Jane Davis. I don’t think Claire as a character herself has ever been interested in being likable. Terms of Use | In this world, word means nothing. It’s much more complicated. Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood. "She’s allowed to be as complicated and surprising and dark and everything he ever was.". Directed by Carl Franklin. James Gibson: And it really enrages Doug that she thinks she can just go on without Francis. - convenient.”. How did that signify a change for his final arc? Melissa James Gibson: It’s always hard to pinpoint the exact moment, because it was such an organic process of discovery. Directing all her charm, sexuality, youthful energy, and social skills towards securing journalistic sources in the D.C. political establishment, she had been hopi… It started with the seeds of the relationships throughout the series, but also from that dinner the three of them shared at the end of season five where [Claire and Frank] ask Doug to take the fall for them. How does Frank Underwood die in House of Cards? In season 4, Zoe, along with Peter Russo, appear in a dream Frank has after an assassination attempt on his life. James Gibson: The audience, especially in the world of this show because of its vocabulary from the get-go, are really active participants. The complicity that the show was always negotiating was manifested in his voice. DashDividers_1_500x100_2 Doug’s story about the evening of Frank’s murder also clarifies a few things. A one-stop shop for all things video games. However, all of the news surrounding his off-camera misconduct forced his exit from the show and Frank Underwood was killed off-camera. The drama comes from her need to believe what she’s saying. Frank’s death is addressed in the opening minutes of the first episode of the final season. What was on that tape? Claire plays the grieving widow, with shots of her at his funeral, looking into his casket (his face is, of course, never seen) but privately she suggests foul play, and that her husband was quite possibly poisoned. Pugliese: All kinds of characters are negotiating or wrestling with the narrative over the course of the season, and that’s Doug overtly stating his version or his attempt to control the narrative as well. Yet, there's no avoiding the impact that Frank Underwood had to this story. Those eight episodes have now landed on Netflix, but the big question is what happens to Frank. The previous episode posited that the Underwood administration was on its last legs, or rather, that Frank’s time as leader was done. In what other ways does this series finale bring House of Cards full-circle? It also plays off an earlier season. Claire is empowered, but also a murderer. To the very end, Doug did everything he could, no matter the cost, to protect and serve Francis Underwood. What felt true to us is that she reveals herself to be every much of an antihero as Francis ever was. I felt like that was honest and present and real. Jackie Strause, [This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the entire sixth and final season of Netflix's House of Cards.]. So it’s a feeling that she’s both free and there’s a relief, but ultimately alone because of it. Claire looked both sad and happy when she stabs the letter opener into Doug. Frank Underwood’s fate cast a shadow over the entire season and wasn't resolved until the final scene. Here’s what happened in season 2, episode 8 of House of Cards. Photo: David Giesbrecht/Netflix A field of men in red hooded capes gather around an intensely creepy statue in … James Gibson: Exactly. Raised in impoverished circ… Visually and cinematically, finally using that and filling the Oval Office with that red was a break. ". He couldn’t allow him to kill Claire because it would further tarnish his reputation, he "couldn’t let him destroy everything we’d built", and in the end did use his meds to kill him. Doug Stamper Killed Frank Underwood As Claire Underwood, who by this stage is pregnant (the child may be Frank’s, it may be Tom Yates' - Claire herself doesn’t seem sure), and Doug Stamper stand in the Oval Office, she forces a confession out of him. To be fair to her and to give her her due, as any other character, she wins and succeeds with things consistent with the rules of our show. Before the Spacey scandal, there were talks of House of Cards spinoffs being in the works. Cashew may be just a guinea pig, but he doesn’t deserve to be crushed underfoot. House of Cards then concludes with Claire telling Doug to admit he’s happy Francis is gone, after which Doug snaps and puts a letter opener to her throat - the letter opener that Frank bequeathed to him in his will - only for her to get him to back down, and then stab him instead, before suffocating him for good measure. The US meets with China. If you’re too human as you pursue power, you usually pay a price on our show. James Gibson: In a funny sense, that was the most threatening thing to her and the thing she feared most, because his voice was a powerful and destructive force. James Gibson: Our concern writing it — and I’m just being totally honest — was nothing beyond the show. Pugliese: What I also find intriguing, and this is partially what Robin did with the character, is that as far as facts go, is she telling the truth? After firing Spacey over sexual assault allegations and reworking the final season without the disgraced star, the sixth cycle of House of Cards (which bowed in full on Nov. 2) revealed quickly that Frank was dead. That much was made clear before House of Cards season 6 had even hit Netflix, but the circumstances of how the show would write out the former-President were less clear. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. As Doug was dying in her arms, Claire said, "There. Doug dies in her arms and — in what James Gibson calls a "full circle" series moment — Claire flashes one last look to the audience after silencing the person who knows all of her secrets. In the final season of Netflix Inc's "House of Cards," Frank Underwood is physically gone, having died unexpectedly in his sleep. During the final showdown in the Oval Office, Doug wants Claire — who is pregnant with Frank's unborn child — to admit that Frank made her who she is, and she refuses. Here's who really killed Frank Underwood in, Netflix and the series’ producers were left with no choice but to retool the sixth and final season of, We hear of the official reasons for Frank’s death quickly: publicly, he died in bed next to Claire, and an autopsy report states an overdose from complications with treatment for the live transplant her had. Gibson: There was nothing calculated about that. After three seasons of swaying, manipulating, and coercing, I can confidently say that those words aren't even a fair way to describe his character. Doug, however, fails to go through with the act and Claire turns the weapon on him, stabbing him in the stomach. He tells Claire that he was the leak, along with Doug, and that this is what’s best for them. Doug, for his part, doesn’t even try to resist, but seems accepting of his fate, with Claire saying "There, no more pain.". The Jordan Valley erupts in chaos just as Frank's campaign is picking up steam. 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