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House of Cards Season 5 Episode 11: Frank in the Eye of the Storm

James Foley
James Foley
Director
David Fincher
David Fincher
Director
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Francis Underwood
Robin Wright
Robin Wright
Claire Underwood
Michael Joseph Kelly
Michael Joseph Kelly
Doug Stamper
Plot Summary: After Walker's hearing, Romero, under pressure from Mark, leaves the Republican party and becomes an independent. With his new status, he has no conflict of interest, so with the support of some old friends, he transfers from the Committee on Declaration of War to the Judiciary Committee. Walker's testimony at the hearing, accusing Frank of using foreign funds in his campaign, gives Tom a big platform to once again attack the Frank administration on television. White House spokesperson Seth has to repeatedly refute, claiming Walker harbors resentment towards Frank, and thus his testimony is unreliable. Tom also needs to face the reality that even if Frank is impeached, Vice President Claire will take over the presidency, which is probably not what Tom wants to see. Walker's words are not unprovable, and Frank faces the risk of impeachment. Even if the Democrat-majority Senate does not pass the impeachment, Mark still advises Frank to accept innocuous punishments such as a party warning to appease the situation. Stubborn Frank adamantly refuses, wanting to discredit Locke so his testimony won't be believed. The next day, rumors about Walker taking medication during his tenure begin to circulate in the media. With such changes in the White House, cabinet members seek alternatives, and Cathy seeks advice from prominent lawyer Maureen. Jane, outside the storm, assesses the situation and considers whether to use this opportunity to bring Claire to power. This aligns with Mark's thoughts. When it rains, it pours. Tom from The Herald receives an anonymous email containing a USB drive with information showing that Mohammed Kalabi has been in FBI custody. Due to lack of verification, The Herald's leadership refuses to publish the unconfirmed news. Unwilling to give up, Tom uses smaller media outlets to spread the information. Thus, news of President Frank wrongly arresting a Muslim visitor to the US and influencing Tennessee votes on Election Day spreads across various media. Seeing the news, Frank immediately instructs Deputy Director Green of the Counter-Terrorism Department to monitor all White House staff and strictly investigate the leaker. Green and Doug are the specific operators of this action, reporting directly to Frank. To be honest, Frank no longer trusts anyone, including Claire, with whom he has been for years. The closer one is to the presidency, the more suspicious they become, and Claire is the most suspicious. Doug discovers many small secrets during surveillance, such as Seth secretly investigating whether there was fraud in Frank's liver transplant; and LeAnn seemingly receiving some files from Aidan, but unable to open them yet. Claire, knowing LeAnn might have secret files stolen by Aidan, starts considering bringing LeAnn back to work at the White House. Doug confesses to Frank that he used his authority to prioritize Frank's liver transplant, leading to another patient's death. Looking at the loyal Doug, Frank also expresses his unease. Frank uses Counter-Terrorism Department equipment to monitor Claire, finding that she was out of surveillance range for a period, likely meeting someone privately. In fact, Claire meets with Jane, who suggests Claire issue an official statement on the issue of Homs, Syria. Hearing Claire still wants Frank to lead the matter, Jane advises Claire to disengage in time and not get involved in Frank's mess. This conversation takes place in a blind spot on the White House stairs, so Frank naturally cannot see Claire. House Speaker Bob and Whip Umack arrive at the White House late at night with bad news. The Republican party has submitted articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives, and both subtly hint that Frank should resign voluntarily to prevent the situation from escalating out of control. Frank is furious and vehemently refuses. But a bombshell follows: the news spread by Tom, though circulating, remains unverified. The next morning, media reports confirm the authenticity of the rumors with an internal White House source. Frank immediately calls Cathy to the Oval Office, ordering her to quickly draft written materials to find reasons for Kalabi's arrest, in support of the actions taken in Tennessee on Election Day. Cathy immediately realizes Frank is setting her up, putting all the blame on her. After leaving the Oval Office, Cathy calls lawyer Maureen to arrange a meeting. As Cathy expected. After Cathy leaves, Frank takes the resignation Cathy signed during the old and new cabinet handover, and announces to Mark, Doug, and Seth that Cathy is the leaker and is responsible for what happened on Election Day. Nevertheless, Mark believes impeachment cannot be stopped, and even if the impeachment articles are not passed by the Senate, Frank's position might still be in jeopardy. At this point, only by fully protecting Vice President Claire can the damage be minimized. As Frank tiredly lies on his bedroom bed, Claire's voice comes from the bathroom. Claire is practicing a statement, the content of which is whether she knew what Frank had done. The next day's headlines are equally explosive: the Secretary of State will testify before the House Judiciary Committee. At the same time, The Herald receives another anonymous email, and Tom carefully opens it to find another USB drive inside.

House of Cards Season 5

United States
2017
13Complete Series

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