At midnight this morning, anxious fans were finally able to stream the full third season of House of Cards on Netflix. Now that it’s finally here, what can we expect?
Spoiler alert: when we left Frank Underwood (played by the brilliant Kevin Spacey) in season 2, he had just been sworn in as President, after a long succession of devious trickery – not to mention murder – to land the coveted position as leader of the free world. It included some crafty work with wife Claire (Robin Wright) that involved deceiving then President Garrett Walker and his wife into undergoing marriage counselling, then leaking the news and turning it against them. Yet, in true Underwood form, he still managed to keep Walker on his side.
This third season will look at Underwood’s time in office as he works to get himself re-elected in 2016. Will his evil deeds be found out?
In season 2, we also left chief-of-staff Doug Stamper literally in the woods after being taken out by a former prostitute who has far too much information on Underwood. Is he dead? Or just terribly hurt? Meanwhile, Gavin Orsay (Jimmi Simpson), the creepy hacker who’s found himself in a very difficult position, inadvertently in the middle of all of the political coverups, could lead to Frank’s undoing. Or, potentially, become his newest ally — until Frank no longer needs him, of course. One thing is for sure: The new POTUS is, quite frankly, a vicious, evil person, buoyed by his complicit wife who can be almost as devious on her own. So there’s no telling which dark roads season 3 will take.
Journalists have been banned from giving away anything save a few hints early on, but Vanity Fair’s look at the first few episodes has divulged some telling plot points. Those include the fact that Frank and Claire’s collected seat of power may be harder to hold onto than they thought (naturally), as well as the fact that they’ll be forced to deal and bargain more than they’re used to. The latest offering has also reportedly moved to cover more of the political process than previous seasons, trading backroom dealings and press leaks for run-of-the-mill Executive actions. Rumor also has it that members from Russian punk rock activist group Pussy Riot will even make a guest appearance on the show, likely battling their Russian oppressors in some form.
Up to now, Frank and Claire have been able to take down every foe in their path. But once you’ve ascended to the top of mount Olympus, on the backs of others no less, there’s no place to go but down. Might we finally see Frank and Co. take a fall in season 3?
You tell us. All 13 episodes of House of Cards season 3 are now available on Netflix for your binging pleasure.