was perfectly broom-sized ).

Don’t fuck with Claire Hale.

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.

Episode 2, “Chapter 67 ”

“The reign of the middle-aged white man is over, ” Claire says towards the end of “Chapter 67. ” No one would call this prove insidiou. This is a loud, woman-powered succession that is deeply exhausted by the idea of old lily-white somebodies thinking they’re still sitting at the head of the table. That’s why Frank Underwood is dead. That’s why Mark Usher is a lap dog rather than a guard dog. That’s why Bill Shepherd is a beast Claire will inevitably vanish.

Claire is forced to originate that advertisement as tensions with the Shepherds start to bubble over. At the upper part of the chapter, a event of natural disasters has hit Bellport, OH. The state’s minister wants to avoid proclaiming a emergency situations after a Shepherd-owned oil refinery explodes, seeping poison into its town. Governor Olmstead would prefer to simply pray the winds stay in their spare. “And[ they’re] subject to change. That’s how hurricane use, ” Claire prompts the head. Claire is a queen.

After some glowing manipulating — Olmstead unquestionably embezzled his ballot, and Claire prompts him of so much better — a state of emergency is proclaimed. Off to Ohio Claire goes to meet with their own families feigned, cure how she can, and generally exasperate the Shepherds. They require her to indicate their invoice, but she’s too busy trying to save the world and disgrace horrendous somebodies to care.

Speaking of the regulatory statute, the actual politics of it seems to be purposefully unclear. Last-place chapter, Mark and the team tried to come up with a PR-friendly acronym with little suffering on actual programme. In this chapter, Bill screams at Claire to sign it without actually justifying its purpose. Is the greenback about the environment? Safety? War? Who knows? And that’s the item — the statute is just a analogy for Claire and the Shepherds’ defending perspectives and omnipresent combat of wills. The statement could be about officially establishing the sky is blue-blooded, and, if Bill demanded Claire to agree, she would try to set it on fire.

Everyone is aware of this animosity, which leads to a extremely memeable battle in Bellport. Once Claire is finished proving how dangerous the town’s H20 supply is to a group of men trying to convince her otherwise — she offers them a glass of fresh-out-of-the-sink tap water, they all evade it like the beset — everyone managers to a gymnasium where the citizens of Bellport are collected. Annette is there to do mar verify for the Shepherd brand. The rich socialite tries to hold hands with old-time friend Claire as a show of triumph. Claire recoils from Annette and the very public diss instantly become a extending news story.

So, Claire is forced to make a public amends with Annette at a carnival afterwards that week. While the working party should be about patching acts up with the Shepherds, two far more interesting things happen: we learn Annette and Mark are robbing up, and Annette and Claire have their most revealing interaction so far this season. Annette hooked up with Frank back in the working day! Claire has known all along! Annette heavily alludes to Frank being closeted, and Claire tells her to shut up! Then they do a bizarre series of shoe-less changes from their shared girlhood. Have they both been practising?

Bill also threatens Claire in a kitchen while mumbling about Frank’s will, but it’s seriously forgettable. Utter me more gentle ballet-inspired stunts between Robin Wright and Diane Lane instead.

Unfortunately, we are not caused such endowments. Rather, Claire is forced to agrees to the Shepherds. First by allowing Annette to get a remake of her triumphant hand-holding, this time without the subsequent recoiling. Then, Bill shows up in the Oval Office and literally powers Claire’s hand on the allegory statute. Bill drags Claire’s hand across the signature line. We can now assume he will eventually lose his own hand for the purposes of the a transgression.

Outside of the Claire-Shepherd’s-FUTURE bill drama( yes, it ends up with the FUTURE acronym ), two storms are brewing in the House Of Cards world. First, Doug is out of the mental health facility, has recanted his murder admission, and is intent on getting Claire prosecuted for her own violations. Claire would rather no one goes to jail, and then she and Doug can simply live their separate lives. The only being standing in their acces, is in accordance with Claire, is Secretary of State Cathy Durant( Jayne Atkinson ), who Frank pushed down the stairs last-place season. Cathy knows many of the crimes the Underwoods and Doug devoted. With Cathy eliminated, everyone can be truly free, Claire proposes. Doug is left with Frank’s cufflinks and a great deal to think about.

Also, young Duncan Shepherd has an misery app that allows the entire Shepherd family to stalk all of the data on its users’ telephones. Posters will stimulate you nearly as afraid of technology as You does.

The most dangerous poster: Mark Usher, as Frank prophesied last season. This is a man caught between two mistress — something got to go horrifically wrong.

The flashback: Young Claire quietly sits between her parents as they bicker over their daughter’s onslaught from the occurrence prior. Claire’s dad is ferocious that Claire was affected. Her mom, wary of her own daughter, is infuriated at Claire. “A boy lost an eye! ” she seethes, alleging the “girls ” “dared” those sons to assault her.

“Pretty girlfriends have a responsibility to their perfection, ” Mrs. Hale bawls, adding to the victim-shaming and demanding to know why Claire won’t do as she’s told. “Why certainly? ” Claire asks in the present, followed up with rile misogynistic rogues decades later.

Episode 3, “Chapter 68 ”

Politics is all about who you know, and this escapade substantiates it. “Chapter 68 ” is an exploration in all of the tenuous confederations that will dominate House Of Cards season 6. Over 52 minutes you’re left asking who’s playing whom, who’s double-crossing whom, and whether anyone is ever is the truth. So let’s run through the big ones.

Claire& Doug

One of “the worlds largest” confusing ties-in at frolic existed between Claire and Doug. During the last occurrence, Doug told the U.S. Attorney the real criminal case was against Claire. Then, Claire popped up in Doug’s house talking about freedom and needing to eliminate Secretary Of State Cathy Durant. Now Claire and Doug are sitting in presidential vehicles together storying to gather Cathy’s security detail and discussing the most casual acces to end this very Southern woman’s life( “It needs to look like complications from her drop-off, ” Claire says. Cathy’s “fall” was more of a tumble caused by Frank shedding her down the stairs ).

Despite Claire and Doug’s scheming, the latter is still talking savor about the former to potential new consumers like Illinois congressman Brett Cole( Boris Kodjoe) and intimating she’s a husband killer during automobile conversations with FBI deputy director Nathan Green( Jeremy Holm ). Doug even tells newspaper male Tom Hammerschmidt( Boris McGiver) he and President Hale are on “different paths.” Later, Claire tells Nathan to personally follow Doug in case they need to “find him alone” at some object. That is a amusing euphemism for murder.

Following Claire’s conversation with Nathan, we learn why people continue bringing up the secret of Frank’s will: In a handwritten, seemingly scurried, report, Frank left Doug everything. Claire doesn’t know why her husband would do such a thing right before expiring( technical cause of death: natural motives supposedly brought on by liver remedy overdose) so we definitely don’t, either.

Claire, Cathy,& Jane Davis

There is a lot going on now. With the problem of Cathy Durant looming huge, Claire decides to make the ambiguous Jane Davis( the always fantastic Patricia Clarkson) to help her. What does insurance professional Jane Davis do accurately for the governmental forces? We will never exactly know, but it implies power players, wander, confidentials, and disliking the Russian authority. If you asked me Jane Davis has killed 1,000 souls over the course of her occupation, I would believe you.

So, Claire convenes with solicitor Rafiq Nasser( Darwin Shaw ), who represents fictional Syrian terrorist radical ICO. We have never fulfilled Nasser before, but House Of Cards acts like we have. Season 6 has no time for exposition. Nasser hints another terror attack is possible if American firms chipped ICO out of “Syria’s future.” Because Claire matches with Nasser, Jane is forced to return to the Oval Office to chitchat with Claire. Jane claims the White House’s goals are the same as the Shepherds’ when it comes to Syria. Hmm. Claire mostly tells Jane the Shepherds are trash and expects her inexplicable pal to come live in the White House for a while.

Clearly Jane admits, since Claire invites her to kill her good friend Cathy over breakfast a few scenes afterward. Jane is like, “I could never !, ” and then promptly invites Cathy to a slaughter lunch at the world’s most empty diner. Cathy instantly recognizes Jane aims to assassinate her and hightails it out of the world’s worst lunch year. It is one of the funniest minutes of House Of Cards this season. From the security of the car, Cathy announces Jane to wish her a distressing demise. Jane reacts with a shrug and an “LOL , no.”

By the end of “Chapter 68, ” a not-quite-alarmed Cathy is dragged out of her home by servicemen in clothings. The door is left wide open. Is she being kidnapped? Did Jane positioned this up? Or is something else afoot? It’s unsure. Yet, Claire is notified that Cathy had an “embolism” due to her “fall” and croaked, which doesn’t line up with the abduction viewers evidence at all. Someone is lying here.

Claire, Mark& Annette

As I said earlier, Mark is a man with two lovers. Yes, he does miss Claire to listen to the Shepherds since he’s sleeping with Annette. It’s too possible their own families has grease on Mark since they have clay on everyone. But, Mark too craves the Shepherds to give Claire some room to head because it sounds he genuinely believes in the president’s ability to govern. Throughout the occurrence, Mark ping pongs between both Claire and Annette, defending both females to the other one.

But, the engagement is increased to a campaign when Claire tells Annette she will not be bullied into chosen by the Supreme Court justice they want, Vincent Abruzzo( Ron Canada ). The president informs Annette of her decision and then tells it plunge she knows all about her son Duncan’s juvenile record for “prep school doses, ” as Jane calls them. After Claire threatens to out Duncan’s misdeeds, Annette magnetisms Mark to launch an ultimatum: Agree to select Abruzzo, or the police will find Tom Yates’( Paul Sparks) body. Mark demo Claire Tom’s frozen corpse in the back of a van to accentuate his threat.

This is when Cards prompts you that Claire fatally poisoned her fan Tom last-place season and then dropped his figure at Mark’s house. Clearly, the Shepherds have had Tom’s body on ice ever since in case they are required to intimidate the president. At last, Claire agrees on Abruzzo.

Although the Shepherds have now used one of the biggest artilleries in their storehouse with their body uncover, there are still others. Chief among them is the that fact Claire, America’s firstly woman director, had three abortions over her lifetime. Bill Shepherd’s favorite weapon is misogyny.

P.S. Bill Shepherd is extremely, very sick, as we realise and Claire senses.

Poor, Poor Kelsey

Even sugared press secretary Kelsey( Kristen Sieh) is being influenced. Claire lies to Kelsey’s face about the whereabouts of Tom Yates when the president utterly knows she personally assassinated the writer in the middle of sex.

The most dangerous poster: Annette. Not only is she addressed with decades of Claire Hale hatred, but her lad are currently being( rightly) menaced. You do not want to mess with a boundlessly entitled, morally jeopardized billionaire’s maternal instincts.

The flashback: Young Claire and Young “Annie, ” aka Annette, doing their ballet moves as teens, apparently at boarding school. These two others were giggly roommates overtaking seams backward and forward once upon a time. Now they’re are seeking to devastate each other’s lives on the public stage.

Growing up is the worst.

Episode 4, “Chapter 69 ”

Welcome to House Of Cards ’ bottle incident. While the majority of members of this season is built to compile D.C. look like an ever-expanding hellmouth of schemers — where even was Duncan’s premiere incident July 4th defendant? — “Chapter 69 ” catches everyone in one suffocating locale for most of the proceedings: Catherine Durant’s wake. The cause is an limitless stream of fatality spotlights across entire rooms.

The leading player here are Claire, Doug, Jane, Mark, and looming vicinity Viktor Petrov( Lars Mikkelsen ), the extremely towering Russian president. Former Underwood staffer Seth Grayson( Derek Cecil ), now on Team Shepherd, would also like to feel included, but everyone devotes the hour trying to avoid him. The Shepherd, as secretive as they are, would never show up to such a public role — this is what they have Mark and Seth for.

Having all of these political swine in one room together are normally be stressful enough. But the tension is redoubled given the fact that 100,000 Russian corps are headed towards the Syrian borderline. American corps, like the ones from Claire’s July 4th horde cornerstone expression, are already in the country. As Petrov tells Claire, their two respective countries are “only instants away from crisis.”

Amid the impending crisis, Claire toy the dutiful Shepherd pawn. She causes Mark talk to Petrov alone. She tells Mark and Jane analyse Russia’s troop movements and incitements. She tells Jane promise her she will “chip away” at the Shepherds if Claire agrees to her Russian reprisal project. Even in a meeting about the pizdets in the Middle East, Claire sits humbly in the background as everyone ranges their mouth, and Seth explosions in firmly uninvited.

“Playing incapacitated is so exhausting, ” a smirking Claire acknowledges to the audience.

The parties in Claire’s orbit, Mark especially, are startled that Claire is so compliant. Time after the halfway top of the occurrence, everything manufactures gumption. Claire is the one who invited Petrov to the burial. Her propose is to give the Russian president lubricant, gas, and ports in Syria along with 20% of the resources passing through them. That is a large break for Russia. While Claire claims her agreement is simply fueled by treaty, it’s actually an am trying to articulated a chokehold on the Shepherds’ corporate future in the region.

“My husband was a means to an intent, ” the president acknowledges to Petrov to cap off their private peace talk. Claire Hale: American gangster.

Although Claire is the one wheeling and dealing here, it’s Jane who has the two most amusing discourses. Her first is with Mark. During a lengthy moan fest, it is suggested the pair used to sleep together; they have some darknes secret with Doug’s brand-new patient rising congressman Brett Cole, whom we meet for the first time this season; and all three used to work together. Were Mark and Jane involved in the pension scandal the Shepherds are consuming against Brett? Or is this an entirely different bit of skullduggery? Jane and Mark’s conversation likewise exposes Annette , not headstrong Bill, has some unexplained bitternes against Russia.

Jane’s second fascinating encounter arrives toward the end of the escapade, when Petrov bumps into her. The antagonistic chemistry here is off the following chart. A betting wife would throw her last-place ruble on the assumption enraged sexuality has been had between these two.

Besides all the political plot afoot, the other main drive of Cathy’s funeral is figuring out how she died in the first place. Claire, Doug, and Jane all justify they weren’t implied. Cathy’s husband Stan( Gregg Edelman) seems reasonably calm, while her out of towner brother Hunter( John Ellison Conlee) is ravaged. Hunter’s retelling of Cathy’s abrupt fatal illness only obliges the tragedy more suspicious. While we know Cathy was hurried out of her residence by suspicious mortals in clothings, Hunter tells Claire and Doug that his sister announced him complain of a migraine-level headache and soon suffered an embolism in her gondola. Hunter then got on the next flight to D.C. in order to be with his sister. By the time Hunter acre, Cathy was dead and already prepped to be cremated. An postmortem wasn’t even completed.

“Stan stimulated it happen so fast, ” a teary Hunter laments. Immediately, Claire and Doug look at each other. After years of orchestrating D.C. duplicity, they know the story of Cathy’s death doesn’t add up.

And that’s because Cathy isn’t dead! As the final representation of “Chapter 68 ” demonstrates, Cathy forged her fatality. While everybody has mourning the Secretary of s= State and plotting against their perceived adversaries, Cathy is holed up in some random dimly lighted accommodation with a bottle of red wine and a burner phone. She asks an unknown subject is watched until he arrives in Switzerland. “I’ll be the one to wiretap him in Annecy, ” Cathy says. Then she promises the person on the other end of the line they’ll be taken care of once the money is wired.

With that affirmation, a very much alive Cathy hangs up her telephone and slithers it into a pan of stewing irrigate. Cathy Durant time are likely to be the real robber of this story.

By the method, Nexis Security obstructs comes real as a controversial defense contractor. Nexis is owned by one of Bill’s pals, as we learn with a throwaway front in the season 6 premiere. They are also the ones who moved workers to Claire’s residence in Gaffney and been attempting to do contracts in Syria. Don’t trust Nexis.

The most dangerous card: Cathy! Death faking, phone simmering Cathy!

The flashback: Nothing here. There’s too much present-day, gruesome theatre for the past.

Episode 5, “Chapter 70 ”

Going into this occurrence, you need to remember how tired Claire is of feeling the puppet strings of the Shepherds burrowing into her back. First, Mark evidenced her Tom Yates’ figure in the van. Then, their own families tried to run the show over the imminent Russian conflicts around Syria when they weren’t even in the apartment. Clearly, this curbing statu will exclusively get worse — and Claire can’t live like this.

So she goes with the most extreme option probable in “Chapter 70. ” Essentially, Claire must kill her political career to resurrect a brand new one. One that is immune to the Shepherds’ influence. That is why we start the episode in the middle of Claire’s period of “hiding.” As we learn through numerous different story narratives and interviews, following her controversial is being dealt with Russia — the one she brokered solely to harm the Shepherds — and off-screen pardon of Doug, she has entered a reclusive stage. The chairman, innumerable reporters and scholars requiem, hasn’t left the residency in 24 days.

There is a photo of a mascara blotched and screaming Claire to prove it.

Then, House Of Cards actually takes us to Claire’s chambers. This is when our doubts are confirmed: Claire is counterfeiting the whole occasion. This is the extreme version of her “playing dumb is exhausting” programme from Cathy’s funeral. As customary, Claire is anticipating more than anyone else. Her new persona is inspired by all the men who have ever tried to control her, all of her dejection over marrying Mister Francis Underwood, and America’s greatest anti-woman nervousness. Likewise, some Visine.

It is startling how quickly everyone, from Mark to Jane, feels steely Claire has deteriorated into a teary, forlorn, and sleepy mess. The implication is that no one is astonished this is what happened when a woman is at the wheel.

Claire’s behavior pushes her antagonists into deciding to invoked the 25 th amendment’s 4th region. That is the clause that explains what to do if the president cannot fulfill their duties but will not step aside. First, the vice president and majority decisions of the cabinet needs to agree and announce the president is “unfit” for role. Then the Congress must decide if the VP, who is now behaving director, will formally make the bureau, and the original chairperson will be impeached.

The Shepherds cherish how gloomy the rules are on this section and urge Mark to start the process. Soon fairly, the veep is meeting with high-pitched higher-ranking government officials in dark areas of fancy defendants. If someone were to guess what emergency Illuminati satisfies looked like, this would be it. As various parties indicate over the escapade and even earlier this season, the cabinet is already loyal to Mark at this phase. Theoretically, this kind of cloak and dagger plotting should terrify Claire. But, she’s the one who secretly pushed everyone into this corner for her own designs.

Towards the end of “Chapter 70, ” the disaffected board has amassed in a White House conference room to ratify the character that would begin Claire’s impeachment proceedings. Mark has already been to arrive, but “re on their way”. Such a move in Claire’s own residence “wouldve been” shameles, but the president lulled everyone into inaccurate sense of security by refusing to depart the residency for nearly a month. All of these people were very confident Claire would never stumble out of her bedroom, let alone into their scheme cave.

Of course, Claire breaks all of their scheming amusing. First, she persuades poverty-stricken Kelsey that Mark colluded with Russia and assassinated Tom Yates when he got too close to the “truth.” If Kelsey wants to retaliate Tom’s death, she’s going to have to tell the exact narration Claire has rubbed into a plausible, highly-incriminating-for-Mark anecdote, the president excuses. It’s the feminist act to do. Kelsey agrees.

Claire paces into the impeachment engagement, which is made up of about 98% old soldiers, and cooly asks to see the word they’re all planning to sign … and shoots them. Goodnight and good luck, everyone!

Thanks to Claire’s tear-stained long con, Mark is now accused of having committed collusion and slaughter, the entire faithles cabinet has been removed, and no one is connecting Claire to the Shepherds.

Still, the Shepherds attempt to get their secure back into Claire after the president tells Duncan to ask Annette “where he comes from.” The show is that Duncan isn’t Annette’s biological lad, or he’s “their childrens” of incest( Annette and Bill do seem especially affectionate ). The minute Annette learns of her old-fashioned acquaintance Claire’s motherhood-related disloyalty, she schedules her own: publicizing Claire’s abortion at 16 weeks of pregnancy. Annette even comes to the White House to gloat to Claire about her latest programme and the facts of the case Frank’s loose lips obliged it possible.

As customary, Claire still gets the last laugh. Annette can try to affect Claire how ever she wants in the press, because the president time plucked one of the most difficult feminist takeovers in American political autobiography. Claire’s brand-new cabinet is 100% made of women — and they’re all different ages and colors. “I just wanted to see your face, ” Claire tells a flabbergasted Annette before shutting the door in her face. That is what you call a mic drop.

Elsewhere in the Cards universe, Doug moves down his psychiatrist and learns the truth of Frank’s will while Janine Skorsky( UnReal ’s Constance Zimmer ), one of the very few columnists who has avoided get murdered over the years, excavates deeper into the criminality of Duncan’s particularly criminal app.

The most dangerous placard: Claire. Hale. She is the true Scammer-In-Chief here.

The flashback: A youthful, cigarette-loving Claire is in the midst of an existential crisis near the lumbers when she should be performing the titular capacity of Lysistrata. A panic-struck brunette tries to get Claire to come inside and do the romp. Claire responds by speaking about extinction, taking off her outfit, granting it, and the character, to the brunette, and operating off into the forest.

It could very well that earring-stealing, anxiety-ridden brunette is Annette Shepherd.

Episode 6, “Chapter 71 ”

This episode has everything: remembers Burn Notice was a concept, maternity quirks, plagiarized bird-dogs, Godfather -style stumbles, and more. But, before we get tinto “Chapter 71 ’s” various assassinations or the latest Shepherd family theatre, we need to talk about the latest Hale-Underwood family drama. Claire Hale is pregnant! Claire Hale is pregnant with Frank Underwood’s baby. Oh, boy( or girl ), I certainly didn’t see that one coming.

Yet, upon second regard, I recognise Cards showed us the nursery Claire is preparing for her imminent little bundle of joy. Early in the episode, she stands in the chamber, which is filled with decorating options and carefully plotted paint swatches on the walls, and tells President Petrov over the phone, “[ I’m] precisely planning for the future.”

Still, Claire’s pregnancy isn’t demonstrated until the end of “7 1” when she unexpectedly upchucks, the international papa artistic indicate of being with child. At last, the president tells Doug she is expecting. The word isn’t glad, it’s practical. Doug is eventually uncovered he knows about the contents of Frank’s last will. Claire exposes the will doesn’t stuff since the Hale-Underwood prenup says all of Frank’s assets would go to his offspring if he were to have any. Claire is carrying one such offspring.

The greatest stunt of the pregnancy reveal is that Cards first stimulates you believe Claire might be vomiting because she had three beings assassinated in trend of a single montage. Let’s go over why all the persons was killed, and, as usual, check in with the Shepherd family circus.

Cathy Durant

This one is easy. Death-faking Cathy, who is hiding out in the French Alps with her husband, is a threat to Claire on numerous positions. The onetime secretary of state is also a threat for President Petrov. So, they pinpoint Cathy and have a sniper grease-gun her down. The position of clinical accuracy is chilling. That is one difficulty eliminated for Team Hale.

Jane Davis

Jane is a very peculiar case. Honestly, it is difficult to understand the logic of having Jane abducted in the first place during the prior escapade, but it seems like Claire simply involved the wheeling and dealing foreign policy expert to be taken off the chess card during her “Chapter 70 ” coup. The last-place period we recognize Jane free during that occurrence, she is insulting the president. Then of a sudden Jane’s sex rendezvous is cut short in favor of being forcefully placed in a terrifying safe house.

“Chapter 71 ” strengthens Claire, rather than some hostile foreign government, is the one who made Jane in that safe hose. Now that Jane has been held in captivity, seemingly by antagonists, the government has no choice but to “burn” her for the safety grounds. Now Jane can’t work anywhere. Another Claire Hale antagonist ruined.

With no chore left to do, Jane dedicates her time to get ex Mark out of Claire’s hazardous arena. Jane tells Claire what shared gloom mystery she and Mark have — Mark basically bullied congressman Brett Cole’s mistress into expiring by suicide during his firstly safarus — as leveraging to impel him out of the very dangerous White House. Jane likewise admits to facilitating Cathy escape. Then she frequently asserts with a tenacious Mark to just leave the chaos of the White House behind. He didn’t even is intended to be vice president.

After Claire sees Mark to praised him over Cole’s mistress’ death, he calls Jane. She’s at that mysterious medical treatment facility from season 5 complaining of the most difficult migraine of their own lives. She collapses, and Mark eventually meets her dead. Although it seems like Jane didn’t actually have to die, the facts of the case that she facilitated in Cathy’s disappearance and lied to Claire’s face about it was apparently too great a betrayal to digest. Regrettably for Jane, she fell into that “destroy” pile Claire mentions while leaving Mark’s house.

Despite the disreputable circumstances of Jane’s death, Claire approves in an aside to the camera she killed Jane.

Tom Hammerschmidt

Tom is undoubtedly the most upsetting deaths among House Of Cards season 6, and the events don’t exactly add up.

Doug undermines into Tom’s home for very little ground and embezzle his puppy. Tom is forced to abscond to a motel with Janine as she writes her Duncan Shepherd app uncover, which the Shepherds urgently want to destroy. Doug and Tom eventually meet to exchange the narration for the dog. Doug then gives the floor to Claire, ensuring the Shepherds will go down for the app and the Bellport tragedy in Ohio. Janine has a cagey face-off with Shepherd errand boy Seth, who doesn’t recognize the story is already travelled. Claire goes to Tom’s house to call Doug a liar for anything damning he may have said about her. Tom doesn’t accurately feel Claire’s story and predicts further investigation into her involvement in Frank’s misdeeds is coming.

That evening Tom is slaughtered in a “robbery gone wrong.” We know it’s that same day because the reporter is still wearing the same shirt. The photographing is clearly a smack posing as an accident. Tom’s final words to his dog( “Just have fun, okay ?! ”) will never not be heartbreaking.

The whole Tom-Doug-Claire ordeal returns Tom to the Oval Office, where he determines a USB drive hidden on a box with his initials carved into it. This can’t be good.

The Shepherds

The mystery of Duncan’s parentage is lastly solved. Duncan’s biological mother is a regional housekeeper. His father isn’t Bill, as Duncan’s attentions ask where reference is returns from his head-clearing walkabout. Instead, Duncan’s bio mommy simply had a one night stand with some random man.

With the truth out in the open, Bill, whose health is degenerating rapidly, refuses to call an previously heartbroken Duncan “one of us.” Bill and Annette’s relationship is forever broke. And right after Bill creepily announces his sister “honey.” How sad.

The most dangerous poster: Claire Hale doing her better Michael Corleone impression. With really two chapters left, it looks like our leading lady is going to hold onto this title.

The flashback: No flashbacks now, simply unmitigated death.

Episode 7, “Chapter 72 ”

You acquire some, you lose some. That is the lesson Claire Hale learns with “Chapter 72, ” which rushes at minimum a few months ahead of “Chapter 71. ” The chairwoman amplifications a good deal of earns in the incident, while abiding some incapacitate losings and soon-to-be losses, including a mounting slaughter story. With so much better going on as we manager into the serial climax of House Of Placard — now precisely one occurrence away — let’s break down the good, the bad, and another for Claire Hale.

The Good

Things are going so well. Claire is our first pregnant chairwoman, and the people cherish her for it. Mark , now out of the White House and firmly on Team Shephard, complains that Claire is currently polling at around a 70% approving rating and is only expected to improve towards the election. Widespread public adoration in new for a chairman who was nearly dragged out of office a mere two bouts ago.

Congressman Cole, a Shepherd pawn, introduced legislation to limit Claire’s abilities at some site between “Chapter 71 ” and “Chapter 72. ” The decree on the legality of the bill reaches the Supreme Court, where Shepherd-demanded gues Abruzzo from earlier this season is poised to rule as the ruling vote against Claire. But, she coerces him into recusing himself from the suit. All of Claire’s abilities as president will remain.

Annette attempts to murder Claire’s baby by having the president’s OBGYN placed a labor-inducing dope in her IV. Claire is exclusively 26 weeks pregnant at this time. Still, the baby endures — and we find out she’s a girl!

Claire finally gets to leant Duncan in custody for the evil app. After Annette’s baby killing scheme, such a succes against the billionaire’s own son must be especially satisfying for Claire.

Melody Cruz, Claire’s greatest media commentator and onetime Shepherd puppet, is appropriate to Claire in an interview.

The Bad

Annette is putting together a wide-sweeping slaughter story against Claire following Duncan’s arrest. Annette appears genuinely pleased that Claire has pushed her far enough apart to even make assassination a viable conversation. Nine parties attend the initial assemble to figure out how to kill Claire. One person even delivers charts and diagram to project the nation’s financial fallout after a presidential fatality. A terribly rancorous, bearded Mark is quite into all the stealthy carnage talk.

Claire loses two major friends. One represents impression: Nora Cafferty( Susan Pourfar ), who is burnt. At the highest level of “Chapter 72, ” Claire starts rumbling about dragging Congresspeople out of the House assemblies and shooting the U.S. Attorney. Nora is rightly disturbed by Claire’s rapid dictatorial rests and shares those apprehensive sentimentalities with Claire. Claire tells her to get the hell out of her house.

Nathan’s choice to abandon Claire for Team Shepherd, however, impels less sense. Claire’s willing foot soldier talks to Seth once, and all of a sudden he’s fully turned against the president? Not simply does Nathan lie to Claire about Doug’s whereabouts, but he also personally returns Doug to the Shepherd meeting where everyone is planning Claire’s assassination. That’s too big of a personality evolution, too fast.

Claire realizes Doug took something from the Oval Office last episode: a USB drive which is actually Frank’s audio diary. An off-the-grid Doug has been listening to it while excavating for Rachel Posner’s body. Healthy hand-pickeds all around.

The Other

Speaking of Doug, what is everyone other than Claire up to? Principally only being cogs in the rotate that is Claire Hale’s Washington. Except for Bill. His state is even worse after the time jumping. The billionaire has graduated from private feverish cry to public incoherent straying that either alienates powerful beings like Brett Cole or arouses servers to tell him off in front of entire parties of people.

At least both Shepherds have legally adopted Duncan, at least 28 years after his delivery. That signifies Duncan’s mothers are a brother-sister duo who announce one another “honey” and tenderly hold hands. You know , ordinary rich people stuff.

Doug Stamper is back in D.C. and quite prepared to take over Claire( that’s why he shaved ).

The most dangerous card: We’re in the final two hours of House Of Cards. There’s no way the answer won’t ever be Claire from here on out.

The flashback: Welcome to the day Claire choice her power-hungry life with Frank over a simple one with any aged guy. We’re seemingly towards the end of Claire’s college career, and Frank has proposed. Claire’s other sweetheart Reed( David Corenswet) isn’t too happy about this turn of events and announces Claire is going with him instead.

Claire seemingly acquiesces and has gender with Reed in which seems to be his dormitory room. Then, when Reed precipitates asleep, she calls Frank and chiefs over to his residence. Reed “havent had” notion he was having goodbye fornication , not let’s be together forever sex.

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