Mark May 30th on your calendar, because the highly anticipated arrival of House of Cards season 5 is coming to a Netflix near you. The newest trailer of Claire warning a nation under fear can be viewed below. I’ve compiled information on the newest season, but I must warn you that if you have not seen season 4, you’re in for some spoilers.
The lines that build-up Frank’s quietly aggressive narration in the lengthy trailer (can be viewed at the end of this article) create a scene of awesomeness: “Underwood, 2016. 2020. 2024. 2028. 2032. 2036. One nation, Underwood.” The familiar faces we all know and love/fear are returning, including Doug Stamper, Will Conway, Tom Yates, and of course, Claire Underwood. One thing that will be a game-changer is the departure of Beau Willimon, the series’ creator, who has been replaced by Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese (senior series writers). Some are wondering what effect this will have on the story’s arc.
With the imminent breakout of a war against the terrorist group ICO, Frank left us with a terrifying situation considering an election looming over his head. Frank will most likely have to deal with the evasion of numerous allegations (all of which are 100% true in one way or another), and may perhaps face the potential betrayal of Claire, as we have seen in season 4. Hammerschmidt’s article detailing the murderous exploits of Frank may not be enough to distract from a war overseas, but either way, we are going to see the unraveling of threads for Frank. Did I mention Frank still needs to resolve his tension with Russian President Petrov? Frank is also instituting a travel ban in the new season. Notice any parallels between the show and the political reality the USA faces now?
Frank was shot in the last season, leading to the deterioration of his health. Could this be the final season for Frank? I certainly hope not, but Claire’s recent ambitions to seize control from Frank doesn’t rule out the possibility. This season, Frank is “just using fear to get votes,” and Claire will now be running on the ticket with him—a seemingly far-fetched point. However, Kevin Spacey (A.K.A. Frank Underwood) explained how season 5 will resonate in President’ Donald Trump’s America, and he is quoted stating, “I think that we’re scarier than we’ve ever been before.”
Pete Souza, former President Obama’s photographer, followed Kevin Spacey around Washington, D.C., capturing his portrayal as Frank Underwood on the campaign trail. The writers of the show have credited Trump jokingly saying that “Trump has Trumped us. We don’t have any ideas for season six now—he stole them all.” Robin Wright who plays the role of Claire gave the audience a little tease about the upcoming season, stating “It’s going to be difficult for Francis and very interesting for Claire…”