This is the turning point for Doug. Frank has expressed his disappointment in him because of his lack of effectiveness, and Frank gives him a third chance. Doug accepts his generosity and has a bit of an epiphany. Frank suspects he has been drinking but we know that his obsession has been with Rachel, who is moving farther and farther away from him. Meanwhile a hearing is going on where Frank must defend himself and the President. He is initially unable to answer some questions (he is a master at stonewalling) and manages to get things delayed as Senator Dunbar grills him. His advisers, Doug and the new guy dig through every bit of documentation they can get their hands on from the personal logs of Frank and the President. Included in this, of course, are going to be the visits to the marriage counselor/minister which won't help the chief executive's position. The other rape victim seems to gain confidence and is able now to tell her story, which helps Claire, even though Claire finds she is taking a boatload of drugs. The episode ends in one of those things that shows Frank and Claire aren't your everyday couple.
2 Reviews
"From the lion's den to the pack of wolves. When you're fresh meat, kill, and throw something fresher"
TheLittleSongbird4 June 2019
Have made it known my thoughts on being a fan of 'House of Cards' in its prime, one of my favourites. The prime period being Seasons 1-4. Seasons 5 and 6, especially 6, unfortunately saw a big decline to the point of not being able to recognise the show. Which is enough to make one mad when the show at its best was absolutely brilliant.
Season 2 of 'House of Cards' is a more than solid season, with none of the episodes being less than very good. It doesn't have the same number of great episodes that the first season did and there was a slight slump in quality between "Chapter 14" and "Chapter 19", but even then the episodes were very close to great with many fantastic things let down slightly by an over-dominant Frank and in a few of them the charater of Lucas.
One of the second season's best episodes from personal opinion is "Chapter 24". One of my favourites up to this point of 'House of Cards'.
Absolutely loved the development to Doug, and have done this entire season. It was great seeing him get an expanded role and the season really makes the most of it. Particularly loved the heart to heart scene with Frank, it said a lot about the characters and their chemistry together. Brought a new dimension actually and showed seemingly that Frank was more than the dominant unscrupulous character that he has increasingly become over the season.
What was another fantastic scene was Doug's speech about Rachel, which makes their relationship clearer for anybody who was confused by it previously. Despite what was said above, Frank's powerful dominance and amorality is still obvious. Especially apparent in the opening scene, his manner manipulative but in a subtle way.
Visually, the episode looks great, the slickness has not been lost and neither has the atmosphere. The music knew when to have presence and when to tone things down to let the dialogue and characters properly speak. The writing is sharp and has bite and intelligence. The story is taut and absorbing.
Kevin Spacey is as to be expected on towering form as Frank and Michael Kelly brings a lot of intensity and poignancy to Doug.
Concluding, fantastic episode. 10/10
Season 2 of 'House of Cards' is a more than solid season, with none of the episodes being less than very good. It doesn't have the same number of great episodes that the first season did and there was a slight slump in quality between "Chapter 14" and "Chapter 19", but even then the episodes were very close to great with many fantastic things let down slightly by an over-dominant Frank and in a few of them the charater of Lucas.
One of the second season's best episodes from personal opinion is "Chapter 24". One of my favourites up to this point of 'House of Cards'.
Absolutely loved the development to Doug, and have done this entire season. It was great seeing him get an expanded role and the season really makes the most of it. Particularly loved the heart to heart scene with Frank, it said a lot about the characters and their chemistry together. Brought a new dimension actually and showed seemingly that Frank was more than the dominant unscrupulous character that he has increasingly become over the season.
What was another fantastic scene was Doug's speech about Rachel, which makes their relationship clearer for anybody who was confused by it previously. Despite what was said above, Frank's powerful dominance and amorality is still obvious. Especially apparent in the opening scene, his manner manipulative but in a subtle way.
Visually, the episode looks great, the slickness has not been lost and neither has the atmosphere. The music knew when to have presence and when to tone things down to let the dialogue and characters properly speak. The writing is sharp and has bite and intelligence. The story is taut and absorbing.
Kevin Spacey is as to be expected on towering form as Frank and Michael Kelly brings a lot of intensity and poignancy to Doug.
Concluding, fantastic episode. 10/10
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