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House of Cards Season 5 Episode 8: The US-China Agreement

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: To ensure victory in Ohio, Frank must go to Cincinnati for a TV debate and multiple campaign rallies. But before that, he has to visit the hallowed ground where business and political magnates gather, for only with their support can true victory be achieved. Unexpectedly, in addition to his old friend Raymond Tusk, he also encounters Brockhart and Pollyhop founder Benjamin. Clearly, Brockhart's military background is popular with the wealthy, but only Frank sees the problem: Willa is not there. Seeing Raymond's attitude towards Brockhart, Frank realizes that Willa's power is waning, and Brockhart is likely to replace her. The question now is how to get Raymond and those wealthy individuals to switch their support from Brockhart to himself. Frank's advantage lies in his thirty years of political experience, which tells him what these rich people want, while Brockhart's rigid military career offers little help. Claire, remaining at the White House, is discussing a foreign trade agreement with China with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Jane. Once the agreement takes effect, it will bring many jobs to Ohio. However, Claire doesn't want Frank to hog the limelight; she plans to announce this achievement at a rally herself. But a sudden event disrupts her plans. Woken up in the middle of the night, Claire receives news that a Russian research vessel in the Antarctic Circle is in distress and sinking. The ship is ostensibly collecting ice core samples but is actually prospecting for oil. The United States is the closest rescue nation, but for some unknown reason, Russia not only refuses assistance but also denies the ship's existence. Cathy's suggestion is to send a rescue team, at which point the Russian side will have to accept reality. Out of caution, Claire first calls Petrov. On the phone, Claire proposes exchanging the research vessel for Aidan. To her surprise, Petrov flatly refuses, stating that Aidan's value is far greater than the research vessel and its crew. Petrov also threatens her with secrets Aidan possesses, indicating he doesn't want the cargo inside the ship exposed. In this matter, Jane plays a role again. While discussing the agreement with China, the Chinese representative inadvertently reveals that there is an American on board the Russian research vessel. Claire's heart skips a beat upon hearing this, and she immediately dispatches people to collect more information. From the information provided by China, the American is a retired geophysicist named Thad Peterson. Seeing that it's not Aidan, Claire loses interest and decides not to intervene further. Unexpectedly, upon learning of Claire's decision, China suspends the agreement negotiations. Claire thinks for a moment and realizes the reason. The ship must be a joint Sino-Russian venture. After the incident, Russia would rather let the ship sink, while China wants to retrieve important cargo from the ship, hence their desire to use the United States for rescue. Given this, Claire does a favor: the United States sends a ship for rescue and allows Chinese personnel on board. Afterward, all rescue videos will only feature Chinese personnel, giving all credit to China, and the United States only requires the agreement to take effect. After the rescue, all Russian crew members are saved, except for Thad, who is missing. The research vessel is also sunk to the bottom of the sea at Claire's instruction. In the media, Russian President Petrov sincerely thanks the Chinese government. China gains face, and the United States gains substance, a win-win deal. Frank returns to the White House. His biggest gain from this trip is not only convincing the wealthy but also obtaining a recording from Benjamin. In the recording, Willa is shown to be very manic, forcefully demanding to pilot the private jet in flight as a presidential candidate. Benjamin is Willa's friend, and Pollyhop also helped Willa gain an early advantage in the campaign. Given Willa's current mental state, Benjamin doesn't know whether Willa's election would be a blessing or a curse for the United States. With this recording, Frank and Claire feel more confident. They invite Mark to the White House again, and this time Mark completely gives up, only asking Frank not to go too far. So Frank devises a plan, starting with questioning Willa's fitness for office and slowly leaking information. If Brockhart comes out to support Willa during this period, he will use his recording to counterattack. With such a meticulously designed plan, Frank's victory is almost a certainty.

House of Cards Season 5

United States
2017
13Complete Series

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