House of Cards Season 2: SPOILERS
THIS IS FILLED WITH SPOILERS ON HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON 2. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU WATCH THIS GREAT SHOW.
Season 2 picks up right where we left off, Claire and Frank are running at night as Zoe and company are getting ready to go public with their findings of Peter...
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Episode 1:
Francis Underwood is preparing to be the Vice President and he needs to take care of the loose ends before he is sworn in. He needs to find someone to replace him as Majority Whip and finds that person to be war hero Jackie Sharp. A third term congresswoman, Jackie eagerly accepts Frank's offer to back her running to be the new Whip. Jackie dives right in to work, and eventually says she wants to be Whip.
Claire is still battling Gillian who is still trying to get her to go to court and sue her for wrongful termination. Gillian is pregnant and needs certain medications to survive so Claire terminates her healthcare by forging Gillian's signature unless she agrees not to go to court and take Claire's firm off her hands for her.
Doug has cleanup duty thanks to Zoe and company as they get too close to Rachel Posner. Doug forcibly relocates Rachel out of the city so that she won't be anywhere close to reporters that might get curious and so she isn't tempted to talk. Rachel of course is devastated and doesn't understand why but Doug takes control of her and she goes with him.
Meanwhile Zoe confronts Frank trying to get a quote about Peter Russo trying to link him to his death. Frank knowing she is getting too close decides to take action. He promises to answer her questions if he meets her again and deletes all contact with him so they can be rid of eachother. Frank dresses in a conspicuous outfit, peacoat, fedora, glasses and scarf as they meet at a subway station talking around corners near the tracks. After she deletes all her messages and contact information with Frank, he starts to answer questions until she suggests she was used to get Peter murdered. He starts to walk away and she goes to pursue him but he is waiting around the corner, grabs Zoe and throws her in front of the oncoming train killing her.
Frank returns home to find Claire waiting as we find out that it is his birthday. He washes up and stares into the mirror addressing the audience for the first time all episode asking, "Did you think I'd forgotten you?"
Episode 2:
We begin with Frank being sworn as Vice President while they are upgrading his town house. The thought of front-runners to take Frank's position as Whip are present and the animosity between the two is palpable but Jackie is nowhere to be found, quietly working to usurp and overtake them. During this Lucas gets more and more desperate to try to figure out how to tie Frank to Zoe's death. He resorts to using the dark web as a resource to find someone who can hack into Frank's phone and awaits a response.
Frank begins his first duties as part of President Walker's inner circle by steering him to address the trade issues with China. Raymond Tusk reappears showing he wants China to continue what it is doing and trying to sway Walker the opposite of Frank. Frank starts to use Secretary of State Durant to make talks break down and cause all hands on deck with China to repair the situation making the administration look weak compared to China.
Later the evening of the talks, the Underwoods attend a medal award ceremony for war heroes but the hero receiving a medal has a dark past with Claire. Upon seeing him Claire runs to the bathroom to calm down and reveals to Francis that General Dalton McGinnis raped her in her freshman year of college. Frank is sent into a rage but still pins the medal. This will not be the last we see of McGinnis however.
Episode 3
President Walker crafts a State of the Union address, Frank seeks a bipartisan agreement focusing on a compromise over entitlements with Senate Majority Leader Hector Mendoza to secure the legislation's passage through the Senate and avoid a government shutdown. Eventually the Senate Republicans attempt to filibuster and avoid a quorum, which forces Frank to take drastic measures in being able to arrest members of the Senate avoiding the vote forcing the Republicans to strike a deal and President Walker having something good to say in his State of the Union address.
Doug sets up a sting operation with the FBI to nab Lucas in the act. Lucas unsuccessfully pursues Russo's former lover, Christina Gallagher , and is eventually contacted by a hacker named Gavin, who claims to be able to help retrieve Zoe's phone records.
Episode 12
Rachel contacts her mother, and then meets a woman named Lisa befriending her, even though Doug has forbidden her to make friends out of caution.
This development forces Claire to do the interview alone as Frank would be unable to get out in time. Claire is pressured into revealing she once had an abortion and lies that the following pregnancy was a result of her much earlier rape as a student by General Dalton McGinnis. Her account is supported by a woman who was assaulted by him as well.
Back to the entitlement amendment, Frank has Jackie and Remy Danton lobby for votes to avoid the government shutdown. Frank's amendment narrowly passes because of Jackie's maneuvering and convincing people she is not Frank Underwood as a Whip.
Gavin is revealed to be facing federal charges for his association with a hacktivist group and as part of a plea bargain, is acting as an FBI informant. He is told by his enforcer to lure Lucas into committing an act of cyber terrorism, to force Lucas' eventual imprisonment and end his investigation into Russo and Barnes' deaths.
Frank and Claire once again enjoy a smoke at their window, and Frank sings the murder ballad "Pretty Polly" for her.
While attending a Civil War reenactment, Frank holds back-channel trade negotiations with Xander Feng, a wealthy Chinese businessman with significant financial ties to Tusk, over a proposed bridge in the United States. Frank discovers Feng and Tusk are manipulating a trade summit to secure greater profits for themselves and strengthen their refinery projects which he sees an opportunity to eliminate two competitors that will stand in his way for vengeance. He retaliates by sabotaging the entire summit with miscommunication and blames Feng making himself out to be a saint in the matter. This drives a wedge between Tusk and the President, who orders the U.S. delegation to withdraw from the summit, an action that risks creating a trade war.
Relentless as ever to seek justice against Zoe's murderer, Lucas gains access to a highly secure AT&T data center under the guise of writing a report on cyber security. While on the tour, he inserts a flash drive containing Gavin's code into one of the data servers. It turns out that his tour guides are actually undercover FBI agents, who immediately arrest him.
Meanwhile, Seth Grayson extorts Claire after learning that her abortion had nothing to do with her rape by McGinnis, gaining a position on the Underwoods' staff as their new head of PR and communications. Claire, with support from First Lady Patricia ("Tricia") Walker advocates with military officials on behalf of sexual assault victims in an effort to form a bond between the two women.
Episode 6
Frank finds out that Tusk is retaliating against the Walker administration by funding Republican attack ads for the upcoming election that are hurting the administration and all democrats in Frank's corner. Looking into the matter further, he learns that the donations are being hidden through a Native American-owned Kansas City casino, and sends Doug to investigate. Doug discovers that Feng is behind the casino money and flies to China to negotiate. Feng relays through Doug that he will stop funding the attack ads when the Long Island bridge is approved. Frank meets with casino owner Dan Lanigan to cut off the funding to Republicans, but Lanigan sends him away, explaining that he prefers Tusk's money to the political influence that Frank offers him similar to Remy's betrayal.
Meanwhile, Frank helps Claire pressure Jackie to stand behind the sexual assault legislation as a former armed forces member and war veteran herself speaking out against abuse of power. This makes Jackie extremely uncomfortable but doesn't want to go against Frank in this instance.
Grayson is revealed to be a double agent for Remy and helps him eliminate Connor Ellis, the media image handler for the Underwoods. When Frank learns this, he decides to employ Grayson, who expresses his desire to work for Frank and achieve power over the money Tusk offers unlike Remy.
The Underwoods have the president and first lady over for dinner and discover that they (the Walkers) are struggling through marital turmoil.
Jackie gets cold feet later on and attempts to stall Claire's legislation and defies Frank showing she really isn't a pushover and could become a problem later on.
Frank lobbies Linda and Walker for the bridge proposal trying to further expand the rift between Tusk and President Walker. Frank has Doug arrange a meeting between Tusk and Walker and clashes with Linda in getting the bridge to be a priority, resulting in an argument and Linda's subsequent resignation as Chief of Staff. Walker ultimately commits to Frank's bridge deal and Doug confirms with Feng that the bridge deal is approved and asks him to turn his back on Tusk.
Galloway's picture is the leading headline of the national media and Team Underwood has to scramble to put a stop to it. Claire has Galloway deny their affair and explains the photo away as one that Galloway took of her as an anniversary gift to Frank; but, Remy coerces him into releasing another photo, this one of Claire in the shower. To discredit this picture, Grayson hires a look-alike model to recreate it. After pressure from Claire, Galloway lies and makes a statement claiming that the whole thing was a publicity stunt to stimulate his languishing photography business and moves on from Claire with his new soon-to-be wife.
As trade wars escalate, President Walker deals with a Chinese blockade of a Japanese island. At Frank's now-fortified home, a Secret Service agent sees a hooded figure at the side of the house, carrying a large duffel bag. The agents successfully intercept the bomber, an ex-Marine who also claims responsibility for mailing a chemical agent to the Capitol building that quarantined Frank in last time, The ex-Marine confesses that Claire was the intended target for having had an abortion. Frank requests that Edward Meechum be her bodyguard.
To put more pressure on Tusk in retaliation for revealing Claire's extra-marital affair, Frank's team leaks information to Sayyad, a reporter for what's supposed to the be The Wall Street Journal, linking Tusk to Lanigan's casino, which confirms her suspicions regarding a laundering scheme that is heavily influencing Congress. All the while, Frank and Jackie continue their battle of wills over Claire's legislation as Frank is much more active in supporting Claire this season rather than the last. Sayyad publishes her story on the money laundering scheme, which causes a huge stir in national media and the resulting investigation reflects badly on Walker, opening him up to legal troubles. He eventually follows Frank's advice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the story and purportedly clear the White House of any involvement.
At an AA meeting, Doug confesses his love and obsession of Rachel and that he is being tempted to go back to his old ways as he feels extremely alone now. When a photo of Doug sitting at Lanigan's casino along with proof of his trip to China turns up, Frank berates and lectures Doug for linking him to the scandal. While checking up on her, Doug sees Rachel and Lisa having sex through the window of her home, and his jealousy reignites.
Episode 4
Before the Underwoods have their first major media interview, Frank attempts to secure the last votes he needs to ensure passage of the entitlement amendment in the House. He has to get members of Congress loyal to Donald Blythe, who holds a grudge against Frank regarding the education bill. While meeting, Frank and Blythe are quarantined inside the Capitol in Frank's old office when a package containing white powder is received.This development forces Claire to do the interview alone as Frank would be unable to get out in time. Claire is pressured into revealing she once had an abortion and lies that the following pregnancy was a result of her much earlier rape as a student by General Dalton McGinnis. Her account is supported by a woman who was assaulted by him as well.
Back to the entitlement amendment, Frank has Jackie and Remy Danton lobby for votes to avoid the government shutdown. Frank's amendment narrowly passes because of Jackie's maneuvering and convincing people she is not Frank Underwood as a Whip.
Gavin is revealed to be facing federal charges for his association with a hacktivist group and as part of a plea bargain, is acting as an FBI informant. He is told by his enforcer to lure Lucas into committing an act of cyber terrorism, to force Lucas' eventual imprisonment and end his investigation into Russo and Barnes' deaths.
Frank and Claire once again enjoy a smoke at their window, and Frank sings the murder ballad "Pretty Polly" for her.
Episode 5:
While attending a Civil War reenactment, Frank holds back-channel trade negotiations with Xander Feng, a wealthy Chinese businessman with significant financial ties to Tusk, over a proposed bridge in the United States. Frank discovers Feng and Tusk are manipulating a trade summit to secure greater profits for themselves and strengthen their refinery projects which he sees an opportunity to eliminate two competitors that will stand in his way for vengeance. He retaliates by sabotaging the entire summit with miscommunication and blames Feng making himself out to be a saint in the matter. This drives a wedge between Tusk and the President, who orders the U.S. delegation to withdraw from the summit, an action that risks creating a trade war.
Relentless as ever to seek justice against Zoe's murderer, Lucas gains access to a highly secure AT&T data center under the guise of writing a report on cyber security. While on the tour, he inserts a flash drive containing Gavin's code into one of the data servers. It turns out that his tour guides are actually undercover FBI agents, who immediately arrest him.
Meanwhile, Seth Grayson extorts Claire after learning that her abortion had nothing to do with her rape by McGinnis, gaining a position on the Underwoods' staff as their new head of PR and communications. Claire, with support from First Lady Patricia ("Tricia") Walker advocates with military officials on behalf of sexual assault victims in an effort to form a bond between the two women.
Episode 6
Frank helps Walker deal with an energy crisis brought about by a Chinese trade blockade, Frank proposes establishing a subsidy for nuclear power as part of a plan to wait out the trade blockade, earning the ire of Tusk. Jackie and Remy meet on legislation to pressure Tusk into cooperating with the strategy and end up sleeping together. Remy realizes that Tusk will fight the President's legislation and decides to side with Tusk because the money is better than Frank. Frank tells Walker to stand firm, but when Frank is about to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Camden Yards, Tusk's utility company shuts off the power. To personally retaliate, Frank encourages Walker to address the emergency by having the federal government take over Tusk's power plants. Frank and Tusk meet at Freddy's barbecue restaurant that Remy shows Tusk to ambush Frank, but they are unable to reconcile.
Claire manipulates Tricia into believing that Christina, Peter's ex and now presidential aide, is pursuing a relationship with the president implanting the idea that their marriage could be falling apart because of the job of being President.
Doug, continues to check in on Rachel thinking she is getting lonely, not knowing her friendship with Lisa, has begun to develop feelings for Rachel. When he finds out about Lisa, he attempts to pressure her into cutting ties with her and discontinuing her regular church attendance. Frank and Doug then intimidate Janine and persuade her to meet with Lucas and convince him to accept a plea deal. Janine tells Lucas that he has no proof, agrees that Frank will get away with murder, and says that he has to accept the plea deal because he committed an act of cyber terrorism, a crime that could land him with a significant sentence if he does not plead guilty.
Episode 7
Frank finds out that Tusk is retaliating against the Walker administration by funding Republican attack ads for the upcoming election that are hurting the administration and all democrats in Frank's corner. Looking into the matter further, he learns that the donations are being hidden through a Native American-owned Kansas City casino, and sends Doug to investigate. Doug discovers that Feng is behind the casino money and flies to China to negotiate. Feng relays through Doug that he will stop funding the attack ads when the Long Island bridge is approved. Frank meets with casino owner Dan Lanigan to cut off the funding to Republicans, but Lanigan sends him away, explaining that he prefers Tusk's money to the political influence that Frank offers him similar to Remy's betrayal.Meanwhile, Frank helps Claire pressure Jackie to stand behind the sexual assault legislation as a former armed forces member and war veteran herself speaking out against abuse of power. This makes Jackie extremely uncomfortable but doesn't want to go against Frank in this instance.
Grayson is revealed to be a double agent for Remy and helps him eliminate Connor Ellis, the media image handler for the Underwoods. When Frank learns this, he decides to employ Grayson, who expresses his desire to work for Frank and achieve power over the money Tusk offers unlike Remy.
The Underwoods have the president and first lady over for dinner and discover that they (the Walkers) are struggling through marital turmoil.
Jackie gets cold feet later on and attempts to stall Claire's legislation and defies Frank showing she really isn't a pushover and could become a problem later on.
Episode 8:
Frank lobbies Linda and Walker for the bridge proposal trying to further expand the rift between Tusk and President Walker. Frank has Doug arrange a meeting between Tusk and Walker and clashes with Linda in getting the bridge to be a priority, resulting in an argument and Linda's subsequent resignation as Chief of Staff. Walker ultimately commits to Frank's bridge deal and Doug confirms with Feng that the bridge deal is approved and asks him to turn his back on Tusk.
After finding out that the First Lady is estranged from the President, Claire suggests that Tricia convince her husband to pursue marriage counseling. President Walker is reluctant to go at first but in the end, decides to go.
Helping Jackie investigate the casino money trail, Remy tracks down Adam Galloway, Claire's former lover. Remy figures out that Grayson has sold him out and is now scrambling to retain the little influence and power he has left. Learning that the refinery project is dead, Remy and Tusk decide to get aggressive against Frank leaking the photo that Galloway took of Claire during their affair in season 1 to the media.
Meanwhile, Rachel and Lisa develop a sexual relationship.
Episode 9
Episode 10
Lisa moves in with Rachel, much to Doug's dismay and disapproval.While he is losing the woman he loves, Frank his best friend and mentor, starts siding with Seth over Doug on strategy. Miserable, Doug gives Rachel his permission to allow Lisa to stay with her. Meanwhile, it emerges that the code Lucas inserted into the data servers earlier was genuine, and Gavin is now using it to track Doug's movements.As trade wars escalate, President Walker deals with a Chinese blockade of a Japanese island. At Frank's now-fortified home, a Secret Service agent sees a hooded figure at the side of the house, carrying a large duffel bag. The agents successfully intercept the bomber, an ex-Marine who also claims responsibility for mailing a chemical agent to the Capitol building that quarantined Frank in last time, The ex-Marine confesses that Claire was the intended target for having had an abortion. Frank requests that Edward Meechum be her bodyguard.
To put more pressure on Tusk in retaliation for revealing Claire's extra-marital affair, Frank's team leaks information to Sayyad, a reporter for what's supposed to the be The Wall Street Journal, linking Tusk to Lanigan's casino, which confirms her suspicions regarding a laundering scheme that is heavily influencing Congress. All the while, Frank and Jackie continue their battle of wills over Claire's legislation as Frank is much more active in supporting Claire this season rather than the last. Sayyad publishes her story on the money laundering scheme, which causes a huge stir in national media and the resulting investigation reflects badly on Walker, opening him up to legal troubles. He eventually follows Frank's advice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the story and purportedly clear the White House of any involvement.
Episode 11
The investigation begins, but lots of other important (and really weird, I can't stress that point enough) happens.
Lanigan accuses Remy of making him a patsy to save Tusk. Remy attempts to pressure Jackie to implicate Frank in the scandal by threatening her with leaking the circumstances of her rise to the Whip position. Jackie refuses to be manipulated, forcing Remy into a difficult position. He proposes a deal to Frank, offering to decrease his attacks on Frank's reputation to protect Jackie from involvement as he and Jackie have become a secretive couple.
Frank encourages Walker to be open with Dunbar, the special prosecutor handling the corruption investigation. Frank stonewalls Dunbar but appears to cooperate by turning over all his travel logs. Dunbar finds Walker's marriage counseling sessions on his travel log.
Without support for her bill from Jackie or Tricia, Claire is not going to be able to get it pushed through to a vote. As her mission falls apart, Claire resorts to drinking alone, but drops a glass. Meechum cuts his hand helping her clean up, and she bandages him. Doug mends his relationship with Seth, saying that he was wrong about him. Frank returns home to a drunk Meechum and Claire; they end up having a threesome. This is literally all Meechum's character development has lead up to, having sex with the VP and Second Lady.
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Honestly the weirdest thing I have ever seen. So misplaced and makes no sense. #threechum |
Episode 12
Walker's life is crumbling around him and he starts to put the blame on Frank seeing as all his advice has been a contributing factor in his decisions breaking off all contact with him.
Frank circumvents Walker and goes to special prosecutor Dunbar to offer Feng immunity if he testifies and blames Tusk.
Doug still heavily jealous tells Rachel she must break up with Lisa and Prosecutor Dunbar deposes Reverend Larkin and discovers he was coached by the White House counsel to withhold the fact that he prescribed medication to Walker from his testimony, which further endangers Walker's position with the public. Tusk is subpoenaed but invokes the Fifth Amendment, confident he will get a pardon from Walker. Grayson divides Tusk and Remy by revealing that Remy offered to rejoin Frank's team having Tusk be all alone now.
Making up with Jackie by dropping the sexual assault bill the Underwoods convince her to help in guiding Walker's impeachment, reasoning that not doing so will spell disaster for the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm elections.
Episode 13
Claire breaks down as the people in her life besides Frank are all pushing her away and she realizes how alone she actually is. She then pushes Frank to reconcile with the president as she knows it will eat him up if he can't finish his plan. Frank sends Walker a letter pretending to accept all responsibility for the scandal as an olive branch appealing to Walker's honor. Walker states that, in order to gain his trust, Frank will have to produce results by whipping enough votes to stave off the impeachment he knows is coming for him. After Frank accepts the task, Linda is forced to contact Tusk to inform him that the deal for a presidential pardon is off
Meanwhile, Gavin, having infiltrated AT&T's cell servers through the code he gave Lucas, has enough leverage to press Green for a meeting with Doug, who ultimately agrees.
As Jackie works to secure votes for Walker's impeachment, the Walkers retreat to Camp David.
In retaliation, Tusk sides with Frank and implicates Walker while testifying before a Congressional Committee, stating that Walker knew about the laundering scheme. This leads to Tusk being taken into custody, and Walker's approval ratings drop to 8 percent.
During a meeting with Doug, Gavin tells him he knows about Rachel, and black mails him into giving him FBI protection. Doug goes straight to Rachel and tells her to pack, intending to relocate her yet again but she doesn't think it's relocation. His tone leads Rachel into thinking that he is about to kill her, and she leaps out of his car while stopped at a traffic light, running out into the woods fleeing for what she thinks is her life. Doug chases after her, but she jumps out from behind a tree and beats him with a brick, before fleeing in his car and leaving Doug bloody and appearing to be dead.
The House votes to pursue Walker's impeachment and Walker's fate is sealed. Seeing no hope for survival, Walker decides to resign. He and Frank part on friendly terms unknown to him that this was exactly what Frank wanted all along for snubbing him for Secretary of State.
At Camp David, Frank is immediately sworn in as President of the United States. His first act is to place a call with the Chinese President and instantly negotiate an end to the dispute. He returns to Washington, enters the Oval Office and his plan is complete.
Season 3 will be up later tonight. Stay tuned folks. It's less than 24 hours until season 4's premiere on Netflix.
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