Chapter 37

A great series should challenge viewers to pay attention, to connect dots and anticipate connections. HOC~ Takia Jannah "Being an Extra" The Experience of Being in the Season 3 Episode 37 The Debate on House of Cards I must say this was an incredible experience! The entire Staff, Actors, Crew members, extras etc... Overall, #Phenomenal experience. Long hours but was totally a Dream come true. History in the Making. Best wishes everyone. Thank you so much for the opportunity and for choosing me. Takia Philadelphia. Supreme Blessings for having me!!Worth the wait? Absolutely. With beautiful and expensive production design but even better, with good acting and great writing and direction.

(Actress) #TakiaJannah #GG (aka) Takia Voice/Takia Woodson

The debate is ridiculously unrealistic given that the presenter has only asked questions but with efforts to control or any interference throughout debate, which never happens in real life. A total mess. Plus once Jackie announced her decision on TV, Seth has switched off the TV after her first words, which again doesn't make sense instead he would be listening her last words and her rationale behind the decision. Just so unrealistic.

After a long 10 episodes of soap opera, this show has finally came back to what it does best: depicting domestic political struggle. What I have learned from season 3 is the writers don't even have the basic understanding of foreign affairs, or they are just too afraid of pissing off the military–industrial complex. The entire Jordan Valley plot is hilariously ridiculous, I know this show is very far from reality, but at least most of the plots are still plausible even though they can be far fetched at times, lets just assume an absurd event like Jordan Valley can happen, I still just cant handle the idiocy and hypocrisy of Claire, she sabotaged decades of relationship progress between the 2 most powerful nations on earth for one suicidal delusional protester, thats just not how the real world works, on top of that she destabilized the most sensitive region in middle east.... As an ambassador all she did was intimidation, is this how the writers think diplomacy works? This episode finally shifted away from the asinine foreign affairs plots, the debate is masterfully delivered, Jackie and Dunbar have evolved into great characters with such depth, meanwhile Claire and Doug turned into more and more one-dimensional typical TV stereotypes, Francis is still the best thing in this show, overall this episode gives me hope on the future development of the show, I just hope they can hire a writer with a deep understanding of geopolitical issues, if not they should avoid writing about foreign affairs.

Political drama doesn't get any better than this. It is time for the debate in Iowa and Frank, Dunbar, and Jackie are poised. Jackie is in the difficult position of running for President while serving Frank's agenda. She is at a crossroads. She has been offered the Vice Presidency, but has been there through all of Frank's duplicity. She goes to Dunbar and asks what she has to offer if she gives her delegates over to her. She refuses, being highly principled and wanting to run a clean campaign. Jackie, who isn't used to this, decides to go for the jugular, bringing her private school kids into the debate. Soon they are sparring in the most ugly way. Frank, on the other hand, sort of sits back and lets it happen and then give Jackie a right to the jaw, leaving her speechless and looking hypocritical. This is so uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Claire is taken aback by Frank and leaves a group of volunteers behind. Once again we have the price of ambition versus what is right and good.

Doug, the third most complex character, is back in his home. His older brother is watching over him. He is a kind man with a firm foundation. One morning, Gavin calls Doug and tells him that Rachel is still alive and if he wants to know where she is, he can intervene on behalf of a fellow dissident. We must ask the question of what will happen to Doug. The tension in this episode is fierce.

Even if not as excellent as the whole of Season 1 and the second half of Season 2, 'House of Cards' was still in the period when it was good and even at its best one of the best and most addictive shows around with Season 3. Not in the period when the show lost what made it so great, with Season 6 especially feeling like a different show altogether. Regarding the third season, all the previous episodes were to me good to excellent, even the more divisive ones.

With "Chapter 37", we are two episodes away from the end of the third season and up to this point of it it is the season at its best. The first truly outstanding Season 3 episode and the only one of the eleven episodes thus far to equal the best of Seasons 1 and 2 in my view. A big task to take on but "Chapter 37" does it, brilliantly. My only very minor criticism, and it was nowhere near enough to bring down the episode and is more a nit-pick, is the Rachel twist which was a little reliant on convenience. That is easily overlookable though because everything about the episode is truly captivating and a strong representation as to what makes me love 'House of Cards' so much.

One thing that particularly struck me was the tension. Political and personal. It is indeed ferocious to nail-biting effect, namely with Jackie and Heather and Frank versus anybody which feels pretty much like the rest of the characters. Frank is at his most ruthless here all season, yes even when up against Petrov. The other standout character is Jackie, at her most interesting this season, love her fierce steel. Found myself again feeling sorry for Doug and his intense but also sometimes poignant subplot does not feel like it's come to a standstill. Remy was the other relatable character, understood his actions here.

The story is thoroughly absorbing, especially the tension, the intrigue and the character interaction. There are a lot of twists and turns that are unpredictable and intriguing, ones that don't over-crowd or over-complicate what is already going on, which is already a lot. The storytelling throughout feels advanced and not stuck or gone backwards. The script is sharp and biting, with a lot of thought-provoking and not talky conversations like with Frank and Jackie. Freddy's lines, like the above, have a lot of truth to them.

All the acting is top class, with Kevin Spacey commanding effortlessly and the same goes for Robin Wright. Molly Parker and Michael Kelly are the other standouts, their intensity burning. The direction keeps things taut but never rushes things, while the production values are as stylish as ever.

In conclusion, an outstanding episode and a Season 3 high point. 10/10