House of Cards season 6, episode 7 recap: Chapter 72

House of Cards seems to be going off-track in the penultimate episode of the series. Will it recover to give it a proper sendoff?

I told you in the last episode recap that I think House of Cards jumped the shark. I’m doubling down after I see Claire’s pregnant belly.

I think it’s just one of the more ridiculous plots of the entire series that adds no value. Claire is a woman who had three abortions in her life. While that in and of itself makes me flinch a bit since I, myself am pro-life, I believe women should be able to choose how they conduct their lives and whether they want to host a human being for nine months.

To me, Claire choosing now to move forward with a pregnancy, seemingly because she wants to keep Doug from Frank’s inheritance makes no sense.

What could Claire possibly want from Frank? She’s already wealthy and was wealthy before marrying Frank. It just feels like the show is trying to distract us for some reason.

Rant over!

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The episode begins with a bearded Doug Stamper digging up or looking for Rachel’s body. He is listening to something with headphones, repeating a line that I think Frank said at some point during the first season. We now know that these are Frank’s recordings. Of course, we won’t get to hear them, though.

So, yeah, Claire is pregnant with a little princess. And she’s milking it for every ounce that it’s worth. Giving a speech to a massive crowd, she tells them how she is mother, father, president, etc. to the country. I don’t know about you, but with every speech she gives, it makes my stomach turned for how crazy she has become. She has become obsessed with taking down the Shepherds. She calls Congress to be arrested for letting the Shepherds get away with their Foundation app and the violation of privacy.

Nora Cafferty, Claire’s National Security Advisor, reminds her about “due process.” Probably not the smartest move, Nora.

On Air Force One, Claire encounters Janine, who quotes Frank’s tapes. This causes Claire to feel contractions. (She has feelings?) Later, while she’s on a video call with Petrov, she experiences more intense contractions. It turns out, her doctor had been giving her dosages of Pitocin which induces labor. The doctor works for the Shepherds. Ten points to House Shepherd!

At the Shepherds, they’re holding a function with Annette, Congressman Cole, and Mark, whom I am assuming is no longer Vice President since he isn’t in a suit. I’m not sure what the function is for, but a waitress exclaims that the Shepherds are murders and that Bill got sick from the poison from his factories.

Still, Annette believes Duncan deserves the inheritance from their poisonous company and tells Bill them must adopt him. Can you adopt a 20-something-year-old? Also, you never adopted him, Annette? Again, the fact that I am thinking about such minute means this storyline could have been much better.

Claire takes one shot after another at the Shepherds.

She calls Annette to rub it in that she’s pregnant with a girl, “you f***ing not-so-nice-word-for-a-lady.” Then, she calls Cole in, who is now Speaker of the House to remove Justice Abruzzo from the Supreme Court. Why? Because he’s in the Shepherds’ back pocket and will rule in their favor over the app. He also took a bribe to get the seat. So, Abruzzo resigns. This results in Duncan going down for the app, being charged with treason. Twenty points to House Hale!

The Shepherds decide that the only way to end this is to assassinate Claire. Is it wrong that I actually am rooting for them now? How did this happen?

The try to bring Doug into the fold, but because they refuse to leave destroying Frank’s legacy out of their plans, he rejects their offer. Doug has no allegiance to anyone except for ghost Frank. Does anyone else think he may see ghost Frank?

The episode ends with Claire’s interview with Melody of Beltway TV, a Tomi Lahren-type. After she tells the nation she’s having a girl, she turns to the camera and says, “Come and get me, Doug.”

Doug shaves his beard, (I was just getting used to it!) and replies, “You leave me no choice.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see how it ends.

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

Watch House of Cards anytime.