It pretty much goes without saying that Frank Underwood is not a man to be trifled with… just ask Peter Russo and Zoe Barnes. (Oh wait, you can't because Frank killed them.) You see our point? This guy will do absolutely anything if it means gaining power and prestige. But now that the House of Cards Season 2 finale saw Frank sworn into the Oval Office as the new leader of the free world (God help us all), it seems more evident than ever that this immoral man’s rise to power will soon come to an end. And we think Season 3 is the perfect time to get the ball rolling, with the help of Jackie Sharp and Janine Skorsky.
Show creator Beau Willimon recently hinted that — probably for the first time ever — in Season 3 Frank will struggle with the fact that he’s finally reached his revenge-fueled endgame. "What do you do when you’re on top of it?" Willimon asks. "Who are you? You can no longer say, 'I'm the guy trying to reach the summit.'"
Sounds like dear ole Frank will be experiencing a bit of an identity crisis. It makes sense though. Frank has always been the king of ambition and manipulation, but now that he’s outmaneuvered everyone and achieved his goal, he’s bound to feel at a loss without any obstacles to overcome. This leaves the door wide open for a new adversary to come into play and threaten all he has gained and my money is on Jackie Sharp and Janine Skorsky.
Let’s face it, Frank’s climb up the political ladder has given him plenty of enemies to contend with — and just like an actual house of cards, all it takes is one wrong move to bring the whole house crumbling down. There’s more than enough evidence out there to contribute to Frank’s downfall. It’s just a matter of finding someone clever enough to put the pieces together… and live to tell the tale.
Just take a moment to let the idea of a Jackie-Janine super team sink in because if you think about it, it actually makes total sense. A congresswoman and political news reporter would be the perfect combo to bust Frank’s scandalous web of crimes wide open. For one, Jackie already has a place in Frank’s inner circle since she helped whip the votes to get President Walker out of office. Frank sees a lot of himself in her, which is the main reason behind his decision to name her as his replacement for the House Majority Whip.
Sure, some may see her as his protégé of sorts, but that’s what would make her betrayal all the more perfect. As the old saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Jackie could easily turn into a double agent and destroy him from the inside out like the BAMF she is.
Then there’s Janine — the much-less believable hero in this potential partner match-up. Predicting her involvement may be a bit of a stretch, we admit since her Season 1 sass somehow morphed into a Season 2 weakling, who fled to New York after Zoe's murder — too afraid to stand up to Frank's wrath. It's a personality shift that just doesn't add up. This is a show that prides itself in portraying complex and often strong female characters: Jackie Sharp, Claire Underwood, Zoe Barnes… these are all dynamic women who weren’t afraid to go after what they want. So Janine’s cowardly nature makes me think the writers have something else in store for her. Perhaps she’ll decide to make amends for her cowardice by teaming up with Jackie to bring Frank to justice. After all, he already thinks she’s been dealt with, so it’s a twist not even he would see coming.
But hey, maybe I'm wrong and Janine really is as weak as she appears (though that would be completely depressing). However, this series has been known to deal out plenty of surprising moments in the past, so really anything is possible. After all, no one could have predicted this would happen:
Or this, for that matter…
Case in point. Frank’s been dealt a good hand for far too long and it’s high time the good guys played an ace (or two).
Images: Netflix
