House of Cards (2015) | Season 3
Plot: President Underwood (Kevin Spacey) fights to secure his legacy. Claire (Robin Wright) wants to be more than First Lady. The biggest threat they face is contending with each other.
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Mahershala Ali, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Parker, Nathan Darrow, Rachel Brosnahan, Jimmi Simpson, Kim Dickens, Paul Sparks, Lars Mikkelsen, Kate Lyn Sheil, Jayne Atkinson, Derek Cecil, Mozhan Marno, Larry Pine, Reg E. Cathey, Benito Martinez, Reed Birney & Christian Camargo.
Directors: Robin Wright, Agnieszka Holland, James Foley, John Dahl, John David Coles & Tucker Gates.
Writers: Beau Willimon, Melissa James Gibson, Laura Eason, Kenneth Lin, John Mankiewicz, Frank Pugliese & Bill Kennedy.
Filming Dates: June 12 – December 20, 2014.
Filming Locations: Filming occurred primarily in Baltimore.
Release Date: Netflix released the season in its entirety on February 27, 2015.
Robin Wright as a Director
After her directorial debut the last season with Chapter 23 (Season 2 Episode 10), Robin Wright directs two more episodes this season. They are Chapter 35 (Season 3 Episode 9) and Chapter 38 (Season 3 Episode 12).
Claire Underwood in Season 3
In Season 3, Claire feels the need to be something more “significant” than the First Lady, and asks Frank to nominate her to a United Nations post. He nominates her, but the Senate rejects her after a rocky hearing. Frank gives her the job anyway in a recess appointment, but her tenure is brief; she ruins a treaty between the U.S. and Russia by publicly confronting Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen) about his anti-gay policies and is forced to resign when Petrov uses her as a bargaining chip during a diplomatic crisis.
During Frank’s election campaign, Claire begins to question whether she still loves him. In the season finale, she and Frank get into an ugly fight in which she says he is not enough for her; Frank replies that without him, she is nothing. Season three ends with Claire leaving Frank as he prepares to go to the New Hampshire primary.