We still have a long way to go before House of Cards Season 3 premieres, but when it comes to Netflix’s most popular political thriller, it’s never too early to start making a few predictions and rounding up as many spoilers as we can. And right now, we're hot on the trail of more details about House of Cards' newfound heroine Jackie Sharp.
But like Frank Underwood, this series prides itself on shocking plot twists (we’re looking at you, subway scene), so Season 3 is proving to be particularly hard to predict — mostly due to the fact that Frank has basically completed his agenda for revenge. He is now officially the President of the United States.
So where does that leave him now? Some may say it’s time for Frank to reach his inevitable downfall. But by the same token, his reign of terror could still be far from over. And since Doug Stamper is (probably) dead, this Commander in Chief is going to need a new right-hand man… or even better, a right-hand woman.
That’s right, folks. What if Jackie became Frank's new Doug? She’s smart; she’s savvy; she has that "ruthless pragmatism" which Frank has already said he admires. (Not to mention her military background and badassery in the bedroom.) Why wouldn’t he want her by his side now that he’s in the Oval Office? Sure, Meechum would be the easy guess, but Frank is finding… um… other uses for him these days.
Having Jackie become his full-on protégé would make for a much more interesting story arc, especially since her character is a hard one to peg down as far as loyalty goes. She definitely has it in her to use people if it means gaining power. (Sound familiar?) Remember how quick she was to throw her longtime family friend Ted Havemeyer under the bus? Granted, she definitely felt guilty about betraying him — which is a step above Frank — but it still didn’t stop her from going through with it. Frank approves.
Even Molly Parker, who plays the up-and-coming congresswoman, thinks her character has a thirst for the same things that drive Frank, telling Vulture that Jackie is “an ambitious woman [who is] very interested in being in leadership and having power.” And as the age-old saying goes, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” So Jackie’s ascent into the darker side of politics (but really, is there any other side?) doesn’t only seem possible, but extremely probable. Parker admits that she has no idea what exactly the writers are planning, but that she “definitely has a job” and that “anything is possible.” Sounds like the perfect opening to slide right into Doug’s "fixer" shoes. (We liked to think of him as HoC's evil version of Olivia Pope.)
Kevin Spacey himself recently revealed that show-producers Beau Willimon and David Fincher are looking to unveil a darker side to the HoC gang next season. And Jackie's continued descent into Frank's inner circle would be in perfect keeping with that theme.
But regardless of whether she becomes Frank's ally or enemy, let's just hope Jackie will still be around at Season 3's "FINISH" line. (Sorry, we just had to!) Either way… prepare yourselves for a great season.
Images: Netflix; vulture.com; mediocrenerd/Blogspot; reddit.com
