House of Cards Season 5 Episode 12: Attending the Hearing
James Foley
Director
David Fincher
Director
Kevin Spacey
Francis Underwood
Robin Wright
Claire Underwood
Michael Joseph Kelly
Doug Stamper
Plot Summary:Frank invites Cathy to the White House late at night, hoping to persuade her to change her mind. When persuasion fails, he takes drastic action, pushing Cathy down the stairs. This 'accident' leaves Cathy unconscious, forcing the hearing to be postponed. Frank then uses the chemical attack in Homs, Syria, to divert public attention. But Cathy's awakening is inevitable. To permanently resolve the Carabini issue, Doug fakes a lab report claiming to have found explosive residue on Carabini's computer keyboard. Holding this report, Deputy Director Green of the Counter-Terrorism Department, summoned by the Judiciary Committee, feels uneasy. On the Aidan issue, Claire decides to bring LeAnn back. LeAnn is also sensible, willing to testify that Aidan unilaterally used the NSA network to manipulate elections and steal secrets, and President Frank was unaware. Doug knows LeAnn is hiding something; the information Aidan sent her before his death was never mentioned. Frank also knows this, but for now, he deals with Aidan's troubles and leaves other matters for later. As these arrangements are made, Sean, a former young reporter for 'The Herald' and later appointed White House Deputy Press Secretary by Claire, privately reveals a piece of news to Frank. Tom, who has been collecting evidence against Frank, obtains some materials and a mobile phone from Zoe's father. The phone only contains Frank's number. Although the phone is damaged, recovering the data is not difficult with current technology. Tom now suspects Frank and Doug are involved in Zoe's death. In fact, Tom cannot recover the phone's data; he is merely deliberately leaking information to Sean, hoping to scare Frank through Sean and make him make a mistake that can be exploited. Frank is indeed startled by these words. He and Claire decide that the blame must be entirely shifted to Doug. To this end, Claire invites Doug to dinner at the White House. During dinner, Doug understands Frank's insinuation and proactively offers to resign to cover for Frank regarding the Zoe incident. But this is not enough; Frank and Claire mean for him to take the blame for killing Zoe. Doug is shocked that his loyal service for many years would lead to such a fate. Out of blind loyalty to Frank, he still decides to fulfill their wish and take the blame himself. And the troubles are not over. Claire receives Thomas's manuscript. The manuscript is Thomas's latest novel, which alludes to his life in the White House, easily associating it with Frank and his wife. Arranged by Mark, Claire meets Thomas in an apartment. After confirming there is only one manuscript, Claire hands him a drink. Unsuspecting, Thomas drinks the poisoned beverage, becoming a victim of Claire's venomous nature. Afterward, Mark is shocked to see Thomas's body and quickly calls cleaners to thoroughly remove all traces from the house. At the hearing a few days later, Deputy Director Green and LeAnn both give testimony favorable to Frank, pulling Frank out of the quagmire of Carabini and Aidan. This disappoints Romero, who can only hope for Cathy's quick recovery. Frank also realizes this calm is temporary. He decides to waive executive privilege and personally testify before the Judiciary Committee. To Jane and Mark, this is too risky. Jane even worries that Claire will be affected; she wishes Frank would stop struggling and give the presidency to Claire. With Jane's connections, it would be easy for Frank to find a good job outside the White House. But Frank still takes the stand, swearing on the Bible to tell only the truth. Everyone present is surprised when Frank's first words are a confession of guilt. He then changes tack, accusing the committee members on the dais of committing the same crimes as him, all employing political tactics for their own interests. Committee member Romero is singled out, targeting Frank purely out of personal vendetta. Frank's speech thoroughly criticizes the American administrative system. Finally, Frank, speaking as a victim, announces his resignation as president from 6 PM the next day, refusing to be a scapegoat for this corrupt system.