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Chapter 16.

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Viewers and critics of House of Cards tend separate into one of two camps. The first view the show as a biting and enthralling piece of political drama filled with complex and flawed characters. The latter group see the show as nothing more than highly choreographed television smut, an aesthetically pleasing soap opera that masquerades as high art. But regardless of whatever camp you may fall in, its hard to deny how entertaining Frank Underwood and crew were in "Chapter 16". The true storyline behind this season has yet to reveal itself, but at least this episode threw us a bone and then some with this top notch episode.

Frank 

AClearly, Frank is well talented as serving as a mediator between internal Congressional conflicts, but you can easily see that he is getting bored from his role as go between. Frank is smart and knows that he has to go through the paces to get to the top presidential spot, but that didn't stop him from being unforgiving and ruthless while essentially conning the Senate vote. He may be getting too big of an enemy than he bargained for in Raymond Tusk, but for not backing down from the President's BFF, Frank gets an A.

Doug 

CDoug may be a recovering alcoholic, but his true addiction now is Rachel. It is important that Doug makes sure Rachel doesn't fall out of line, but treating her hand wound with a makeshift ice bag definitely shows he isn't cut out for being ice cold. This is definitely going to end badly for Doug, as his forbidden crush will only prove to be a liability both his heart and career can't bear. For still doing his job but losing control at every moment, Doug gets a C.

Claire 

BIt seems that the rape revelation from last episode hasn't effected her as much as it was expected too. And while she's busy hiring another spokesperson for Frank's camp, you can see the gears turning in her head when she suggests a possible affair might be brewing between the President and Christina. Claire knows whether or not the affair is true is irrelevant, just the suggestion that there might be one gives her that much more power to hold over Christina and the President. For not leaving the political intrigue just to the boys, Claire gets a B.

Rachel 

BI was very happy to see that Rachel has been upgraded from plot motive to developed character who actually has her own hopes, fears and desires. Anyone would go crazy after being confined to a studio apartment without the ability to create relationships. But Rachel broke out of her shell and made a new Christ loving friend who actually seems to have her best intentions in mind. This too could end dangerously for Rachel, with her providing some sort of confession about her involvement with Russo to a church authority figure that would ultimately get her killed. But at least for now, the friendship is harmless, and for building a life for herself in the most dire of circumstances, Rachel gets a B.

Lucas 

DPoor Lucas. Despite every single warning from his friends, peers and even enemies, he still can't let the Zoe Barnes thing go. Lucas finally manned up though and learned that he had to play dirty if he wanted to get ahead in the world of politics. And while he is certainly getting a thrill from collaborating with his creepy cyber-whistleblower correspondent, we already know that Frank's camp is at least two steps ahead of the curve. His efforts are admirable, but for not listening to the warning signs coming his way from every direction, Lucas ends up with a D.

Tusk 

CTusk clearly didn't know what he was getting himself into when recommending Frank for Vice President. Even though the position has historically proven to be a pushover, Frank is quickly nudging Tusk out as the President's right hand man and source for guidance. It's interesting to see that Tusk is Frank's most formidable foe in Washington considering how he doesn't even live there! His influence may be waning, but for still being a power player while being 800 miles away from the action, Tusk gets a C.

"Chapter 16"

B+An intriguing third installment into an already entertaining season, with the thrilling Senate vote scene reminding us why House of Cards is so talked about across the television landscape.

Extra Credit

  • It wasn't strange that Lucas would meet up with his deep web contact at the diner. But it is pretty amazing that a remote location like that has such a strong wi-fi signal! 
  • Every time I see the Underwoods drink red wine I think blood is going to be spilled, either literally or metaphorically. Then again, they're always killing their enemies or their enemies careers, so that just may be a coincidence.

Demerits

  • I understand the need and motivation for Lucas' to find truth behind the whole Zoe Barnes thing, but at the same time the show is painting him as some sort of desperate idiot longing for truth. While every other character seems capable of thinking twice about their actions (with the only ones who didn't being dead), it's hard to believe that Lucas isn't able to read the forecast of Frank imposed doom coming his way.
  • It's also kind of unrealistic that Tusk remains such a major factor on this show. His purpose last season as an advisor in selecting the new VP was understandable and believable. But to think that the President is so reliant on a bird watching senior citizen living in Missouri is pretty out there, even for HOC standards.

 

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