House of Cards season 6, episode 3 recap: Chapter 68

If you know too much, it may be the end for you in the world of House of Cards.

In the world of House of Cards, you never quite know who is in an actual alliance together and who are actually enemies. I liken to watching the reality competition show, Survivor. When you’re watching Survivor, it’s often obvious when someone is lying, mainly because you get to watch interviews in between with people admitting their true intentions.

On this show though, the only person’s “cards” we see is Claire’s because she often breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to us.

Judge Abruzzo is visiting Claire in the Oval Office after Usher, and the Shepherds made her interview him as a possible SCOTUS nominee. This after Bill “emasculated” Claire by literally guiding her hand to sign the bill last episode. These are her words, not mine.

Even though Claire is all about girl power being completely over the middle-aged white man reign in the United States, I think she sees herself as having bigger balls than any of the guys trying to control her. It’s clear through her flashbacks.

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As she vents to Usher about the Shepherds, she also mentions she thinks Bill is sick. Later on, we see he is visited by a doctor and doesn’t look happy. We can only assume Claire is correct.

Later, Cathy Durant (Jayne Atkinson) returns to meet with Claire after her terrible fall, caused by Frank pushing her down the stairs. But Cathy knows the Underwoods enough that this isn’t polite. “how are you doing” meeting. She assures Claire that her memory isn’t great and she may not even remember her time in the White House at all. Claire asks her not to take a think tank job close to the government, in which Cathy replies that she can still feel Frank’s hands on her back. Well Cathy, you just put the final nail in your coffin.

Claire and Doug discuss how they will make Cathy’s murder look like complications from her fall, while Doug will arrange for her security detail to be pulled. Is this the U. S. government or the mob?! I swear sometimes it feels like I’m watching a Martin Scorsese movie. Also, I’m still not sure ordering a hit on Cathy is necessary in this entire scenario.

Meanwhile, Tom is having a bit of a meltdown. He quits the Washington Herald (which is now owned by a company owned by the Shepherds) because he feels no one “writes” anymore. That’s a fair assessment of today’s social media-obsessed world. I can see how old-school journalists of the Bernstein and Woodward era could get heated about it.

Tom then meets in public with the man he called a killer in print, Doug. As Tom continues to spiral, he begs Doug to tell him what he knows because he’s the only one who knows everything. It sucks because Tom is completely right and no one, except for the watchers behind the fourth wall, believes him. He’s another one whose days are probably numbered.

In other news, Jane (Patricia Clarkson) is back! I’m stoked because she’s usually my favorite part of any movie or television show I see her in. She and Claire share a wonderful scene where she ultimately invites Jane to live in the White House. Claire is growing weary of Usher, and she really needs a “Doug” in her corner. Claire tells Jane Cathy needs to go, so Jane invites her to lunch. When Cathy show’s up, she senses she’s about to be killed, so she flees faster than Speedy Gonzales. But not before she delivers an “I curse the day you were born” speech to Jane.

Elsewhere, Usher and Annette are definitely doing it. And she wears the pants. I have to say; Usher is much more of a boring person/character than I thought he was.

Afterward, Annette arrives to meet with Claire and Jane in the Oval Office. At one point, Annette and Claire were great friends. Today, Claire is using the information she has against Duncan so that she can finally get some sort of upper hand against the Shepherds.

Out for her nightly run, Claire feels a sense of relief, until Usher stops her. He takes her to a black van to show her Tom Yates’ body. Didn’t Claire kill him like three months ago? How has he not decomposed yet? Anyway, the Shepherds somehow got his body and was planning on using it against Claire.

And so, the cat and mouse game continues.

Read the recap for House of Cards Season 6, Episode 2.

Watch House of Cards anytime.