House of Cards (season 6)
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The sixth and final season of ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an Expression (language), expression that dates back to ...
'', an American
political drama A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas in ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
created by
Beau Willimon Pack Beauregard Willimon (born October 26, 1977) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He helped develop the American version of the series ''House of Cards'' and served as showrunner for the first four seasons. In 2018, Willimon created th ...
for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, was released on November 2, 2018.
Frank Pugliese Frank Pugliese is an American TV writer and artistic director. He won a WGA Award for the '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode "Night of the Dead Living." He is also a playwright. In 2017 Pugliese became the co-showrunner of House of Cards. ...
and
Melissa James Gibson Melissa James Gibson is a Canadian-born playwright based in New York. Life The child of former BC Liberal MLA Gordon Gibson and journalist Valerie Gibson, Melissa James Gibson grew up in North Vancouver. She graduated from Columbia University an ...
returned as showrunners for the final season. The sixth season continues the story of recently-inaugurated, Democratic president
Claire Underwood Claire Underwood (née Hale) is a fictional character in ''House of Cards'', played by Robin Wright. She is the wife of the show's protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and the main protagonist in the final season. She is a lobbyist and r ...
(
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
), who faces new threats within and outside the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
following the death of her husband and former president Frank Underwood. Powerful elites, led by wealthy siblings Annette and Bill Shepherd (
Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
and
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including ''Sabrina'' (199 ...
), are attempting to manipulate and destroy her presidency, while Claire struggles to exert influence and escape her husband's shadow. The sixth season marks the first of the series without
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...
, who portrayed lead character Frank Underwood. Soon after production began in October 2017, Netflix fired the actor as a result of
sexual misconduct allegations Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity **Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ** ...
made against him. Production was halted for several months while the screenplay was reworked to exclude Spacey's character. As a result, the season was reduced to eight episodes, deviating from the 13-episode format of the previous seasons.


Production


Unannounced start and sudden shutdown

On October 11, 2017, ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' reported that ''House of Cards'' had been renewed for a sixth season and that filming would begin by the end of October 2017. On October 18, 2017, production of the sixth season of ''House of Cards'' appeared to be already in progress, without an official renewal announcement by
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, when a gunman opened fire near a ''House of Cards'' set outside Baltimore. Production company
Media Rights Capital MRC II Distribution Company L.P., doing business as MRC (formerly Media Rights Capital), is an American film and television studio. Founded by Mordecai (Modi) Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, the company funds and produces film and television programming. ...
and Netflix stated that production on the show was not affected by the shooting. Production on the series was shut down on October 30, 2017, following sexual assault allegations towards
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...
by actor
Anthony Rapp Anthony Deane Rapp (born October 26, 1971) is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of ''Rent''. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, Rapp reprised it in the film version ...
, who publicly stated that Spacey had made a sexual advance on him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. Netflix announced its decision to cancel the series after the upcoming season, although multiple sources stated that the decision to end the series had been made prior to Rapp's accusation. The following day, Netflix and MRC announced that production on the season would be suspended indefinitely, in order to review the current situation and to address any concerns of the cast and crew.
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
strongly opposed Netflix executives who wanted to cancel the season, as she was concerned about the 2,500 people who had been involved in the production at that time and were at risk of losing their jobs. On November 3, 2017, Netflix announced that they would no longer be associated with Spacey in any capacity whatsoever.


Restarting production

On December 4, 2017,
Ted Sarandos Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. is an American businessman who serves as the co-chief executive officer and chief content officer for Netflix. Early life Sarandos was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His father was Ted Sarandos Sr, an electrician, and ...
, Netflix's
chief content officer A chief content officer (CCO) is a corporate executive responsible for the digital media creation and multi-channel publication of the organization's content (text, video, audio, animation, etc.). The CCO is usually an executive role or senior v ...
, announced that production would restart in 2018 with Wright in the lead, without Spacey's involvement, and revealed that the sixth and final season of the show would consist of eight episodes. ''House of Cards'' resumed production on January 31, and wrapped filming four months later, on May 25, 2018. The firing of Kevin Spacey significantly affected the production process, as showrunners
Frank Pugliese Frank Pugliese is an American TV writer and artistic director. He won a WGA Award for the '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode "Night of the Dead Living." He is also a playwright. In 2017 Pugliese became the co-showrunner of House of Cards. ...
and Melissa Gibson had to rethink the show and come up with a conclusion for the series in a limited amount of time, taking into consideration other contractual obligations of the cast and crew. In an interview with ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'', Pugliese and Gibson revealed that these changes did not represent a huge shift for many of the characters; it was the overall story that was mostly affected, which was initially intended to center on a struggle between Frank and Claire to own the White House. The showrunners also revealed that—even in his absence—Frank continues to have a big impact on the story, and noted that erasing him completely would have seemed disingenuous. In the wake of Spacey's firing, Wright leads the sixth season of ''House of Cards'', with her character,
Claire Underwood Claire Underwood (née Hale) is a fictional character in ''House of Cards'', played by Robin Wright. She is the wife of the show's protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and the main protagonist in the final season. She is a lobbyist and r ...
, having assumed the presidency at the end of the previous season. A number of returning cast members reprised their roles from previous seasons, while
Alik Sakharov Alik Sakharov (born May 17, 1959) is a film and television director. A former Director of Photography, he is an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Career Sakharov entered the US film scene when he began sharing the ...
, who had helmed three episodes in season five, directed for the final season as well. New additions to the cast included
Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
and
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including ''Sabrina'' (199 ...
, who played Annette and Bill Shepherd, the sister-brother inheritors of an industrial conglomerate; said characters were inspired by the
Koch brothers The Koch family ( ) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities and their control of Koch Industries, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $115 billion). ...
, as members of a family with the power to influence American politics. Joining them, Australian actor
Cody Fern Cody Fern (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian actor and director. Following his feature debut in ''The Tribes of Palos Verdes'' (2017), he portrayed murder victim David Madson in the FX series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American C ...
plays Annette's ambitious son Duncan Shepherd. Lane had been cast to play Claire's longtime friend prior to the firing of Spacey, with whom she had shot a number of scenes. However, as she told ''IndieWire'', the writers "managed to find the same trajectory for ercharacter in terms of what she means to Claire."


Cast and characters


Main

*
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
as
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Claire (Hale) Underwood * Michael Kelly as Douglas "Doug" Stamper *
Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
as Annette Shepherd *
Campbell Scott Campbell Scott (born July 19, 1961) is an American actor, producer and director. His roles include Steve Dunne in '' Singles'', Mark Usher in ''House of Cards'', Joseph Tobin in ''Damages'', and Richard Parker in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ...
as
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
Mark Usher *
Derek Cecil Derek Cecil (born January 5, 1973) is an American actor. He played the role of Seth Grayson on the Netflix series ''House of Cards'', starred in the short-lived series ''Push, Nevada'' and '' The Beat'', and made several appearances in the series ...
as Seth Grayson *
Cody Fern Cody Fern (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian actor and director. Following his feature debut in ''The Tribes of Palos Verdes'' (2017), he portrayed murder victim David Madson in the FX series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American C ...
as Duncan Shepherd *
Athena Karkanis Athena Karkanis (born September 7, 1981) is a Canadian television, film and voice actress. She is noted for her role as Grace Stone in the NBC/Netflix science fiction drama series ''Manifest''. Life and career Karkanis was born in Alberta and r ...
as Melody Cruz * Jeremy Holm as
FBI Assistant Director The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
Nathan Green *
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including ''Sabrina'' (199 ...
as Bill Shepherd *
Boris McGiver Boris McGiver (born January 23, 1962) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in projects such as ''Lincoln'', ''House of Cards'', ''The Wire'', ''Killing Kennedy'', and ''Person of Interest''. Personal life Of Irish and Ukrainian d ...
as Tom Hammerschmidt *
Constance Zimmer Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series ''Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). She ...
as Janine Skorsky * Kristen Sieh as
Press Secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Duti ...
Kelsey Stewart *
Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades incl ...
as Jane Davis *
Jayne Atkinson Jayne Atkinson (born 18 February 1959) is a British-American actress. She is best known for the role of Karen Hayes on '' 24'', as well as her Tony Award–nominated roles in '' The Rainmaker'' and '' Enchanted April''. She has also appeared in ...
as Catherine "Cathy" Durant


Recurring

*
Boris Kodjoe Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe (; born March 8, 1973) is a German actor, producer, and former model best known for his roles as Kelby in the 2002 film ''Brown Sugar'', the sports-courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama ser ...
as Congressman, later
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
Brett Cole * Linda Marie Larson as Jennifer Baumgarten *
Linda Powell Linda Margaret Powell (born April 16, 1965) is an American actress. Early life Linda Margaret Powell was born in Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 16, 1965 the daughter of Alma and Colin Powell, the former United States Secretary of State, Nation ...
as Secretary of State Marcy Siegerson *
Chip Zien Jerome Herbert "Chip" Zien (born March 20, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of ''Into the Woods'' by Stephen Sondheim. He has appeared in all of the "Marvin T ...
as Dr. Charles Rosen * Brian Keane as Ray Meyers * Susan Pourfar as
Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...
Nora Cafferty *
Ron Canada Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor with a specialty in portraying judges and detectives. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), ''The Shield'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996). Career Following ...
as
Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
Vincent Abruzzo *
Lars Mikkelsen Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen (born 6 May 1964) is a Danish actor. He has played Copenhagen mayoral election candidate Troels Hartmann in the drama series ''The Killing (Danish TV series), The Killing'', List of Sherlock characters#Charles Augustus Ma ...
as President Viktor Petrov *
Gregg Edelman Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor. Biography Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Gra ...
as Stan Durant


Guest

*
Chris Agos Chris Agos is an American actor. Agos played Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series ''For All Mankind'', ASA Steve Kot in '' Chicago PD'' on NBC, Eliot McGantry in ''Boss'' on Starz, and has ...
as USSS Special Agent Rick Bowman * Robert Newman as
EPA Administrator The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other enviro ...
* Joy Lynn Jacobs as U.S. Attorney * Lee Sellars as
Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Roger Olmstead * Aaron Serotsky as Russell *
Darwin Shaw Darwin Shaw is a British stage, film and television actor, and director. Formerly practicing as a medical doctor, he retrained as an actor at LAMDA in 2004 after studying theatre in New York City. Early life Shaw, the eldest of two boys, was ...
as Rafiq Nasser *
Sakina Jaffrey Sakina Jaffrey (born February 14, 1962) is an American actress. Early life Jaffrey was born in New York City, the youngest daughter of Indian-born parents, actress and food and travel writer Madhur Jaffrey, and actor Saeed Jaffrey. Her parents ...
as Linda Vasquez * John Ellison Conlee as a hunter *
Thomas Kopache Thomas Kopache (born October 17, 1945) is an American actor. Career Kopache was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Dorothy E. ( née Sterling). He is known for his roles as Assistant Secretary of State Bob Slattery in ''The West Wing'' ...
as Earl Hanna *
Marc Kudisch Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway. Early life and education Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fami ...
as Henry Mitchell *
Willa Fitzgerald Willa Fitzgerald (born January 17, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Emma Duval in MTV's ''Scream''. She has played cheer coach Colette French in the USA Network's television drama series '' Dare Me'' and offic ...
as 20-year-old Claire * Ali Collier as teenager Claire *
David Corenswet David Packard Corenswet (born July 8, 1993) is an American actor. After graduating from the Juilliard School in 2016, he began guest starring in television series, including ''House of Cards'' in 2018. He then played lead roles in the Netflix seri ...
as Reed *
Kenneth Tigar Kenneth Tigar (born September 24, 1942) is an American actor, primarily on American television, and translator. Life Kenneth Leslie Tigar was born into a Jewish family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and raised in the Greater Boston Area. He recei ...
as Walter Doyle


Episodes


Marketing

From March to October 2018, Netflix released various promotional material for the sixth and final season of ''House of Cards''. On March 4, the first teaser premiered during the
90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...
ceremony. The teaser shows Robin Wright in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...
as President Claire Underwood, declaring "We're just getting started," followed by an intertitle reading "
Hail to the Chief "Hail to the Chief" is the personal anthem of the president of the United States, adapted by James Sanderson from an original Scottish Gaelic melody. The song's playing accompanies the appearance of the president of the United States at many ...
". On June 10, Netflix released two first-look images from the final season. The first photo shows Wright listening to director
Alik Sakharov Alik Sakharov (born May 17, 1959) is a film and television director. A former Director of Photography, he is an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Career Sakharov entered the US film scene when he began sharing the ...
, and the second shows her looking straight at the camera. On
July 4 Events Pre-1600 * 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaim ...
, the 242nd anniversary of the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
, a video message was posted on ''House of Cards'' official
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account, with President Claire Underwood saying, "Happy Independence Day... to me." The message is followed by the hashtag #MyTurn. On August 7, Netflix announced that the season would be released on November 2, 2018, and unveiled key art. The poster pays homage to the promotional image for the first season of the series, as Wright strikes the Lincoln Memorial pose, like
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...
had done before her. On August 27, four images were published via a press release, which depict new cast members
Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...
,
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including ''Sabrina'' (199 ...
and
Cody Fern Cody Fern (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian actor and director. Following his feature debut in ''The Tribes of Palos Verdes'' (2017), he portrayed murder victim David Madson in the FX series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American C ...
in their roles as members of the Shepherd family. A teaser trailer released on September 5, revealed the fate of Frank Underwood, portrayed by Spacey who was fired from the show, months after the conclusion of the fifth season. It is shown that Frank died in 2017, and has been buried next to his father in South Carolina. Claire visits her husband's grave and says, "I'll tell you this though, Francis. When they bury me, it won't be in my backyard. And when they pay their respects, they'll have to wait in line." This speech mirrors the one Frank gives in the third season of the series, when he visits his father's grave. On September 27, Netflix released a new teaser trailer that presents several new and returning characters. Claire is shown dealing with the aftermath of her husband's death, and declaring that "the reign of the middle-aged white man is over." On October 8, Netflix released the official trailer for the season, which revolves around Claire's power struggle, as she clashes with the American oligarchs and tries to forge her own path as President of the United States. On October 23, critics began publishing reviews on the season, based on advance copies of the first five episodes that they had received from Netflix, after they had signed a letter of agreement.


Reception


Critical response

Prior to the official release date of the season, Netflix sent the first five episodes to a number of critics, to serve as advance screeners. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the season has an approval rating of 69% based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 6.11/10. The consensus reads, "''House of Cards'' folds slightly under the weight of its labyrinthian ending – thankfully Robin Wright's commanding performance is strong enough to keep it standing strong." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the season has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Kevin Lever of ''FilmEra'' wrote that "with Wright at the forefront of the show now, ''House of Cards'' shines as it did in its early years." Lever described the production as "stellar" and the writing as "reinvigorated". He noted that the show still has the feel of previous years, but it works best when it focuses on Claire, instead of dealing with holdover pieces. David Zurawik of ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' wrote, "I love TV drama that speaks to the cultural moment the way this series does. And, as I have said over and over, #MeToo is a landmark moment." Zurawik revealed that the season primarily focuses on gender issues; "the evil of patriarchy and the stench of misogyny". He stated that the episodes exceeded his expectations, and praised the performances of Wright, Lane and Kinnear.
Christopher Hooton Christopher Hooton is a journalist, podcaster and filmmaker from London, England. Life and career Hooton started his career in journalism at Metro, before moving to The Independent where he served as the publication's culture editor and later fi ...
of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' described the episodes as "slightly banal". He expressed his disappointment at the new characters that were introduced this season, and commented that "Frank Underwood has left behind not only a power vacuum but an entertainment one." Hooton noted that ever since Frank became president at the end of season two, the series has drifted directionless, and after watching the first five episodes of the final season, it still remains unclear what the show is actually about. Negative reviews include one by Tyler Coates of ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'', who writes: "Kevin Spacey's absence haunts the final season of ''House of Cards''. Just as the show wouldn't work without Claire Underwood, it doesn't exactly work without Frank." Another by Sonia Saraiya of '' Vanity Fair'' writes: "''House of Cards'' collapses – finally. Down a star and out of things to say, Season 6 flounders." Jack Seale of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' rated the season two stars out of five stating, "We still need to talk about Kevin. It's impossible not to miss Spacey's presence as Robin Wright struggles to make her mark and save Netflix's first big show." The series finale in particular was met with largely negative reviews. Scott Von Doviak of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a "C−", praising Wright's direction but criticizing the writing and the characterization of Claire during the final season. Kyle Fowle of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave the episode a "D" rating, saying the ultimate flaw of the season and the finale was the large focus on Frank and Frank's legacy. Emily VanDerWerff of '' Vox'' gave the finale a one-and-a-half star rating out of five, saying the season "saved the worst for last".


Accolades

For the
71st Primetime Emmy Awards The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2018, until May 31, 2019, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on September 22, 2019, at the Mi ...
,
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
and Michael Kelly received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, respectively.


References


External links

* * {{House of Cards 2018 American television seasons House of Cards (American TV series) seasons