Season 3 of House of Cards, like President Underwood's Air Force One, has landed. Here, I've offered up my thoughts on each episode while also inviting all of you to head over to this link if you've already finished all 13 episodes and want to discuss the ending in more specifics.

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For those who have not watched the season yet and are looking for a less spoilery overview, you can skip to the verdict section at the bottom of the review.

Frank Underwood's Most Underhanded Moments

Chapter 27

Oh, and I'll also be succumbing to one of my pet peeves and giving the episodes unofficial titles since House of Cards chapters come with no names.

"The Recovery"

While lacking the shock and awe (and big death/show exit) of the Season 2 premiere, Season 3's opener played things a little differently by keeping Frank and Claire out of the spotlight for a good thirty minutes while focusing on Michael Kelly's Doug Stamper - who is still alive (though severely damaged) following Rachel's attack. Doug's a guy who we started learning more about in the back half of Season 2, though mostly as it pertained to his obsession with Rachel.Here, with Rachel gone, we focused more on his main obsession - the Underwoods. And how their approval, and use, of him is paramount to his existence. His job and position within Frank's inner circle are what he uses to define himself and without that he's lost. His desire to get back to work was so strong that not only did he somewhat coldly dismiss his brother (who'd been by his side for months while he was in the hospital) but he painfully duct taped his newly broken arm so as to not miss a meeting with Frank. It was a great, offbeat way to start he season when, I presume, most of us expected full-tilt Underwood. Doug seemed to be on a destructive path by the episode's end (though only opting to drink a modest amount of bourbon though a syringe squirt).

"You have to be a little human when you're the president."

Chapter 28

Frank opened the episode, of course. Before he vanished for a while. Taking a time out to gleefully piss on his own father's tombstone. Perhaps an indicator of what's to come with regards to his sheer lack of reverence. When we later catch up with President Frank, he's at a drastically low approval rating (battling both parties at every turn) and trying to fund an enormous jobs bill by putting an end to time-honored entitlement programs. His rise to the Oval Office was all about "butchery," though perhaps he can no longer afford to commit such nasty tactics (ahem, murder) while on top. Also because now, as he demonstrated to Claire (who also longs for Claire Force One someday) during a drone strike, his murders are part of executive orders.

"The Black Egg"

Chapter 29

A notably strong, tense Frank and Claire episode. Our real "welcome back" as far as these two top-lining characters are concerned. With Frank being told by his party leaders (including Jackie) that they don't want him to run and 2016 and Claire flubbing a Senate inquisition with regards to her UN Ambassador nomination, this episode gave us an outstanding "tough day at the office" chapter that, while not delving into diabolical deeds, opened up the season wide.Frank's plan by the end of the episode was clear. He would say he's out in 2016, but in actuality he's using the freedom that being a "placeholder president" allows and affords (along with not having to care what congress thinks, including his own party) to be brash, bold, and strikingly honest. A tactic he secretly hopes will help get his America Works program off the ground and ingratiate him to the populous who will see that he can produce large-scale results. "Our need to stay in power eclipses our need to govern," he mentioned during his address. Using the actual truth as a weapon/tactic.Meanwhile, Jackie agreed to be a snoop for a VP spot on Frank's 2016 ticket (while also leaking some intel to Ayla), Doug continued to be on the outside looking in (playing armchair expert at home), and Elizabeth Marvel's special prosecutor Heather Dunbar returned.

"The Little Pickle"

Enter Russian President Victor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen, older brother of Hannibal's Mads Mikkelsen), the show's thinly-veiled version of Vladimir Putin. In fact, I'm using the term "thinly-veiled" as a courtesy here. He's Putin. I mean, if Nadya and Masha from Pussy Riot are playing themselves, then there's no reason to treat Petrov like anything other than a stand-in.Speaking of Pussy Riot, not only was this Frank's first big foray into global negotiations/manipulations but it was sort of the first time the series made such a big effort to mirror big real world headlines. And, to be fair, I can't overlook the fact that this was basically, when broken down, a suped-up take on the storyline from Love Actually when Hugh Grant's Prime Minister got fed up with Billy Bob Thornton's U.S. President after he put the moves on his gal. And then decided that his policy was to stand up to bullies. That's simplifying things drastically, I know, but it's the immediate vibe I got.

"I'd push him down the stairs and light his broken body on fire just to watch it burn...if it wouldn't star a world war."

Chapter 30

Petrov's visit (complete with vodka, cigars, beer pong, etc) took up most of the episode, but there was movement on the Doug front too when he turned down a high-paying job and then got Gavin to agree to search for Rachel in exchange for a one-way trip out of the country.

"The Prayer"

Chapter 31

Episode 4 gave us a bit of a lull, but also a hell of an ending. Not a cliffhanger or a big reveal. Nothing like that. But a very frank moment with Frank where he not only spit on a giant statue of Jesus, but also caused it to come crashing down to the ground, shattering into tiny pieces. "I've got God's ear now," he smirked as he walked away - holding the ear piece. Textbook Frank Underwood blasphemy. Reminiscent of Season 1's "I pray to myself, for myself" scene.But yeah, the episode juggled a lot of different stories - ones previously set up in Chapter 28 mostly. Claire attempted to bypass Russia at the U.N., Gavin tracked down Rachel's ex, Lisa, and Frank tried to get rid of a potential party hopeful by offering Dunbar a Chief Justice position. She pulled a swerve though and announced her intentions to run in 2016. But through her early announcement, it seems like Doug may have found an opportunity back to Frank's side.

"The State of Emergency"

Chapter 32

Frank threw congress into an uproar after devising a plan to fund jobs in Washington D.C. using already funded FEMA money (nice shot of Freddy there at the end waiting in line for a guaranteed job) while Claire managed to turn a huge corner in her UN Ambassador role using a presidential executive order to commit troops to the Jordan Valley. Which led to a great power move by Claire when she chose to take an open stall piss in front of Russian Ambassador Alexi.On the new faces front, Kim Dickens joined the mix as Kate Baldwin, Ayla's senior staff replacement in the White House Press Corps ("You kicked out a pit bull and you let in a dragon," Frank yelled at Seth), and Boardwalk Empire's Paul Sparks arrived as a gritty author Frank attempts to seduce into writing up a propganda biography about his dirt-poor roots to help sell the public on his Amworks plan. All because Frank read a blurb-review the guy wrote about an indie puzzle game called Monument Valley that involves illusions and princesses.Doug continued to try and infiltrate Dumbar's campaign (the pièce de résistance being records of Claire's first abortion, we assume) and Jackie figured out how to wrangle herself a family so she looks good in pictures when she finally opposes Dunbar on the campaign trail. Things are less "life and death" this season. Frank's huge Peter Russo move in Season 1 basically helped inform and drive Season 2, since when it wasn't about Frank trying to deal with Walker and Tusk, it was him and Doug going to extreme measures to cover up Peter's murder. So Frank was in a lot more danger in Season 2 than he is here now as president. His over-arcing goal this year is to get elected in 2016, and not to cover up things. Plus, he's now supposedly an honest and outspoken president who doesn't care about holding office so there are times when he can outright admit to things.

"The Northern Lights"

Chapter 33

More Victor Petrov comin' at ya! Frank and Claire traveled to Moscow to meet up with a humbled and more-reasonable Petrov, only to have their plans thwarted by American prisoner/political pawn Michael Corrigan (Dexter's Christian Camargo). So after five episodes of Frank and Claire playing nice and performing admirably as a team, a schism has found its way between them once more.The problem here (and it's only a problem, per se, if you think the show truly wants you to believe what Claire did at the end was right) is that both Michael and Claire wound up coming off as unlikeable, despite the fact that they were on the right side of a somewhat hopeless revolution. As viewers, right or wrong, we're invested in Frank's plan to win the presidency in 2016. So even good causes and noble efforts involving truth and dignity come off as obstacles for crowd-favorite Frank. I think my problem, bottom line, is that I didn't fully buy Claire gaining that much sympathy for Corrigan within the few hours she spent with him. Despite the fact that they both talked about the challenges involved with being married at young age, before one could come to know oneself.Of the initial six episodes, this contained the biggest moment (though it seemed easy to spot that Michael was going to kill himself when he suggested to Claire that she get some sleep). So it will be interesting to see what will become of Frank and Claire going forward.

"The Flinch"

A part of me feels like House of Cards has only had, for lack of a better/apropos term, one card to play. And that being the Underwoods outfoxing and outmaneuvering obstacles and adversaries, in both big and small ways. A mixture of survival and prosperity. We watch to see Frank and Claire problem-solve and we've been trained to look for ulterior motives in almost everything they do while also denying their humanity. It's one of the reasons that Season 2 wasn't as well received as Season 1. It was more of the same. In fact, just amplified in most areas. Still a good trick, but the same trick.So when Claire spoke out against Petrov I suspected that part of it may have had to do with her own designs on the White House down the line. And sure, that might still be the case, but I have to say that Chapter 33 now makes that a very hard sell given how much it focused on Frank and Claire as real people and not just plotting political animals. It took a month, but the two of them found their way back to one another. And not to keep up appearances or fool their enemies in any overt manner. It was because they love each other. Sure, they'll always have their mutual diligence, pride, and self-sacrifice to bond over. There's always that "we're stronger together" element to their pairing. But it's also possible for there to be humanity behind such an unconventional couple.

"We don’t fight often. But this one. Scabs keep coming off."

Chapter 34

I'd been wondering for a few episodes now if anything was ever going to happen between Doug and his physical therapist, considering how much she's obviously "his type." But he's never tried anything. He's still only hung up on Rachel, who he's now watching on Santa Fe street cams. So the therapist basically had to be the one to make a move here. Don't know if I buy it necessarily, but it seems like it might be over too quickly for me to gripe about.And yes, this episode made me google "Tibetan Monk Sand Art." You should too if you haven't.Also, google "The Stanley Parable" if you want to know what indie game Frank was delving into this time around.

"The Swimmer"

Eight episodes into Season 3 now and I'd imagine that the show is either saving all of its utterly ruthless plays for the final endgame or things will just play out more or less the same (humdrum politics) until the end. Either way, to be more than halfway through the season with no real jaw-dropping moments is shocking for a show that hit us with a rather intense trailer last week using A Perfect Circle's "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" for punctuated music.

"Imagination is its own form of courage."

Chapter 35

With both Kate and Tom writing their very different takes on Frank (I'd argue that both sides are actually right in this case - he's both a tyrant and a visionary), Frank was pressured into signing away his Amworks money to fund relief efforts for an encroaching hurricane - a storm that wound up turning away from the U.S. almost at the exact moment he put pen to paper. Frank was rather toothless this time around. Defenseless against an actual natural disaster. He even couldn't rein in Jackie when she decided to suspend her campaign at Dunbar's suggestion.But, in vintage Frank fashion, he turned a bad situation into one of opportunity by deciding to formerly announce that his presidential bid for 2016. Which, to me, takes the wind out the sails a bit. Him bucking tradition, protocol, and atrophy was due to him not having to care about getting elected (even though he really did). And that decision's been the driving force of the season. So to have it flip around so unceremoniously felt empty. It was good to see Freddy again, even though he no longer sees Frank as a friend (that is, if he ever actually did). He didn't even feign being too proud when Frank offered him a job. He just came right out and asked what it paid.Oh, and finally some fire from Meechum, who's pretty much all but vanished into the background of this season.

"The Pat Down"

Chapter 36

In even more of an attempt to distance itself from the thriller aspects of the first two seasons and almost re-define itself as a pure drama series (shedding away various operatic and Shakespearean elements), House of Cards seems to be heavily focused on humanizing its characters this season. Not only, here in Chapter 35, did we watch Doug crumble in to a drunken mess over the news of Rachel's (supposed) off-screen death, but Remy also cracked under pressure and was no longer able to remain stoic about his feelings for Jackie.Over on the Frank front, the president once again took a big risk based on Claire's diplomatic suggestions and, once again, it blew up in his face. It would be very easy to suspect that Claire's undermining him (almost at every turn) as it pertains to Russian and Petrov except for the fact that we all witnessed the scene where Alexi basically told her (without telling her) that Petrov bombed his own men.The score changed a bit in this episode too, particularly during Doug's spiral - even giving things a Leftovers feel (for those of you familiar with Max Richter's score from the HBO series). But yes, overall, our main characters are showing supreme signs of weathering. So much so that Doug even suspected that he might wind up like Peter Russo. And not just as someone who relapsed, but as someone who got bumped off.

"The Blind Spot"

Considering that a political slight in the very first episode of the series sent both Frank and Claire down a rabbit hole of twisty-turny scheming (complete with murder) designed to get him the vice presidency - simply because they vowed never to be embarrassed again - I'm now wondering why they're both jointly resigned to being helpless. True, Frank's hands are more tied now that he's POTUS, but did anyone else feel like he and Claire, after Frank returned from meeting Petrov, were going to immediately start figuring out how to get revenge? So that they're never embarrassed like this again again?

"Sometimes I think the presidency is the illusion of choice."

Chapter 37

Because Frank's not the one plotting and manipulating this year. As brash as he is, he's using promises, negotiations, and face-to-faces as his main form of getting things done. Petrov played him. This time, Petrov was the guy vowing to never be embarrassed again.In fact, part of me thought that Frank was going to attack Petrov after he made Claire's ambassadorship the final part of his demands. Logistically it may not have worked, I know (plus, there's that whole starting a world war thing), but the scene sure did highlight just how much s*** Frank has been taking at every turn this year. A very different dynamic (leading to a wholly different show experience) than the one displayed in Seasons 1 and 2.And then there was Gavin telling Lisa that he'd tricked her (leaving his guinea pig, Cashew, behind), Doug being paid a visit from his brother's (hugging) wife and kids, and Tom possibly seeing Frank's bisexuality as a way to pry open his soul. And while I do believe that Tom is "addicted" to men revealing their secrets to him, he's also probably playing a big angle. I don't know. Maybe I'm just so used to Frank being manipulated this year that I think everyone's out to crush him.

"The Pit Bull"

Chapter 38

At the end of this installment, Frank shifted his schedule around so that he could visit Claire, who'd recently passed out while giving blood - once again demonstrating the powerful, hard to categorize ionic bond the two of them share. Years upon years, built on mutual desires, ambitions, and secretive sympathies. All while loyalists Jackie and Remy abandoned ship back in D.C. With Jackie resenting being blindsided by Frank in the three-way debate and Remy because, well, he's still hung up on Jackie and resented her being used and abused.Unless Remy is destined to find his way back to Jackie somehow, at the end of all of this, his decision to leave seems foolish. He's caught up in a swirl of jealousy and overprotectiveness. Again though, the show's movers and shakers are being humanized, brought down to Earth more. It's sort of the running theme now. And these cracks in the veneer will most certainly spell out doom for Frank. We've gone from Macbeth/Richard III to Julius Caesar.Speaking of personal crises and turmoil, Doug seems to have come out the other side of his crucible just fine. Yes, surprisingly, he made it through his mayhem. I mean, he learned that Rachel was actually alive and he still managed to pull himself together enough so that he wouldn't drink - and then make time to bond with his brother. Without any inkling that he was going to fall back into his old ways.It seems like the show may now, using Tom as a catalyst, delve deeper into Frank and Claire's history. Her clouded words involving standing on a ledge and wanting to jump, along with some sort of seven-year marital "check in," need further expounding.

"The First Chapter"

Chapter 39

It was two steps forward, Claire steps back in Season 3's penultimate episode (directed by Robin Wright herself) as the First Lady, still stinging from having to resign from the UN, decided that she was having serious seconds thoughts about her entire life arrangement with Frank. A combination of Tom's poetically honest opening book chapter (for a book that he's still feverishly determined to create) and every aide telling her how much she was beloved by the American people led Claire right into a crossroads scenario. One similar almost to the "What Next?/What Have I Become?" life-doubt that has swept over Jackie and Remy.With Doug now back in the fold and Dunbar's low blow attempt thwarted, it seems like the show might be on the cusp of getting back to its "clean sweep" roots. But if Season 3's taught me anything it's to not expect anything to feel like the first two seasons. Despite Frank's anger over Dunbar's smear threats ("If she goes after Claire, I’ll slit her fucking throat in broad daylight") and the way he still aches over Petrov's power play, I doubt things are destined to turn up in his favor. Despite the Frank/Doug band getting back together. Even when Kate warned Tom that Frank, being the president, could "crush" him, I thought..."could he though?" Because there hasn't been any crushing this season.Also, I could have done without Suzy homemaker/wrecker. And I call her that partially because her name was Suzie, in fact. I enjoy Annie Parisse (Person of Interest, The Following) and am overly-familiar with "mom brain," but for that character to almost immediately start talking about having affairs and suffocating her child was absurd. At least Claire reacted to it as such. Still, it stuck out enough to take me out of the story.

"The White Van"

Having just lost both Jackie and Remy, you'd think Frank would realize by now that yelling at, and attempting to strong-arm, those he wishes to fall in line will backfire. At least that tactic does now that he's president - a role that's rendered him all-but inefficient in the realm of effective scheming and influence.So when he began to "take charge" with Claire, you could tell it wasn't going to do any good. To be fair though, a gentler approach also wouldn't have worked with her. She was too far gone. And now, in the closing scene of the season, she's chosen to leave him.Right up front I'll tell you (as someone who wrote a whole piece defending Skyler White ), my instinct is not to automatically "hate the wife of the TV anti-hero". But there was truth behind Frank's stern words "without me you're nothing." Claire seeks the presidency, and while at first it was "someday," it's now turned to a more immediate "why him instead of me?" Even though her mistakes, outbursts, and gaffes have been the biggest obstacle to Frank's presidency this season. More than Petrov and Dunbar - who, by the way, were both successful in throwing Frank way off course by using Claire, along with her inexperience and her skeletons, as a weapon against him. And now she's the one who resents the fact that she needs him? Going all the way back to Season 1, Claire has a very poor track record when it comes to deciding whether or not she wants to be a part of this team. And she tends to check out at the worst possible moments.So while I wasn't blown away with the Underwoods' ending this season, I really liked the grim, disturbing Doug/Rachel story. It seemed like Doug had turned a huge corner this year with regards to his respective addictions to both Rachel and Frank, so I was actually willing to buy him letting "Cassie Lockheart" (an anime reference there?) go free. It would have made sense given his lengthy journey this season. But then - and I'll admit it - my craving for some sort of darkness this season allowed me to accept him changing his mind, driving back, and killing her. A nice suspenseful moment there, because you didn't know if he was returning to wipe her out or go even further with his kindness and offer her a lift (the ominous music spoiled it a bit though).Don't forget to pop over here to discuss the ending more.