‘House of Cards’ Season 3 Cast News: Creator Explains Why Frank & Claire's Relationship 'Had to Be Violent'
The eagerly awaited third season of Netflix's "House of Cards" began with the newly appointed President Frank Underwood urinating on his late father's gravestone.
And more brash behavior came in the season finale.
Over the course of his presidential half-term, Frank (Kevin Spacey) has been trivializing his first lady, Claire (Robin Wright). He reluctantly backed her ambassadorship, scolded her for standing up to the homophobic Russian President and carelessly pimped her out along his campaign trail.
Claire, it seems, has had quite enough. On their latest campaign stop in Iowa, the first lady draws a bath at their hotel room, then returns to the bedroom where she confronts Frank.
"I want you to [expletive] me, Francis," she announces. He turns around in his chair to face her, shocked. He says that he is working. She slaps his face. Her bid for rough sex ends with her face down on the bed.
She turns to face Frank and says, "I want you to look at me while you do it."
Frank withdraws. "That's what I thought," she says.
Fans saw the complicated and bizarre sexual relationship between the Underwoods reach a dramatic peak in the season finale. After all, their marriage has come under attack by everyone throughout Season 3.
"The scariest thing for us, narratively, was to take the core of this show, its greatest strength -- this unorthodox, unholy union between these two people -- and see it break apart," creator Beau Willimon told The Daily Beast. "It had to be violent, and not just physically, but psychologically. What we're seeing is a rift. It's had 28 years to grow stronger, and through the course of a very short amount of time in the White House, it's comes apart."
Willimon said he forewarned the actors about the disturbing hotel room sequence. "I said, 'If you feel uncomfortable about any of this, please say the word,'" said Willimon. "But they were both absolutely game and completely fearless. They were eager to go to this new and scary place. It was scary for them, but their fearlessness ruled the day."
Frank and Claire use sex for personal rejuvenation. In the second episode of the season, Claire finds him collapsed in his study, stressed by his lack of re-election campaign financial backers and the coup within his party. She climbs on top of him and sexually brings him back to life.
"In terms of the hotel scene, there was a deliberate mirroring there," said Willimon. "We saw during the second episode this season a scene where sex made the two of them stronger. And here, we have a situation at the end where Claire, for a whole host of complex reasons, needs that reciprocated, but it has the opposite effect. It weakens them both. We've only seen the Underwoods have a sexual encounter twice in this series -- one at the beginning and one at the end of this season -- and they couldn't be farther from each other in terms of the result."
Another powerful scene between the on-screen spouses will take place in the Oval Office where Claire tells Frank, "Look at us, Francis. We used to make each other stronger -- at least I thought so -- but that was a lie. We were making you stronger, and now I feel weak, and small, and I can't stand that feeling any longer."
The spouses argue, and Frank is furious that she claims he is no longer enough for her.
"Without me, you are nothing," he says, grabbing her by the face. He screams, "You will be the first lady!"
But will she? Following the fight, Claire saunters over to Frank and says, "Francis. I'm not going to New Hampshire. I'm leaving you," and leaves the room.
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