Summary
House of Cards Season 6, Episode 6 sees Claire Underwood at the peak of her powers in the best chapter of this season so far.
This review of House of Cards Season 6, Episode 6, contains spoilers. You can check out the full season review by clicking these words.
House of Cards Season 6, Episode 6 finally sees Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) at the peak of her corrupted world. After ridding her entire cabinet, and replacing it with a media applauded all-female team, Madame President is no longer pretending to be a wounded animal, but instead viciously attempts to clean up the mess left behind by deceased Francis. It is clear that Claire not only wants to remove her predecessor’s past but also everyone else who was involved. As the final season of House of Cards draws to a close, we are in for some nail-biting moments.
Everything seems so easy for Claire. After seeing her strapped self in Francis’ shadow for over 60 episodes, it’s terrifying to finally see her real personality, which is not attractive at all. Meanwhile, all the other characters seem confidently determined that they will take the president down, but actions speak louder than words, and in comparison they all look relatively weak in finding a suggestible way of removing Claire.
Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) is the gritty story behind Episode 6. The man is torn between his loyalty for Francis and his hatred for Claire. The issue is his will and the knowledge that all of it was left to him, which has made him grow bitter for the President. He makes a half-hearted visit to the Shepherds, who equally seem as desperate to remove the President. As like previous episodes, Doug makes frequent visits to Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver), the journalist closest to the truth.
The problem is if Doug explains all the details on-the-record to Tom, it doesn’t only take Claire down; it will also make an unsightly blemish on Francis’ questionable past. He confesses that he killed Rachel, but he resists in revealing any other information unless it is off-the-record. Claire has other ideas, meeting Tom in a seemingly innocent visit to tell him she was permanently non-complicit to Francis’ actions.
Meanwhile, Mark Usher (Campbell Scott), the disgraced Vice-President, accused of conspiring with the Russians due to Claire’s strategic plotting, is becoming a shadow of his former self. He refuses to admit to the media that he has been fired, and makes a weak threat to Claire to reveal the body of Thomas Yates. House of Cards demonstrates how the need for power can belittle you to the form of Mark, who consoles Jane Davis (Patricia Clarkson) for most of the episode, with both of them regretting their paths in the Underwood administration.
As “Chapter 71” closes, the true extent to Claire’s dark path comes to light in the grimmest and most revealing manner. She scoffs at Doug for his harsh words, but while she belittles the former right-hand man of Francis, the audience has to experience the assassination of Tom Hammerschmidt, Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson), and Jane Davis.
Whether or not the Madam President successfully assassinated all three acquaintances, the jaw-dropping moment came when Claire referenced an “Heir Clause” in Francis’ will, before putting Doug’s hands on her stomach. Claire is pregnant, and Doug has no entitlement to the will at all. At this moment in time, I cannot tell how all this is going to end, but House of Cards Season 6, Episode 6 was by far the strongest episode in the weakest season so far.
Claire is peaking, but how will it end for her?
