After having the upper hand in the past three seasons, the wily and ruthless Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) wiill be having his hands full when House of Cards opens its fourth season on Netflix on March 4. The US President who power-grabbed his way up to the highest position in the land will be fighting an uphill re-election campaign, an angry and potentially dangerous spouse, and a new enemy who Netflix is hyping as younger, smarter, and perhaps deadlier.
Youth Health gives the inside scoop on the marital rift that rocked the world of the Underwoods - and the fans' - in season 3. Claire (Robin Wright) was Frank's perfect partner: supportive spouse, ingenious strategist, and a manipulator who was as brilliant, strong-willed, and as devious as him. Frank himself described that he loved his wife with the same intensity that sharks hunted for blood. It was the gradual but inevitable disruption of that partnership that made the last episodes of season three simply compelling. Showrunner Beau Willimon admitted that they took a lot of risks in shifting the spotlight from the political intrigue to the couple's personal struggle, but the overwhelming response of the fans more than justified the gamble.
Youth Health hints that Frank would really need Claire this season, as an emerging equally hungry power couple emerges to contest the Underwood's control over the White House. There's no word on the male side of this dynamic duo yet, but Netflix has been promoting Neve Campbell as Frank's new adversary, and one that he should not underestimate.
iDigital Times further raises the stakes by hinting one step that Claire might take that can spell the doom of her husband. Instead of coming back to his aid, she just might throw her hat into the ring and run for the presidency herself.
Still, Wall Street Journal warns against underestimating Frank Underwood. As the new Netflix promo makes him proclaim to adversaries and allies alike, "America, I am just getting started."
