Oh hail Elizabeth Hale!!! Yes, you heard that right folks! Move over Claire Underwood, there's a new sheriff in town. If you thought Claire was the ultimate ice-queen, wait until you see her mother in action. We are used to Claire and Frank being the center of attention (they are the main characters after all); either causing drama between themselves or fending off chaos caused by other people, but they always do it with such calmness and emotional detach-ness (the Underwoods are the most dead people you will ever meet). Not Elizabeth! Elizabeth will speak her mind and do as she pleases, and it is all with so much life (ironic for a dying person), zeal and emotion. This is mostly emphasized when she argues with Claire who needs to have 1.5 million at her disposal, and threatens to sell their house from under Elizabeth's name if she doesn't give her the money. Elizabeth pretty much proclaims that it is her money and Claire has no right; and in her frustration she rips off the turban on her head, exposing her complete hair loss from her cancer illnesses.
See my review of episode 1 here.
It seems as if the women will be the most interesting to watch this season (taking a bit of the attention from Frank) as they keep bickering and purposely defying each other. Elizabeth is on the phone with Claire before the State of the Union address while also taking her chemotherapy. She advises her not to wear ivory and that is exactly what Claire goes and wears. We are not sure if she does this just to spite the old woman or she is fighting her own insecurities about not wanting to feel controlled.
Then after promising Claire that he would keep away from her campaign business, Frank does the very opposite (just as I had assumed in my review of episode 1). During his State of the Union address speech, he pledges to support Doris' clinic and announces Celia’s succession to her mother’s candidacy. This is the most public way for Frank to declare that he does not support Claire's plan to campaign for office and it might as well be the most humiliating way to do it too. I am a little shocked when Claire still stands up to applauds (unwillingly so), but then again, she has never been one to let her emotions get the better of her. She even pretends to be going along with Franks plans when she agrees to his suggestion that she should not campaign this season but run for office in the next election cycle instead. However, it is quite clear that this isn't over but only just the beginning. Claire is not going to take this lying down. Frank might as well have declared war, and he knows this; he mentions it in his first yet on camera monologue this season. It has also become even more clearer that the idea of his wife in a position of power might scare Frank.
When Clair left Frank, you might have thought that she was obviously fed up with the kind of man that he is and even though she might not completely hate him, she is not his biggest fan either. However, it seems that all the years that she has spent with him might have had a few of his characteristics rub off on her. She acquires some leverage by hiring a photographer to document Jackie's affair with Remy in attempt to sway her to agree to come out in support of Doris Jones’s breast cancer clinic. This is definitely a tactic that Frank would use, and while Claire has always gone along with his plans or even assisted a little, it is quite amusing to watch her play dirty all on her own capacity.
The Russians are causing trouble again. I say again because you will remember that we went through a similar situation in season 3. The interesting fact though is that it was Claire that was able to help the president repair burned bridges and even mentions it in his State of the Union address. What will he do now that he doesn't have Claire in his corner to assist him again or will Claire use this as bait to push her own agenda? Frank is not waiting until he has a solid solution though; he is using what he has at this very moment. He hides Igor Milkin, who is being hunted by Russia's Petrov, in a safe location to used him against the Russians as he pleases. But Petrov has threatened to hike energy prices, so could this land Underwood in trouble with the Americans for not just letting Milkin go?
What are your thoughts? Comment below or tweet me @NoncedoDlamini
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