As the show says quite clearly, the Underwoods are about Becoming, and the Conways are about Being. There is a dark, powerful willpower in the Underwoods that has sustained the credibility of their story through the four season arc of the show.
Frank and Claire are more than just liars, swindlers or cheats. Even the most virtuous characters in the show - Hammerschmidt and Freddie - still only see the Underwoods as these very American populist tyrants, but the reality is that the passions they draw on are far more ruthless. The scene where Underwood dominates Durant was probably the best single scene of the fourth season. The look in her eyes when she realizes that the consequences for her betrayal of Frank would essentially be mortal was probably the most lucid moment of recognition in the entire series.
|