This is the first episode of the season that partly shows the writers can still write great storylines for House of Cards. Especially Doug Stamper's and Tom Hammerschmidt's storylines are very interesting and continue where season 5 ended. It gives impressions of how great this season could be if Frank Underwood was still alive. I miss House of Cards...
10 Reviews
A Disaster on All Levels
brooks25013 November 2018
I stopped watching half-way through this episode, and I had been a loyal viewer. Let's face it. This show "jumped the shark" a couple of seasons ago. But it was still fun to watch, even as real life DC became more outrageous than Frank Underwood could ever imagine. However, with the abrupt exit of Kevin Spacey, there's no way to salvage this show. The boring plot thread of who killed Frank has no narrative momentum because it's all speculation with no flashbacks to Frank or even a witty turn to the camera from Frank. It plays like desperate time-filling ... Oops, I just dozed off there.
Giving Claire her own show would be fine. But they need to jettison Frank completely and have her involved in a plot we care about. Otherwise, the show is just a boring, desperate slog.
Giving Claire her own show would be fine. But they need to jettison Frank completely and have her involved in a plot we care about. Otherwise, the show is just a boring, desperate slog.
Sigh, Facepalm.
eddiewinz29 April 2019
There are so many new characters emerging from God knows where (after they killed off most) and it's the last season.
I'm trying but i can't seem to care for them.
The acting is weird too on top of that, especially those new character..
"I curse and wish you a painful death"
TheLittleSongbird5 August 2020
Despite really liking/loving Seasons 1-4, Season 5 wasn't as good with the last two episodes of it in particular starting 'House of Cards' decline. Season 6 though was a disgrace all round and didn't feel like 'House of Cards' at all, almost certainly unrecognisable from the standard of Seasons 1-4. If asked what was in my opinion the worst final season for any show, my answer would be a quite easy this. The one for 'Game of Thrones' is also very controversial understandably and the final episode was a severe let down.
But at least the final season for that show actually started off well with two good episodes, while going downhill from there. Season 6 of 'House of Cards' was a failure from the very start, with the first episode being heavily flawed from the get go and all the episodes having the same flaws and more rather than ever improving (instead in the last two episodes in particular the feeling intensified). "Chapter 68" is no improvement over the first two episodes, other than providing a few answers for what had happened to Frank, whose absence leaves a gapingly massive hole that never filled throughout the season's run. Actually thought it was as bad as "Chapter 66", with the same flaws almost amplified and then more flaws were made along the way.
Will start with the few positives. Diane Lane does her best with not particularly great material, more at ease-looking than the other actors and not looking bored, and her chemistry with Robin Wright has its minor moments, the closest the episode gets to having any chemistry. Michael Kelly is compelling as Doug, up to this point of the season the only character to compel me and not frustrate me.
The photography is slick and classy as ever.
However, "Chapter 68" is still a massive failure in terms of writing and storytelling. The story is quite thin and not an awful lot moves forward, none of the revelations at this point illuminated me and have been quite far-fetched instead and this is no exception. Also feeling shoe-horned for the sake of it. The dialogue is as stale and awkward as the previous two Season 6 episodes, Claire as uncharismatic and incapable of making any logical decisions that don't confuse as them and Robin Wright as cold and wooden as before.
Considering what happened to her in "Chapter 64", seeing Catherine playing a major and almost pantomimic here role in this episode was hard to swallow, especially when made to spout lines as bad as the one in the review summary which sounded like a different Cathy. Her role in the episode was just too neurotic to the point of resembling the most over the top of cartoons.
Moreover, the Shepherds are not at all interesting as characters, their motivations still vague, and after being one of the better newer characters in Season 5 the writers had clearly run out of ideas for Jane. Patricia Clarkson overdoes it uncharacteristically, trying no doubt to make the most of such lacking material. Everything with the Potus completely fails to make sense and would be more at home in a straight to video/DVD film, far from worthy of the 'House of Cards' name. This for me was also the first episode of 'House of Cards' ever to have the music feel intrusive and over-scored.
In conclusion, weak. 3/10
But at least the final season for that show actually started off well with two good episodes, while going downhill from there. Season 6 of 'House of Cards' was a failure from the very start, with the first episode being heavily flawed from the get go and all the episodes having the same flaws and more rather than ever improving (instead in the last two episodes in particular the feeling intensified). "Chapter 68" is no improvement over the first two episodes, other than providing a few answers for what had happened to Frank, whose absence leaves a gapingly massive hole that never filled throughout the season's run. Actually thought it was as bad as "Chapter 66", with the same flaws almost amplified and then more flaws were made along the way.
Will start with the few positives. Diane Lane does her best with not particularly great material, more at ease-looking than the other actors and not looking bored, and her chemistry with Robin Wright has its minor moments, the closest the episode gets to having any chemistry. Michael Kelly is compelling as Doug, up to this point of the season the only character to compel me and not frustrate me.
The photography is slick and classy as ever.
However, "Chapter 68" is still a massive failure in terms of writing and storytelling. The story is quite thin and not an awful lot moves forward, none of the revelations at this point illuminated me and have been quite far-fetched instead and this is no exception. Also feeling shoe-horned for the sake of it. The dialogue is as stale and awkward as the previous two Season 6 episodes, Claire as uncharismatic and incapable of making any logical decisions that don't confuse as them and Robin Wright as cold and wooden as before.
Considering what happened to her in "Chapter 64", seeing Catherine playing a major and almost pantomimic here role in this episode was hard to swallow, especially when made to spout lines as bad as the one in the review summary which sounded like a different Cathy. Her role in the episode was just too neurotic to the point of resembling the most over the top of cartoons.
Moreover, the Shepherds are not at all interesting as characters, their motivations still vague, and after being one of the better newer characters in Season 5 the writers had clearly run out of ideas for Jane. Patricia Clarkson overdoes it uncharacteristically, trying no doubt to make the most of such lacking material. Everything with the Potus completely fails to make sense and would be more at home in a straight to video/DVD film, far from worthy of the 'House of Cards' name. This for me was also the first episode of 'House of Cards' ever to have the music feel intrusive and over-scored.
In conclusion, weak. 3/10
Anyone Who Has Even a Modicum of Information
Hitchcoc4 November 2018
Claire has rooted out all kinds of potential trouble. One is Kathy who was pushed down the stairs by Frank. She ends up with an induced "embolism." Meanwhile, the Shepherds continue to flex their muscle. They have a couple things that can destroy the presidency. Claire is trying to get Doug to be her guy, but as of now, he is too loyal to Frank. We also have the Washington newspaper guy, Hammerschmidt, walking away because of what journalism has become. He has a load of information that could be used against Frank Underwood (which would pull Claire in). One really creative thing the writers are doing is to show Claire in he youthful element. It really shows her and the creation of the vipers that inhabit her world.
I'm Really Trying
eddiewinz29 April 2019
Review
l-045113 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
As for this episode, it seems that everything starts getting tense, not so slow as the first two episodes. The show's characters continue the well-known tradition of going low, digging dirts to intimate and threaten the rivals. It seems that this going-low play couldn't be less fascinating, becuase we have always seen it in the last five seasons. What I don't understand is how Former Secretary Cathy was dead. As for the season 6, the new idea of this season, I think, is the battle is newly set between US President, and the powerful forces outside politics which have a quite decisive impact on DC politics, the media and so on. This new idea differs from those of the first five seasons, which focus on the conflicts within politics. That is what I like about this season.
I tried
phillip-ayscue-135-64324715 November 2018
Trash
gmcamilleri31 July 2021
Magnificent; Fresh; Focused
marcin_len6 November 2018
Packed full of action and suspense this series leaves nothing to uninitiated. Casual audience will feel lost and confused. But fans of the series that have no emotion for that cold dead loser Frank Underwood will feel more than satisfied. 5 stars!
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