House Of Cards Season 4: The Annual Binge Watch

It can’t be a coincidence that the season 4 debut comes out right in the middle of the primaries. This elegant timing by the producers only adds to the hype surrounding the return of this epic political drama.

Carrying on from last years tradition, my boyfriend and I held our House of Cards day, complete with deep-South inspired snacks, where we vowed to dedicate our entire day to binge watching the full season.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little disappointed with Season 3. After the unforgivable murders of both Zoe’s Barnes and Peter Russo in Season’s 1 & 2, the stakes were high for Underwood to deliver another killer move (pardon the pun). Sadly, that moment never came, and the episodes plodded on slowly. However, it becomes apparent upon watching Season 4 that the writers were simply biding their time and building up to this.

This season is a real world-wind of highs and lows that will have you on the edge of your seat. Much of this is down to the show’s leading star, Kevin Spacey. He truly is a phenomenal actor, with his talent put on display this season more than ever before. He portrays Frank across a wide scope of emotions, ranging from anger and cruelty to remorse and even fear (I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!!).

Frank’s monologues are really what makes the show. These intimate openings into his warped mind keep viewers coming back for more, wondering what despicable stunt he is going to pull next. He continues to shock.

With so many twists and turns, I thought it would be best to summarise this Season by analysing the range of themes which are explored through the many subplots which entail.

**WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD**

 

1. Power

Season 3 was a fraught one for the Underwood’s. As we know, it ended rather abruptly, with Claire walking out on Frank at the height of his candidacy race. Relations still haven’t mellowed in Season 4.

The campaign continues, but Claire decides to fling a curveball into the mix. She voices a desire to run for congress in her native Texas, no longer content allowing her ambitions to fall second to his.

Frank is not happy at being undermined by her, and in his typical arrogant fashion, imposes a lockdown on Claire’s movement, to censor her divorce requests. She is imprisoned in her own home. Claire responds to this by enlisting the help of Frank’s old sparring partner, Oren Chase (the peach man from season one) to leak a racist photo of Frank’s alcoholic father alongside a KKK figure, just as Frank is trying to gather support in the mostly black and Hispanic state of his hometown Gaffney.

The impact this has on Frank’s campaign is of course deeply damaging, and he is not best pleased.

Continuing with the theme of power, this brings us to Underwood’s chief of staff, Doug Stamper. In the past, we have seen Doug in some compromising positions, the most concerning being when he buried Rachel Posner in a shallow ditch last season. His murderous acts aside, Doug kind of seemed to be getting his shit together. He had ditched the booze, got himself a hot physio girlfriend and reached the top of his career game. However, I can confirm he is still very much insane.

Example A – when he attempts to suffocate his co-worker Seth in order to obtain his ‘obedience’. Seth and Leann (Claire’s new equivalent to Doug) unite together to stand up to Doug, who crumbles at the prospect of losing power. With the temptation of alcohol looming, Seth tries to help him, but Doug mistakes this for manipulation. He does not recognise an honest act of kindness when it stares him in the face

2. Deceit

The introduction of Claire’s mother provides a glimpse into of her former life, pre-Underwood. Like her daughter, Mama Hale is cold and callous. She makes it clear that she never approved of Frank and his impoverished upbringing, to which Frank respond sneeringly, “I just happen to be white trash that lives in the White House”.

Claire’s mother comes from old money, and she encourages her wealthy uptown ladies club to finance her son-in-laws rival candidate, Heather Dunbar, and in turn, support Claire’s taking down of Francis.

Frank has some tricks of his own up his sleeve. He announces plans to fund the Congresswoman of Texas’ breast cancer clinic and endorse her daughter in the process as her future successor. There go Claire’s plans …

New on the scene is a younger, fresher power couple to rival the Underwood’s. Governor Conway, a war veteran with chiselled good looks and a photogenic family to match, is the other front runner in the presidential candidacy race. The Conway’s are social media obsessed, and grant the public full access to their lives through a live webcam stream.

Their intentions are not entirely good, however, as it is revealed that Conway is using, Pollyhop, a search engine, to give him an insight into voters data and potential manipulate the vote. The topic of domestic surveillance is particularly relevant, in light of the Edward Snowdon leaks back in 2013, and the on-going debate over how much access National Security should have to our personal data. As always, the producers are on the ball with this one.

The race continues. Back on the same team, the Underwood’s play dirty politics with Cathy Durant. They concoct a plan to make Claire Frank’s runner mate, with Cathy unsuspectingly playing along under the illusion that the job is hers. However, when she finds out that they have been stringing her along, they do not anticipate her own comeback.

What I particularly enjoyed most about this season was the insight it gave into the backdoor theatrics which go into preparing the speeches that the President presents in public. You can absolutely believe that these type of performances are played out by Barack Obama himself in a private room in the White House before he takes to the stage. In Frank’s own words, ‘politics is showbiz’.

3. Pain

Cast your mind back to Frank’s days as Vice President, and you may recall the name, Lucas Goodwin. He was the journalist who worked alongside Zoe Barnes and became obsessed with uncovering the truth behind her untimely death. Frank halted his investigations by framing him for crimes against the State, which in turn, led to his incarceration. His life now is a tragic one. We find him reciting pornographic literature in his prison cell to a fellow inmate to help him get off, in return for sanctuary. We later learn that this is his ticket out of jail as he is actually working with the FBI for insider information, for the promise of a reduced sentence.

He is released under a new identity, but cannot forget about the corruption he uncovered. Desperate for the truth to come out, he goes to extreme lengths, including having forced sex with a male co-worker. It is all for nothing though, for when he goes to Heather Dunbar with the secrets of Frank’s torrid past, she sends him away.

With nowhere else to turn to, Goodwin does the unthinkable. He becomes the first man (surprising, considering…) who attempts the assassination of President Underwood! Frank is shot in the stomach, which shatters his liver. Meechum, his ever faithful lapdog, is killed in the altercation. For the first time, the audience must consider the prospect of a House of Card’s without Frank, as he is deemed to be in a critical condition.

Lucas’ pain is that of a man in complete despair, who can see no way back. Frank displays a different kind of pain, over Claire leaving him. Primarily, because he recognises the damage the split could do to his career. But additionally, because Claire is as much a part of his makeup as his shattered liver. He begs her to stay with him; ‘It’s us against them’.

4. Guilt

This is not a word I thought I would ever associate with Frank Underwood, but as the season develops, Frank’s own fears begin to unravel. Whilst under aesthetic following the shooting, he experiences troubling night terrors. In the beginning, they form a violent dream, in which Claire stabs him and attempts to gauge his eyes out. Later, the dreams drag up memories of the crimes he has committed and the people he has killed. Zoe and Russo’s reappearances are an allegory for the suffocation of guilt that Frank feels.

Doug also battles with his own guilt, which he feels for the man on the organ donor list whom he bumped into second place behind the president. This man subsequently died due to the delay. Doug’s conscience convinces him to donate $5000 to his memorial fund, which prompts a grateful phone call from the dead man’s widow. Little does she know that Doug is the man responsible for her husband’s demise.

5. Love

The emotion of Love is again identified in the most unlikely subject – Frank. In his most vulnerable state, he expresses love for those closest to him, such as Meechum and Claire. At first, Claire rejects this love. Just days after the shooting, she chooses to fly to Germany to meet for talks with the Russian’s and the Chinese, rather than stay behind in Washington to be with Frank. When she does returns, she takes a nap first before going to visit him. No love lost this season.

Their relationship has always been an unconventional one, though, and recognising this, Frank encourages Claire to seek out what she does not get from their relationship elsewhere. “One person cannot give everything to another person”.

This is where Frank’s ghost writer from the last season fits back in. When Tom Yates was first introduced in Season 3, it looked as though writers were setting the scene for him and Frank to hook-up. In fact, there was so much sexual tension in the room, you could cut it with a knife! As it turns out, the tension was in fact between Tom and Claire. They get together in Season 4, with Frank’s blessing of course, and Claire finally gets some actions (the poor woman has been starved of sex since the Meechum incident!!!).

There is a weird moment where the three of them sit around the dinner table, sharing a rather measly looking breakfast consisting of one slice apple (singular).

Speaking of three-ways, Meechum, for the short time he’s in this season, is still a love sick puppy dog for the Underwood’s. You can almost hear the seduction in Frank’s voice as he encourages Meechum to ‘spread his fingers a little’ when he traces his hand on the white house walls. Weird!!

6. Truth

Following his death, Lucas’ evidence is leaked to the press. It is dismissed as the ramblings of a madman, but one of his old journo friends debates whether there could be any truth in it? Frank is hardly short of enemies, and some deep delving uncovers many of the dark secrets he has fought to keep buried. Garret returns from the shadows, where he was shunned by Frank in Season 2. Remy and Jackie agree to cooperate, and in turn, release themselves from under the Underwood’s blackmail plot.

Frank’s world comes crashing down as Hammerschimdt goes to press with his sensationalist story of his corruption laced rise to power. Where does this leave the Underwood’s, now that their masks have been torn off? We will just need to wait until Season 5 to find out!!!

Why Jackie Brown is Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film

Jackie Brown has always held a special place in my heart. It was, in fact, the first Quentin Tarantino film I ever watched.

Deliberately old school, laced with foxy brown vibes and accompanied by a superbly compiled soul rhythm and blues soundtrack, it’s a film so vintage that it was produced when Tarantino’s ‘A Band Apart Films’ production company was still in action.

Another reason I’m still burning a candle for Jackie Brown, even after the critical acclaim of Tarantino’s more recent works, is how overlooked it is as one of his great movies. It is, without a doubt, his most underrated film and it annoys me how many so-called Tarantino fangirls are so quick to disregard it in favour of the more widely known ‘Inglorious Bastards’ and ‘Django Unchained’ for instance. This review is my plea to movie lovers everywhere not to rule out the underdog …

Bad guy Ordell (Jackson) is in the business of guns smuggling and keeps the money he has amassed from this venture in a secret holding in Mexico. This is where Jackie Brown (Grier) fits in. She uses her airline connections to transport the money from Mexico back into the US undetected … until she gets caught that is. Facing a stint behind bars if she doesn’t talk to the cops, and potentially life-threatening consequences if she does, Jackie decides the only way out is to play both parties against each other by pulling off the ultimate heist.

Tarantino rarely gets the casting in his movies wrong, and the pairing of Seventies siren Pam Grier with his old buddy Samuel L. Jackson is genius.

Whilst their outlooks on life appear to conflict, the two have more in common than they care to admit. Grier’s character represents a harsh reality concealed behind outward glamour, whilst similarly, Jackson’s Ordell is a pathetic small-time crook with the false bravado of a big time gangster. Both are discontent with their positions in the food chain and have aspirations to be something more.

Ordell has three things on his mind – girls, guns and money. Many talk about Django Unchained as Tarantino’s most obvious blaxploitation venture, but he was exploring that genre long before Jamie Foxx was a household name. In Jackie Brown, this is mostly relayed through Ordell, who talks bitterly of the white man’s game. The irony of the situation of course, is that Ordell is actually the most power hungry and controlling of them all, whether it be taking out ‘a nigga’ to ensure his silence, or using his kind-of girlfriend Melanie to do his bitch work.

He meets his match in Jackie however. She is feisty and streetwise, with an air of old-fashioned class and coolness. Tarantino fuses race with feminism, to expose the limitations of blaxploitation masculinity vs the tenacity of female dominance.
Light is an important prop often used to distinguish between the two leads. During a scene in Jackie’s apartment with her and Ordell, darkness eclipses the moments where Ordell appears to be in control, whilst the light returns when Jackie turns it back around on him.

Jackie oozes sex appeal, which has an almost spell-binding effect on every male she comes into contact with. For starters, she is the only woman who manages to control Ordell (the rest of the ‘bitches’ in his life are all kept ones, allowing him to be the boss). She also succeeds in keeping the cops, who force her to agree to a sting operation to set up Ordell, in check, setting her own terms from the outset. Then there is Max Cherry, a hard-nosed bail bondsman turned lovesick puppy over Jackie, who finds himself embroiled in her scheme.

The supporting cast is strong too. De Niro is fantastic as socially awkward Louis, Ordell’s old pal who has recently been released from prison and has ‘that salvation army thing going on’. This is a role that has minimal dialogue, but over the years, De Niro has managed to perfect the art of acting without talking. Louis crushes on his best friends floozy ‘piece of ass’, Melanie, as portrayed with provocativeness and sass by Bridget Fonda.

Chris Tucker also has a blink and miss it cameo, starring as Ordell’s doomed employee Beaumont Livingston. With a name that awesome, he has all the makings to be a great character but sadly is taken out almost as soon as he is introduced.

One common element in the writings of Leonard and Tarantino, is their ability to expose human weakness in all of us. Jackie Brown is basically a compilation of this. There is a particular scene which comes to mind, where Jackie is trying on a suit and imagining herself as a successful businesswoman, only to be brought back down to earth when she catches a glimpse of her washed out reflection in the mirror and remembers the reality of her situation.

For Louis, it is his loss of control when handling Melanie. Max’s is a sexual weakness, provoked by the arrival of Jackie in his life. Even Ordell’s fall from power is noticeable when he begins to suspect that he has been fleeced of all his money and starts phoning around all his criminal friends asking for help, only to receive a deaf ear.

Tarantino favours close-up, lingering solo shots of each individual to emphasise that everybody has their own agenda. This deep delve, almost leisurely paced film-making is a style rarely seen in modern day productions. Recent offering such as ‘Spotlight’ and ‘The Danish Girl’, while both great films, made the mistake of remaining so focused on the storyline itself that they left virtually no room for character development which is so important in creating that fictional bond with the viewer. By staying true to Leonard’s original story, Tarantino managed to create a film with Jackie Brown which allowed audiences to develop an understanding of the characters so deep that it would normally have only be possible from reading about them in print.

At it’s time of release, the follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction had been hotly anticipated, but failed to make the impact on the mass market in the same way that his previous two successes had done, and the films he has gone on to make since. BUT WHY?? Jackie Brown has all the elements to make it a movie classic. Great cast, strong female lead, a nasty ass bad guy, comedy, violence, love and hope!

My face when people say they haven’t seen/heard of ‘Jackie Brown’

My guess is that it’s mostly down to the fact that it resists the temptation to pander over predictable pop-cultural references or churn out unnecessary violence, which Tarantino’s name has become synonymous with, and instead lets the drama unfold at its own pace. And for the unimaginative Tarantino ‘fan’ who knows nothing pre-Inglorious, this is incomprehensible.

My advice? If you haven’t seen it already, give it a view. It has recently been added to Netflix so there really is no excuse. Especially if you proclaim to be a Tarantino fanatic!

House of Cards Season 4 – FOUR WEEKS TO GO!!

On Friday 4th March, the nine-time Emmy award winning political drama ‘House of Cards’ makes it’s eagerly anticipated return to Netflix for a fourth season.

Season three ended on the mother of all cliff hangers, so needless to say I am dying to uncover what the meddling Underwood’s have been up to since.

As with the previous year, I will be hosting a House of Cards themed day in honour of the new season, which will naturally involve a 12 hour Netflix binge followed by an 8pm blog post to summarise my thoughts. Last years blog post was one of my most popular, so be sure to check it out and get yourself up to speed one what has gone down in DC so far.

House of Cards Season 3 review

The best story leak I’ve heard so far is about the introduction of a new, younger power couple to rival the Underwood’s. Good luck with that one!

Right now, four weeks seems like an absolute age away, so to satisfied all you Frank fans out there in the meantime, here is a spine-tingling trailer to remind of just how unequivocally evil the man himself is.

Oscar season: Spotlight (2015, Tom McCarthy)

Tom McCarthy’s latest film release is based on true events which took place in Boston back in 2002, when an investigative newspaper team uncovered a mass cover-up of pedophilia and molestation within the Catholic Church.

The Spotlight  reporting group are a mixed quartet, varying in age, background, and journalistic style. They have one common agenda however and that is a hunger for the truth. With the arrival of a new editor-in-chief at The Boston Global, a shake-up is proposed. Outsider Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) tasks the paper’s investigative Spotlight team with revisiting a priest abuse case which surfaced in the predominantly Catholic Boston area a few years back, only to be swept under the carpet with minimal media coverage. As they begin to scrutinize the case, the extent of the abuse they uncover reveals itself to be on a significantly larger scale that they could have ever dared fear.

The explanation for the heinous crimes being kept hidden for so long lies partly in Boston’s local culture. The abuse victims were kids from tough neighborhoods, reluctant to speak out for fear that it would lead to social rejection. Growing up, religion was installed in them from the beginning. As one victim simply puts it, “Knowledge is one thing. Faith is another.”

Rather than being prayed for, they were prayed upon by the figures they respected the most. These men abused their power as priests to groom the innocent and in turn, rob them of their faith. The Spotlight reporters push the kids (now adults) to recount their experiences in raw detail. The language is graphic, the words are honest. The team know that these raw confessions carry the impact that is needed to shock the Boston community into noticing the horrors occurring around them.

Those who were resolute enough to speak out against their assailants were quickly silenced with hush money. Whilst the team suspect this from the outset, they struggle to break down the guard of the victims slippery attorney McLeish, or to find any hard evidence to support their cover-up theory. The people involved concealed their deceitfulness by ensuring they did not leave paper trails. Lawyers dealt directly with the church and the court had case files sealed after friends of the church complained about them being so freely available.

Fearless Baron suggests The Globe sue the church, which they do with the help of attorney Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci). This forward thinking decision-making results in the court granting the case documents to be made freely available, and, in turn, gives the reporting team access to records which help to tie up loose ends. They now have solid proof that Cardinal Law was aware of the abuse and covered it up.

As the investigation continues, the Spotlight team become more and more attached to the story and its victims. The reality of just how close to home events are hits when one of the reporters discovers that a treatment center, where wayward priests were sent to repent, is situated on the same street as where he lives. Another is shocked to find the name of an old school friend printed on a list of abuse victims.

When the story finally goes to print after several painstaking months of research, the public response is overwhelming and the Spotlight team are inundated with phone calls from victims coming forward to tell their stories. A total of 249 priests were accused of molestation and abuse following the article’s release, and there are at least 1000 known surviving victims in the Boston area alone. The scale of the abuse was so shocking that it inevitably led to the Cardinal’s resignation, and paved the way for law to have a place in The Vatican.

At the end of the film, one of the reporters returns to Garabedian’s office a final time to thank him for his help and the time he invested in the case. Whilst there, he sees two young children in a side room waiting to be interviewed. It is a reminder to him as well as to the audience that the horror is not over and that sadly, the abuse continues.

Spotlight is gritty but slow. The cast is strong but we never get much of an insight into the characters they play. Perhaps, however, this is because McCarthy wanted the focus to be on the victims. The story centers around them.

 

SIDE NOTE: On the back of watching Spotlight,  you may also wish to see the harrowing 2006 documentary ‘Deliver Us from Evil’, which looks at the horrific sexual abuse crimes committed by one particular pedophilia priest in California. To make you aware beforehand, this documentary is very upsetting and distressing to watch. It really forces you to witness the heartbreak, guilt, and hopelessness felt by the victims and their parents who willingly placed their children in the hands of the notorious Father Oliver O’Grady.

In turn, it is excellently produced to expose the layers of corruption within the Catholic church, which protects it’s own at the expense of the innocent. Like the backstory to Spotlight, the Church and priesthood were aware of the abuse and covered it up, allowing O’Grady to go on to abuse child into double figures.

‘Deliver Us from Evil’ is currently available on Netflix for anyone who wants to check it out.

House of Cards – Season 3

I know this is a movie blog, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit by reviewing a TV show in this post instead. That show just happens to be ‘House of Cards’.

As many of you will know, Season 3 of the political drama screened on Netflix last Friday, and me and my better half decided to take a day out of work and binge-watch the whole thing! Seeing in the new season in style, we stocked the fridge with beer and dished up a few southern-fused recipes in honour of the show’s villainous protagonist, Frank Underwood.

A lot of my friends and blog regulars are also big fans of the show, so I’ve promised not to reveal any spoilers in this post. Instead, I will offer a general synopsis of what one can expect from the show’s recurring character, and some new ones to look out for!

The 3rd season picks up where the previous left off – with Frank in the presidency chair. Six months have passed since Underwood’s dramatic rise to the top, but already he is struggling to hold onto the power and contain his critics.

Frank Underwood

He’s back, and as ruthless as always, only this time he has the influence of the presidency title to elevate him. It hasn’t been an easy ride however. Frank is facing off opposition from both sides, as he battles to pass through a controversial back-to-work bill which he believes will cement his name in American history. In addition, he is also under pressure to bow down as president.

This series reveals glimpses of Frank’s weaknesses which many viewers will have thought did not exist! However, these are merely temporary lapses in his iron façade. He remains a tyrant, with every move carefully calculated and meticulously structured behind the scenes.

While he appears to show remorse over military deaths incurred under his leadership, he still feels no guilt for the murders he partook in to secure his rise to power. Russo, Barnes – they were necessary losses in Frank’s mind. Yet he finds no satisfaction in deaths bore out of duty. This is telling in one episode, where Claire exclaims ‘We’re murderers Francis’, to which Frank coolly replies ‘No we’re not. We’re survivors’.

There is one omniscient scene, where Frank seeks the advice of a priest as to how to satisfy the wants of the nation, whilst still making judgement calls which may put many of them in danger. The cleric tells him to go by the laws of the bible and love all other men as equals. Little does he know that this is Frank’s biggest problem – he doesn’t view other men as equals.

He draws a paradox between himself and Jesus – two men, the recipients of both love and hatred from their people, trying to make others view the world as they do. The difference being, Underwood lacks all of the compassion and good that Jesus personifies. He would rather let others be killed at any expense, than sacrifice himself. As if an act of the almighty himself, a statue of Jesus’ crucified figure falls to the church floor and shatters right at Frank’s feet. Could it be that he is beyond redemption?

Claire Underwood

Robin Wright reprises her role as Frank’s devoted and equally malevolent wife, Claire Underwood. In the first two seasons, viewers have watched Claire respectfully take a back seat whilst her husband battled his way relentlessly to the top. This time around though, Claire is determined to leave a legacy for herself. Discontent with her duties as the first lady, Mrs Underworld actively pursues a career in the same line of business as her husband and is appointed as an ambassador to the UN.

Claire’s hunger for power comes as no surprise – she is as bloodthirsty as Frank. She really comes into her own in season 3 however. Whilst she may have brains, it is Claire’s beauty which ultimately leads to her successes on the battlefield. She uses her sexual prowess to get what she wants within a male dominant environment (For example, when she arranges for a meeting with the Russian ambassador to be held in the girls bathroom. Genius).

Another time, after finding Frank sobbing in his study, she straddles him and initiates sex. We see here how her mind works; she is turned on by weakness in others, thus uses Frank when he is at his lowest to satisfy her own desires for power. Well, we knew their sex life was fucked up after the whole Meechum incident in Season 2!!

I couldn’t talk about Claire without talking about her style. She is impeccably dressed in structured suits and tasteful co-ords (as one would expect the First Lady to be), but it’s the fierce new dark hair which she reveals in episode 7 which highlights she is to be taken seriously this time around.

Mixing personal and politics causes friction between the Underwood’s. There is a lot less ‘us’ and a lot more ‘I’ from both sides, which is perhaps is an indication of what viewers can expect of the dastardly duo going forward into future seasons…

Russia

Fan’s of the Danish thriller ‘The Killing’, will recognise Lars Mikkelsen, who joins the cards cast as the Russian Prime Minister. Frank meets his match in Petrov, (a dead ringer for Vladimir Putin) who is as callous and direct as he is. What gives him the slight upper hand however, is that he doesn’t try to hide it from anyone!

Petrov is anti-America, but Frank is keen to secure him as an ally. His saving grace in smoothing out relations comes again in the form of Claire, whom it is clear early on that Petrov has the hots for (he makes a hilarious dig about Claire’s vested interest in artists which has to be crowned the ultimate BURN moment of the season!).

Sadly for him, the feeling isn’t mutual, and Mrs Underwood retaliates by offending him in front of the Russian media in shocking fashion. Relations are strained between the sides from here on out, with Frank on the receiving end, and this is where things start to become sticky for the Underwood themselves.

I don’t suspect this will be the last we’ll see of Petrov. He certainly made an impression in this season and the writers would be mad not to involve him in more storylines going forward. Who knows, maybe Claire is just playing hard to get and there is actually an affair on the Card’s.

Doug Stamper

He was killed last season, right? WRONG! Creepy Doug lives. Turn’s out it takes more than a brick to the head to put Frank’s most loyal assailant out of action. Sadly for Stamper, in the time it has taken for him to recover, Frank has moved on and replaced him with Remi (more on him later).

Still struggling with addiction, (look out for the weird routine he adopts with a syringe and a bottle of bourbon. Still trying to figure out what the purpose of that was!) Doug sinks into a deep depression. He has no friends, his family are estranged; he lives only for his work and the approval of Frank. Determined to regain his place in the inner circle, Stamper set’s out to track down Rachel (the prostitute turned lesbian-born again Christian who tried to off him) and show Frank that he still has what it takes.

It’s not all doom and gloom from old Doug though. He actually gets some action, when he pulls his hottie physio (who FYI, is waaaaaaaaaaaay out of his league). Try not to barf too much at his wiry chest hair in the morning-after shots

The Rest

• This is the season of Independent Women! Claire is cracking her whip all over town; Jackie Sharp gets more involved in the presidential campaign, and Heather Dunbar is introduced as Frank’s leading opponent for the presidency. There is also a new story-hungry reporter stepping into Zoe Barnes train-track worn boots. Let’s hope she doesn’t meet the same fate as her predecessor…
• The white house is INSANE! I’m talking spiral suitcases, chandeliers, art deco design. It really is stunning. Bravo to the production team who put it together because it could pass easily as the real deal.
• There is a cameo from real-life Russian activist group ‘Pussy Riot’ in one of the Russian-veered episodes. Google their background if you don’t know it – quite an interesting read!
• Remi is still a total babe/smooth operator. Watch out for the scene in episode 7 where he stands up to Frank. It’s badass! As if that didn’t already make you fall in love with him, he is still pining after Jackie and the love story that should have been. There is some major sexual tension brewing between the two of them though, so I wouldn’t rule a reunion out!
• Finally, if there is only one feel-good moment of the whole season, it has got to be this: Freddy is back! I always felt really bad for Freddy after the way things turned out for him last season, and so did Frank. As a way of making up for it, he get’s Freddy a job as a groundskeeper at the White House. He must have been craving dem ribs baaaaad!

If you haven’t watched House of Cards yet – what the hell is wrong with you??!! Season 1&2 are on Netflix just waiting for you to binge watch. To my fellow veteran fans – enjoy Season 3! Let me know what you think, I would love to hear other’s reviews. And don’t forget to sneak a secret cigarette after you have watched all 13 episodes, and conspire with your friends/other halves on how you plan to take over the world!!!