The 4th season premiere of the series throws us right in the mist of primary elections. This is very ironical because the show comes right at the very time when the US in going though the exact period (even though the drama portrayed on the show seem to have nothing on the reality of the current elections situation). You will remember that Claire left Frank at the end of season 3, so my immediate worry as this season starts is how will Frank ever survive the elections. Yes, Underwood has always been a resourceful man who is full of tricks; but it is no mystery that Claire's influence and support has also been a huge factor that propelled him to gaining most of his success and achievements.
We are definitely not the only ones that this is taking a toll on as Frank projects a rather aggressive and short tempered personality. He rages about the pronunciation of words and has a nightmare about strangling Claire. He is certainly no longer the calm, confident and self-assured man that he is when Claire is around. But Claire has not just gone and hid herself under a rock or sitting at a corner somewhere being useless which obviously confirms what we have known about Claire, this fierce woman is not one to go down quite easily. Her position as a United Nations ambassador being stripped away in season 3, did not discourage her at all. She plans to run for Congress in Texas' 30th District. This, however, does not come without challenges as Doris Jones, the retiring congresswoman, plans to hand over the seat to her daughter, Celia. Doris is played by the daring and legendary Cicely Tyson who does an incredible job portraying the character. She doesn't seem like one who will just take anything that is thrown at her without serious inspection, though she also seems like a woman that keeps an open mind. You would think that backing her own daughter in the campaign should be a given, but maybe Claire might just manage to sway her.
As usual, Claire knows that she needs Frank in pushing for her own goals and Frank knows that he needs Claire. It has been long clear to viewers that the marriage between these two was more transactional rather than based on love. They decide to get back together and present a united front, dismissing any rumors about their separation. Frank has agreed not to meddle in her running for congress (although knowing Frank, we know how this promise was broken before it was even ever made) and she has agreed to be the supportive wife she has always been and applaud him during his State of the Union address. They explain their marriage problems away by saying that Claire was in Texas to be with her mother who is sick with cancer (the cancer part is true, although it's also just the perfect excuse for Frank to spin a PR plan out of this mess as he would in most situations).
You know what they say about the last kick of a dying horse? (Yes, that!) It is exactly how I could describe Claire's mother's actions right now. For someone that is battling terminal cancer, you would expect her to keep away from any drama, yet she seems to be right there at the fore front (on driver's seat even). She tells her daughter that, “You’re stronger than he is, but you’ve got to put him in his place.” We already know where Claire gets her feistiness. At this point of the series, we know better not to invest in the Underwood's marriage based on emotions, but most of us want them to remain together because that is when they are at their strongest. However, it wou also be interesting to watch Claire finally challenging Frank's power instead of being the supportive wife that is always ready to push him to power. If there is anyone that can put Frank in his place, it is Claire.
Remember Lucas Goodman? The guy that was sentenced to ten years in season 2 for cyber terrorism. He is back and has gotten an early release by becoming a federal informant. He changed his name to John Carlisle and this all gives me the idea that he may not be too confident to carryout his assigned duty. He seems like someone that knows what Frank is capable of and is afraid of going against him. Could any of this also unveil details about Peter Ruso and Zoe? It looks to me like we might see the president soon battle with some skeletons from the past.
What are your thoughts? Comment below or tweet me @NoncedoDlamini
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