Not long to go now…
You’ve been patient and finally, the day is almost upon us. Yes, we’re talking about House of Cards.
Season five of the show returns to Netflix tomorrow and to describe ourselves as excited would be doing a great injustice to how we’re feeling at this moment in time.
But as it’s been quite a while and you need a catch up of all the seasons, you can read our House of Cards in 5 Minutes or Less guide which will give you a run down of all four seasons until now.
Otherwise, Netflix have provided some information on what fans can expect in the coming season with words from showrunners Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese.
Have a read of their info below…
House of Cards’ fifth season picks up where it left off; in the midst of a tense presidential election that puts the Underwoods on the same ticket against energetic Republican upstart Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman). Viewers will see how their heated campaigns play out, as well as which alliances dissolve in the aftermath. Perhaps the biggest question is if Frank and Claire’s relationship is among them.
“I think there’s something about (the Underwoods) trying to find some sort of détente,” Pugliese said. “They’re coming back together, and they’re trying to redefine who they are to each other and see what their partnership is.”
Gibson added, “Both of these characters are such survivors, but who’s ultimately going to have the greatest stamina? It’s unclear.”
In the White House, Frank Underwood is joined by his loyal Chief of Staff, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), Secretary of State Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson), Press Secretary Seth Grayson (Derek Cecil), advisor LeAnn Harvey (Neve Campbell), and speechwriter Tom Yates (Paul Sparks). But this season, much of the action also belongs to outsiders, from an increasingly angry electorate, to a team of investigative journalists, to a “deep state” of political operatives. As the Underwoods told the nation to prepare for war against ICO in season four, they invited new allies and adversaries.
“The battlefield is the American psyche, basically,” Gibson said of the new season.
Pugliese added: “Terror ultimately lives in the imagination of the voter, and we wanted to take advantage of that. There are ways that gets manipulated, and there’s a price you pay.”
This season’s band of outsiders includes Mark Usher (Campbell Scott) and Jane Davis (Patricia Clarkson), two high-powered figures who avoid the spotlight and whose ambitions remain shrouded. Over at the Washington Herald , Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver) and young reporter Sean Jeffries (Korey Jackson) try to unlock the mysteries behind Zoe Barnes’ death and Rachel Posner’s disappearance – two shocking events that continue to haunt those affected by them.
“Season five is just the past is catching up with some of these characters,” Pugliese said. Even House of Cards ’ viewers may factor into this game-changing season. “Francis has always been inviting the audience’s complicity, and there’s a question about how much the audience will take,” Pugliese said.
“How long are they gonna be along for the ride, and to what extent?” Gibson adds. “[Frank] tests the limits of that complicity in the same way this season is really testing the limits of democracy.”
Season five is marked by violent power plays, new alliances, stunning betrayals and, as always, a desire to win at any cost – and not just from Frank Underwood. “The landscape really shifted by the end of season four,” Gibson noted. “I think it shifts again by the end of season five.”
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