We need to talk about Episode 4 of 'House of Cards' Season 4
WARNING: This post contains spoilers about House of Cards Season 4, particularly episodes 1-4. There are no spoilers from beyond Episode 4.
After a rather slow start to the fourth season, House of Cards really pumped up the action in Episode 4, with a good ol' fashioned attempted assassination of an elected official.
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It's a plot we've seen play out several times before -- The West Wing, Scandal, 24 -- but House of Cards tries to put its spin on the storyline by adding a few additional threads.
For one, the person behind the gun -- which goes off while Frank is confronting protestors at a rally -- is someone we know: Lucas, the former Washington Herald editor who Frank had framed for cyber terrorism. He's killed in the exchange by Meechum ... as is Meechum himself.
Sigh.
This departure of everyone's favorite um-man is quite the personal blow to the Underwoods. He was, after all, the head of security detail, the couple's sometimes sex partner, and probably the only person who may love Frank as much as Doug Stamper.
R.I.P. Meechum.
At this point, Frank has yet to find out about Meechum's death -- he and his 1/4 of a liver are currently chilling/fighting for life.
They did get to share one more special moment before it happened, though. Earlier in the episode, Frank stops in his tracks to take a closer look at a painting mounted on one of the walls of the White House. He asks Meechum what he thinks of it, to which he says, "I'm not sure." (Classic Meechum.)
Frank sits down to observe it more.
"Is that a lightning bolt?" Meechum asks.
"Well, I assume. Unless it's just a bad attempt at making the ship a unicorn?" Frank responds.
They laugh.
Meechum likes the colors, he says. Frank "hates" it.
"I guess I hate it, too," Meechum says.
Frank takes down the offending art and stares at the blank space a bit. Meechum tells him he should put up something "he likes better."
Frank gets an idea and asks Meechum for a marker -- and his hand.
THIS IS A THING THAT HAPPENED.
Frank is going to be devastated.
Claire, meanwhile, gets the news and immediately calls his family personally to give her condolences, but she doesn't take long to grieve.
You see, with Frank out of commission, VP Doug is tasked with filling in as acting president. In this, Claire sees an opportunity. Puppet, meet master.
Are you sad Meechum met his end? Tell us in the comments.
Topics Netflix
Sandra Gonzalez was a Senior Television Reporter at Mashable. A Texas native, she spent almost four years in New York City before leaving the land of superstorms for Los Angeles, where she was introduced to these terrifying things called "rolling earthquakes."Previously, she was with Entertainment Weekly, where she wrote about every show that could fit into her perfectly crafted TV schedule and anything ever touched by Shonda Rhimes.You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @theSandraG
