When it comes to being a fiercely strong and formidable woman, no one does the job quite like Claire Underwood from House of Cards . Ever since the show debuted, Claire has proven to be much more than just "Frank's wife" and that's only grown more prominent with time. In fact, if House of Cards Season 4 had one major underlying theme, it was Claire's ascension to power. Warning: finale spoilers ahead! Sure, Frank is still technically the President, but let's be real here — this entire season was Claire's show. We were all just lucky enough to be along for the ride. But the ultimate turning point for the First Lady came at the end of the season when Claire broke the fourth wall in the House of Cards Season 4 finale.
In the final few moments of this nail-biting season, Frank once again looked into the camera and spoke candidly to the audience, much like he always does. "We don't submit to terror. We make the terror," he stated, while turning to his wife. However, the major turning point happened when Claire actually reacted to his words, as if she too could also hear what he was saying, and then turned to look directly at the camera and into our souls.
So what does this mean exactly? Why is Claire now breaking the fourth wall when she never has before? In my opinion, it all comes down to who's in charge. Up until now, Frank has always been in the greatest position of power. He's been the one in charge. But now that Frank finally realizes just how integral Claire is to maintaining their success, their partnership has undergone an important transformation. She is just as powerful as he is now, putting them on equal footing for the very first time. For me, the fourth wall break represents that shift in dynamic. Frank and Claire share control — not just of the country, but of the narration as well. This is now just as much her story to tell as Frank's.
Of course, the next natural question would be to wonder if this change-up will be continued throughout Season 5. Will Claire start narrating to us as well or was this just a one-time thing only? I don't have any concrete answers given that the HoC writers haven't let me in on their plans for some reason (rude!), but I have to imagine that something like this is bound to happen again, giving us the exciting opportunity to get a real look inside Claire's thought process and feelings for the very first time. So yeah, I think we can all agree that Season 5 can't get here soon enough.
Images: Netflix; Giphy
