In season 4, Zoe, along with Peter Russo, appear in a dream Frank has after an assassination attempt on his life. Pugliese: We made a decision that the most powerful place Francis Underwood could live at this point is in the imagination of the viewer. Perhaps weaponizing assumptions that are made about her as a woman, and turning those on their head. As Claire Underwood, who by this stage is pregnant (the child may be Frank’s, it may be Tom Yates' - Claire herself doesn’t seem sure), and Doug Stamper stand in the Oval Office, she forces a confession out of him. Lucas looks into Zoe's death. Who knows. Before the final scene, Claire listened to a recording from Frank's audio diary. After three seasons of swaying, manipulating, and coercing, I can confidently say that those words aren't even a fair way to describe his character. James Gibson: He gained a certain kind of agency. There’s something about remembering someone and then there’s something about actually remembering their voice that sort of embodies them or makes them present in a way that’s deep. That much was made clear before House of Cards season 6 had even hit Netflix, but the circumstances of how the show would write out the former-President were less clear. Frank Underwood is a despicable man. (The color red along with the "pain" reference were nods to how the series began, says Pugliese.) Surprisingly for this season, he became the voice for a certain kind of humanity. Frank Underwood is a despicable man. If you’re too human as you pursue power, you usually pay a price on our show. It’s just without him on screen and with other characters filling the void. Netflix has just dropped it's second teaser for the final season of House of Cards, and it's a major spoiler! That clip confirmed the speculation that Frank would indeed die in the final season. — kiran (@banditqueen_) February 28, 2015 Raised in impoverished circ… It was an ending — some form of punctuation. That quote (borrowed from Frank in the House of Cards pilot) was also how Claire opened this season. House of Cards then concludes with Claire telling Doug to admit he’s happy Francis is gone, after which Doug snaps and puts a letter opener to her throat - the letter opener that Frank bequeathed to him in his will - only for her to get him to back down, and then stab him instead, before suffocating him for good measure. With Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Mahershala Ali. 1. Claire is empowered, but also a murderer. In addition to cutting that scene, Frank’s — and by extension, Spacey's — likeness is gone from the season. Doug became the next character to break the fourth wall and speak to the audience in the final two episodes. Claire is wrestling with that idea for herself and there she is, hearing this voice she was complicit with and asks for complicity. What story is she going to tell? Jane Davis. There are no pictures of him and his voice is never heard. Does this mean she was telling the truth in her direct addresses? Before the Spacey scandal, there were talks of House of Cards spinoffs being in the works. The series opened on Francis Underwood killing an injured dog, putting it out of its pain and then holding forth on the nature of pain. November 05, 2018 So it was an option. Frank Pugliese: We knew we wanted the ending to be cathartic and for it to be some sort of release; the complicated reveal of many aspects of Claire’s character. WARNING: Major spoilers for House of Cards season 6. What was Claire conveying with her final look to the camera? How is she going to get away with this? Francis Joseph Underwood is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American adaptation of House of Cards, portrayed by Kevin Spacey.He is depicted as a ruthless politician who rises from House Majority Whip to President of the United States through treachery, deception and murder. Related: House of Cards' Ending Was BETTER Without Kevin Spacey. Knows all the most influential terrorists. But that’s left up to the audience and their imagination. I don’t think that Claire entered the season wanting what happens in the finale to happen. It’s much more complicated. She doesn't care about that. Her equivalent from the original series is Mattie Storin. Would the writers simply wash their hands of him in the first episode, or would they slowly draw it out, using his death as a key plot point for the entirety of the season? 1. Are any of those projects moving forward and if they do, would you want to be involved? The audience didn't hear it, and Claire has a visceral reaction. It also plays off an earlier season. After the screen fades to black, what does life look like for Claire moving forward? Cashew may be just a guinea pig, but he doesn’t deserve to be crushed underfoot. Doug Stamper Killed Frank Underwood As Claire Underwood, who by this stage is pregnant (the child may be Frank’s, it may be Tom Yates' - Claire herself doesn’t seem sure), and Doug Stamper stand in the Oval Office, she forces a confession out of him. Directed by Carl Franklin. One of the really fascinating questions is: Who is the biggest monster of them all? It was really about, “What is the best thing? Francis had been planning to murder Claire, so to protect the Underwood presidential legacy (which already seemed like a moot point considering all of Francis… DashDividers_1_500x100_2 Doug’s story about the evening of Frank’s murder also clarifies a few things. It’s more complicated for Claire. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. What was on that tape? Doug dies in her arms and — in what James Gibson calls a "full circle" series moment — Claire flashes one last look to the audience after silencing the person who knows all of her secrets. After firing Spacey over sexual assault allegations and reworking the final season without the disgraced star, the sixth cycle of House of Cards (which bowed in full on Nov. 2) revealed quickly that Frank was dead. Did you toy with having Claire be the one to kill Frank in the end? DashDividers_1_500x100_2 Doug’s story about the evening of Frank’s murder also clarifies a few things. She is having an imprint to the same degree and making her own mark. Netflix and the series’ producers were left with no choice but to retool the sixth and final season of House of Cards after details emerged of his sexual misconduct. Sitemap | James Gibson: And Claire exerting herself and taking a stand in that final way. Despite Spacey's abrupt exit, the writers do give closure to But, we now know that account is likely totally true — and what led to Frank’s death. How literal that got was part of the discovery. But there’s no other way. New episodes of “House of Cards” won't be available on Netflix until Nov. 2, but the show has already released a clip suggesting protagonist Frank Underwood is dead. Doug accuses her of using her motherhood that way, but it’s not that simple. Various suspects are brought in along the way, from suggestions Claire herself did it to her new rivals Bill and Annette Shepherd (Greg Kinnear and Diane Lane) but it’s only in the final 10 minutes we get the truth. Pugliese: It gets reductive if we show any aspect of him or any piece of it. A lot of stories are being written or re-written to have #MeToo-inspired endings. | EU Privacy Preferences, Showrunners Frank Pugliese and Melissa James Gibson speak to The Hollywood Reporter about why the Robin Wright political saga had to end with an "inevitable showdown. Pugliese: This is a territory where themes and issues that you approach get complicated. Whereas Claire is very much moving on. He threatens Claire with a letter opener, superficially cutting her and sending blood down her neck. That would be - what’s the word? (Chapter 3) Underwood has stated that he and his father had nothing in common whatsoever, and upon his father's death, he felt neither regret nor remorse. Thirty-seven minutes into the first episode, she confronts Frank in the station, and hints that she … - convenient.”. During the season two premiere, her investigation led to her death, with Underwood pushing her in front of a Washington Metro train to protect his own secrets. In the final season of Netflix Inc's "House of Cards," Frank Underwood is physically gone, having died unexpectedly in his sleep. James Gibson: Some of the questions are really interesting, especially what happens with female characters about likability. Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood. James Gibson: It was an exciting discovery that we made in concert with our amazing actor, Michael [Kelly]. Desperate to avenge the death of his lover Zoe Barnes, and expose Francis Underwood as the murderer we know he is, Goodwin is willing to put both his job and life on the line. Doug, for his part, doesn’t even try to resist, but seems accepting of his fate, with Claire saying "There, no more pain.". The thing about the finale and you asking about what comes after, this show has always existed in relationship with the audience, which has been a big part of the direct address and in the conversation with the viewer. Now that she’s done with this last piece, will she really move on? In order to come up with the best and most correct decision, every possibility was important to consider seriously and play out with all of the implications. Doug dies, Francis’ reputation is in tatters, and Claire remains in the White House, still pregnant, as the season, and the series of House of Cards itself, fades to black. Doug's self-worth was entirely wrapped up in Francis’ regard. But I don’t think ever a plan. Spacey was fired and, after a delay in production, the show went ahead with Robin Wright as the sole lead and a planned eight episodes instead of the usual 13. Photo: David Giesbrecht/Netflix A field of men in red hooded capes gather around an intensely creepy statue in … James Gibson: Exactly. That’s not even just in terms of a cultural standpoint, but quite literally the in-show universe: from the very first chapter of the new season, Frank’s death - or more specifically, the person responsible - becomes a mystery that spans the entire length of the show. The Francis Underwood-Raymond Tusk political drama continues to unfold. Pugliese: Or she’ll come up with an amazing story about how she got away with killing someone in the Oval Office! Here's who really killed Frank Underwood in, Netflix and the series’ producers were left with no choice but to retool the sixth and final season of, We hear of the official reasons for Frank’s death quickly: publicly, he died in bed next to Claire, and an autopsy report states an overdose from complications with treatment for the live transplant her had. Casually mentioned to Claire, ju… That Doug Stamper would murder Frank and that Claire Hale would end up killing Doug? I think he’d get smaller. So Doug suddenly being that voice and knowing he may pay the price for it — and then that he ultimately does — was a trajectory that we got to explore and play with. On our “means, motive, and opportunity” checklist, Claire scores a hat trick.Jane DavisCould’ve done it on Claire’s behalf. It actually offends him, which was a really animating dynamic. It complicates things for her in a way that made it exciting. Though Frank isn’t in the newest episodes, and though Claire is a … They can write out Spacey, but Frank’s presence lingers like a ghost over the entire season. And then the great surprise is that she doesn’t feel what she expects to feel. Pugliese: What you were feeling watching that, there’s something to that. Ultimately, maybe there’s a realization that she has to do it all by herself. Kevin Spacey's image is mostly wiped from "House of Cards" in the final season, which turns Frank Underwood's death into a major mystery and shocking conclusion. It wasn't until the final face-off between the two people closest to the former President Underwood that Doug confessed to Claire (who relinquished her Underwood name) that he killed Frank to protect "the legacy from the man." Has access to poison. James Gibson: I agree. Kevin Spacey's character is dead. The series opened on Francis Underwood killing an injured dog, putting it out of its pain and then holding forth on the nature of pain. Pugliese: We were coming up with an ending and it seemed most compelling that it’s an ending that says: It’s not over. James Gibson: If anyone could do it, she could. There are some callbacks in this season and this is one about Francis’ relationship to his father and that graveyard. Below, in a chat with THR, the executive producers unpack the motivations behind the main characters in the final season — from Doug's fourth-wall break to Claire "weaponizing motherhood" — and explain why Frank's (and by extension, Spacey's) likeness was erased entirely from the final eight-episode story. Francis Joseph “Frank” Underwood was an American politician who served as the 46th President of the United States from 2014 to his resignation in 2017, when he became the third president to resign from office. James Gibson: We definitely considered it. After three seasons of swaying, manipulating, and coercing, I can confidently say that those words aren't even a fair way to describe his character. Whatever the audience imagines after is all part of the end of the show. The final season of House Of Cards drops hints about how Frank Underwood died between Season 5 and Season 6, and it seems that the official narrative is that Frank simply died in … | Do Not Sell My Personal Information At what point in the process of plotting and restructuring the season after Kevin Spacey's exit did you decide that this is how the show would end? She proved her hands were just as bloody as his. ... Death Francis Underwood in House of Cards, Season 1 Episode 12. There’s something about the last three episodes where she pivots to be more emotionally available to the audience and expressive. He tells Claire that he was the leak, along with Doug, and that this is what’s best for them. Visually and cinematically, finally using that and filling the Oval Office with that red was a break. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. 1. How does she possibly stay in charge and get out of this murder in the Oval — and how do you imagine motherhood would change her? Gallery. President Claire Hale UnderwoodFact: Claire murdered the last guy she slept with. Frank was going to the White House to murder Claire following the events of the season five finale and Doug poisoned Frank to stop him. In fact, Cashew may be the only totally innocent character on the show. The Francis Underwood-Raymond Tusk political drama continues to unfold. In this world, word means nothing. At the end of last season, you said that at that point, Frank could kill Claire or visa versa, and that they were each capable of anything. So the finale itself is not really final until it’s played out with the audience. Frank was an only child born on November 5th, 1959. 5:45am PT The character of Francis is more so haunting the show and casting a shadow over it, and trying to insist on a place within it. However, all of the news surrounding his off-camera misconduct forced his exit from the show and Frank Underwood was killed off-camera. Pugliese: There was a rigor that [creator] Beau Willimon and David Fincher put in place with the show as far as storytelling and even visually. James Gibson: Well, she’s telling her version of the truth. She poisoned him (h/t Jane), and as the drugs set in, she had sex with him one last time so he could die while he was still inside her (!). Zoe Barnes flew too close to the sun and now she's gone. I imagine she’ll start with her list of enemies sitting on the Resolute Desk. And that may be something that potentially reveals Doug to himself that’s very hard for him to handle. Based on previous versions of this story, people protecting the legacy of the male character, I think he’s actually being a better wife by killing Francis. That all happens, in a way, before our season starts. But this partnership [between Claire and Frank] was no longer tenable and I think that got exposed and became clear by the end of season five. Share. | California Privacy Rights No doubt about it. James Gibson: Our concern writing it — and I’m just being totally honest — was nothing beyond the show. Because I think the second you start thinking about possible stories that would spin out of it, it dilutes the integrity. Something that the season plays with is: Who is the better wife? Pugliese: Correct. To the very end, Doug did everything he could, no matter the cost, to protect and serve Francis Underwood. We hear of the official reasons for Frank’s death quickly: publicly, he died in bed next to Claire, and an autopsy report states an overdose from complications with treatment for the live transplant her had. Frank Underwood pushed her in front of a moving train at the fictional Cathedral Heights metro station and now she is dead! Claire looked both sad and happy when she stabs the letter opener into Doug. As Doug was dying in her arms, Claire said, "There. She’s fulfilling his fate that he has helped author. Sometimes there’s a pressure or want for Claire’s character to be representative somehow of a female president or some aspect of a representative beyond the rules of the show. What were her motivations in that moment as to why she had to kill him? And it was an opportunity found from the rules of this show from the previous six years. What was the decision behind erasing him in that way? It seemed like the showdown was the inevitable showdown. He assumed office after the resignation of Garrett Walker on October 30, 2014. She’s ultimately free and released and yet, there’s an enormous amount of price she paid to get there. Yet, there's no avoiding the impact that Frank Underwood had to this story. Pugliese: All kinds of characters are negotiating or wrestling with the narrative over the course of the season, and that’s Doug overtly stating his version or his attempt to control the narrative as well. There’s an isolation that comes with that. Claire plays the grieving widow, with shots of her at his funeral, looking into his casket (his face is, of course, never seen) but privately she suggests foul play, and that her husband was quite possibly poisoned. Terms of Use | How does Frank Underwood die in House of Cards? We really did explore every possibility, but just in terms of Claire’s psychology — and actually Doug Stamper’s as well — until that was what became clear as the right thing to do. Directed by Robin Wright. Jackie faces obstacles as she plans to run for new whip. Quite literally in the first episode of this season, Claire is attempting to declare independence on the Fourth of July. As she says early in the season: “, Various suspects are brought in along the way, from suggestions Claire herself did it to her new rivals Bill and Annette Shepherd (, As Claire Underwood, who by this stage is pregnant (the child may be Frank’s, it may be Tom Yates' - Claire herself doesn’t seem sure), and, Doug dies, Francis’ reputation is in tatters, and Claire remains in the White House, still pregnant, as the, Cobra Kai Season 4’s Best Possible Cameo Isn’t From Karate Kid, How Frank Underwood Died In House of Cards Season 6, How Kevin Spacey's Firing Changed House of Cards' Final Season, House of Cards' Ending Was BETTER Without Kevin Spacey, House of Cards Season 6's Ending Explained, WandaVision's Beekeeper Explained (Why Scarlet Witch Hides His Identity), WandaVision: Scarlet Witch's Pregnancy (& Young Avengers Setup) Explained, Stranger Things 4 Theory: The Upside Down Can Save Hopper From Russia, WandaVision Introduces One Of Eternals' Most Important Powers, Korra Trends As Fans Defend The Avatar’s Character, The Mandalorian May Remove His Helmet More In Season 3 Teases Pedro Pascal, The Flash Season 7 Premiere Delayed To March, Star Wars: Andor Season 1 Doesn't Include K-2SO, Says Alan Tudyk, WandaVision Shows MCU’s Post-Endgame Future Better Than Far From Home, Malcolm in the Middle Almost Prevented Cranston Starring In Breaking Bad, The Office: How Old Is Creed At The Beginning & End Of The Show, Seth Rogen Still Wants You To Watch Freaks & Geeks 22 Years Later, The Boys' Herogasm Means Season 3 Can Finally Mock Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision's Sitcom Parodies Get More Cynical In Later Episodes, WandaVision: Glamor And Illusion Marvel Easter Egg Explained, Disenchantment: The Biggest Unanswered Questions After Season 3's Ending, Where The Sopranos Was Filmed: Main Locations. Pugliese: To your point about the sometimes contradictory feelings of that ending, is that Claire has been negotiating the whole season around who is going to partner with her. The near-death of Cashew. There are a whole lot of characters who are trying to prevent that from happening and one of them is Doug Stamper, who is desperately navigating his own legacy, one that is so entwined with Francis’. This was to be the season of the showdown, and I think it still is. Those eight episodes have now landed on Netflix, but the big question is what happens to Frank. Pugliese: You are also watching Doug and Claire negotiate that in that last scene. Frank Underwood’s fate cast a shadow over the entire season and wasn't resolved until the final scene. Melissa James Gibson: It’s always hard to pinpoint the exact moment, because it was such an organic process of discovery. By episode’s end, both Claire and Frank’s truest loves will be hit, hard, by ruthless life-ruiner machine that is the Underwood marriage. That’s where he’s most threatening. house of cards is the greatest. When it comes to sealing her fate, how did you approach that predicament of giving her the ending she deserves? So maybe it was an option, for sure, especially since it’s been an option in the versions of the story that had been told before from the book to the BBC series. Claire plays the grieving widow, with shots of her at his funeral, looking into his casket (his face is, of course, never seen) but privately she suggests foul play, and that her husband was quite possibly poisoned. Frank was going to kill Claire for going back on her promise to pardon him, and Doug intervened and ended up killing his mentor. In the end, Claire is, to some degree, freeing Doug Stamper and looking at us in a full-circle way. How did that signify a change for his final arc? James Gibson: There’s a full-circle element to all of this. In what other ways does this series finale bring House of Cards full-circle? It needed to be both those things. To hear showrunners Frank Pugliese and Melissa James Gibson tell it, the series finale of Netflix's first original series ended with an "inevitable showdown" between Claire (Wright) and Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) over who killed Francis J. Underwood (formerly played by Kevin Spacey). James Gibson: Season three started with Frank at his father’s grave and peeing on it. The US meets with China. I felt that whatever she was feeling and expressing to us, I actually trusted that. Because, in a way, Francis is allowed to exist within the rules of this show. Essentially, the approach — and this is the approach to writing the show since coming on for season three — was to let the story that we were telling tell itself as we told it. Thirty-seven minutes into the first episode, she confronts Frank in the station, and hints that she suspects he was involved in Peter Russo's murder. The character had the need to believe everything she was saying and as much as she was convincing us, she was convincing herself and really believing that she could control this. by The confession explains the story Claire had crafted: after finding Frank dead, Claire told the public Frank died by her side in bed from an accidental overdose; she told the audience, however, that he was murdered. Pugliese: All that matters is that it was Francis’ voice. The previous episode posited that the Underwood administration was on its last legs, or rather, that Frank’s time as leader was done. Pugliese: Destructive and productive. All rights reserved. 1. We knew that we wanted the end to feel surprising but inevitable. Gibson: There was nothing calculated about that. The Jordan Valley erupts in chaos just as Frank's campaign is picking up steam. Frank’s death is addressed in the opening minutes of the first episode of the final season. ". Frank Underwood’s death. Here's who really killed Frank Underwood in House of Cards. im only on episode 4 and frank underwood has already pissed on his fathers grave and spit on jesus. Exactly how that was going to happen and if somebody was going to die, or pay the price, for all that, we didn’t know until we got close to the ending. The drama comes from her need to believe what she’s saying. To be fair to her and to give her her due, as any other character, she wins and succeeds with things consistent with the rules of our show. Pugliese: What I also find intriguing, and this is partially what Robin did with the character, is that as far as facts go, is she telling the truth? People underestimate the importance of detail to the overall impact. Small Things Francis Underwood in House of Cards, Season 5 Episode 5. The two of them have been in a symbiotic relationship all season long, where they’ve been negotiating everything they did with Frank and everything that’s possible for them beyond Frank. Claire gets disturbing intel and counsels him. Also, during the course of working on the season, you start to realize that the two characters who had the most invested in each other, either by potentially being allies or actually by being the existential threat to the other, were Doug and Claire now that Francis was off the screen.

Biltmore Christmas Packages, Kemptville, Ontario To Ottawa, Ati Nuan Ati Ku Chord C, Meaning Of Eccentric In Urdu, Jesus Is The Foundation Of The Church, Avis Car Rental Dtw,