House of Cards - Episode Guide

Allegiances are abandoned after a promise is broken in the opener of this drama, which follows a ruthless congressman and his equally ambitious wife as they navigate the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.

Francis attacks the White House through the media; Claire makes a cruel decision.

Francis deals with a crisis in his home district; Zoe experiences the politics of journalism.

Francis takes on leaders in Congress; Peter Russo is forced to choose between politics and family.

Francis' fight over an education bill creates unfortunate side effects.

Francis battles striking teachers; Claire receives a surprise confession.

Francis wins a major victory; Peter faces his past; and Stamper attempts to bury a secret.

Francis receives an honor; Peter returns to Philadelphia.

Francis and Stamper seek support in Congress.

Claire defies Francis; Peter presents an ultimatum.

Peter battles personal demons; Francis enters dangerous territory.

Francis takes an unexpected detour.

Francis desperately tries to keep his plan on track in the Season 1 finale. Later, Claire suffers the consequences of her decisions.

The Underwoods face two threats in the Season 2 premiere. Later, Francis grooms his replacement; and Claire goes on the offensive.

Francis targets China. Meanwhile, Claire confronts a painful trauma from her past; and Lucas Goodwin presses for the truth.

Tensions rise between Francis and Raymond Tusk. Later, a battle in the Senate pits Francis against the Republicans.

A terror scare at the Capitol traps Francis with a resentful Donald Blythe. Meanwhile, Claire gives an attention-grabbing live interview.

Lucas goes to extreme measures to expose Francis.

Francis and Tusk end their alliance. Meanwhile, Lucas must make a difficult choice; and Stamper grows closer to Rachel.

The Walkers deepen their friendship with the Underwoods.

Claire influences Tricia Walker politically and domestically. Later, Francis has a showdown with Linda Vasquez.

Tusk blindsides the Underwoods.

Francis tries to finish off Tusk for good. Later, Claire and Jackie Sharp collide.

Francis is interrogated. Meanwhile, Stamper wrestles with personal demons.

Francis finds himself shut out. Later, Claire makes a difficult sacrifice; and Stamper tries to regain control.

Francis faces annihilation in the Season 2 finale. Meanwhile, Stamper ties up loose ends; and Claire feels the repercussions of ruthlessness.

A rocky start for the Underwood Presidency. Frank wants to introduce an ambitious jobs program, while Claire sets her sights on the United Nations.

Claire's U.N. bid runs into trouble. Frank fights off mutiny with a bold address to the country.

The Russian President's state visit becomes a Cold War of wills and some punks heat things up.

Claire bypasses Russia at the U.N. Frank tries to outmaneuver a potential challenger and ends up face to face with a higher power.

Frank declares war on Congress to jump-start his jobs program. Claire spars with the Russian ambassador.

Frank and Claire travel to Moscow to negotiate the return of an imprisoned U.S. citizen. Claire takes a stand that jeopardizes their plans.

The damage is done, and the Underwoods must repair it. But deep wounds don't heal fast and sometimes not at all.

A hurricane endangers more than just the entire East Coast, and Frank must make a difficult choice.

The Jordan Valley erupts in chaos just as Frank's campaign is picking up steam. Claire gets disturbing intel and counsels him.

Frank needs to deal with Petrov one on one, while Claire tries to preserve the peacekeeping mission. Sacrifices must be made.

Things turn ugly when Frank, Jackie, and Heather square off during their first debate. Tom joins Claire on the campaign trail.

The Jordan Valley erupts in chaos just as Frank's campaign is picking up steam. Claire gets disturbing intel and counsels him.

In the midst of the Iowa caucuses, Frank and Claire must confront hard truths about each other.

Claire's absence causes problems for Frank on the campaign trail amid rumors of a marital rift. Claire tries to strike out on her own.

As Claire begins exploring a campaign of her own, she and Frank engage in backdoor political maneuvering. But this time they're not on the same side.

Claire joins Frank as he stumps in South Carolina, but he doesn't trust her. A disastrous scandal blindsides Frank's campaign on primary day.

Claire threatens Frank. Frank makes a politically bold move that may provoke Russia. An event at a campaign stop changes everything.

Claire advises Donald Blythe on dealing with Petrov. Further investigations of Lucas Goodwin dredges up his accusations against Frank.

Claire clashes with the Secretary of State over her involvement in negotiations with Russia. Dunbar must choose between her campaign and her ethics.

Frank and Claire adjust to their new reality. The search for Frank's running mate begins. Frank starts a campaign to weaken Conway's strong support.

Formidable as ever, both Underwoods have their eyes on the big picture as they manipulate a potential running mate and push the gun bill.

At the convention, Frank and his team publicly push for Catherine Durant to be chosen as his running mate, but privately pursue a different agenda.

As Frank deals with a new threat to his candidacy, Claire has doubts about their plan. Claire faces a difficult decision concerning her mother.

Frank ups the ante on the war on terror to counter Conway's public show of strength. Tom joins Claire on the campaign trail.

Frank asks Will to help deal with extremists threatening to murder hostages. Hammerschmidt digs deeper into the allegations against Frank.

As the hostage situation continues, Claire secretly negotiates with Yusuf al Ahmadi. Frank confronts Hammerschmidt.

As Congress debates investigating Frank, he and Claire attempt to stoke fear of terrorism. Tom Yates continues his stay in the White House.

Frank and his team work to leverage support in key states by any means necessary. Claire learns some upsetting news about one of Frank's friends.

The day before the election, Conway holds a 24-hour Skype session with voters, while Frank and Claire stump in key states and try to discredit him.

With a tight race and low voter turnout on Election Day, things look grim for Frank. But he's still got one more trick up his sleeve.

Nine weeks after Election Day, the Underwoods work to consolidate their power. Leann tries to track down a missing Aidan Macallan.

In the midst of uncertainty, suspected Russian forces take over an American station in Antarctica. Meanwhile, a damaging news leak could hurt Frank.

When a crisis forces White House personnel to take shelter in a bunker, Commerce Department official Jane Davis negotiates through back channels.

While Frank attends an elite men's weekend gathering to firm up support, Claire deals with a stranded Russian ship and threats from Petrov.

Petrov tries to influence affairs in the U.S. Jane discusses her agenda with Claire. With her job at stake, Leann reaches out to a reporter for help.

The Underwoods and their team angle to undermine the revived committee investigating Frank. Hammerschmidt's investigation heats up.

As the team tries to control fallout from damaging testimony and leaks, everyone is under suspicion and tensions flare between Frank and Claire.

Frank attempts to stop Cathy from testifying. With Hammerschmidt sniffing out the truth, the Underwoods throw someone close to them under the bus.

In the wake of a surprising announcement, everything at the White House is shaken up. A decision must be made about whether to go to war.

As the first woman president, Claire faces increased scrutiny and threats. Sibling power couple Annette and Bill Shepherd attempt to influence policy.

Claire clashes with the Shepherds and Mark Usher, who pressure her to sign the Future Act. Doug makes an unexpected move.

The Shepherds push Claire on a Supreme Court nomination. Doug works to find a new path for himself. Claire consults with Jane on Syria.

As a crisis mounts in Syria, Russian President Viktor Petrov wants to make a deal with Claire. Questions arise about Tom Yates's whereabouts.

Claire allows her enemies to think she's incapacitated as they plot to remove her from office. Doug's investigation leads him to uncover a secret.

Claire makes staff changes. The Shepherds try to recruit Doug to their side. With Mark facing intense scrutiny, Jane offers advice.

While the Shepherd family attempts to diminish Claire's power, Doug goes off the grid but continues angling to advance his agenda.

Claire tries to tarnish Frank's legacy. Doug provokes Claire by releasing excerpts from Frank's diary. A rift develops between the Shepherds.