Nathaniel E. Bell/NetflixHouse of Cards season three is just hours away! We're of course talking about the official premiere for those who weren't quick enough to start watching when it accidentally arrived on Netflix due to a technological glitch.
It's been a year since the political drama dropped all of its episodes on us. And we know you can watch a lot of TV in a year, trust us. If you're foggy on what happened with Frank, Claire and Co. since you binge-watched season two all in one weekend, you're not alone. Your "Previously on House of Cards Guide" (broken down by character) starts now!
*Please note this is designed to be a refresher for those who have seen House of Cards already, so not every happening is mentioned, nor is every character detailed. There are a lot of characters on this show!*
Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey)
Frank started out as a congressman in season one. After getting passed over for Secretary of State, Frank began scheming with the help of Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) and unbeknownst to her, Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara). Zoe and Frank had a sexual relationship while all the manipulation was going on. Frank's sights eventually fell on Peter Russo (Corey Stoll), a representative from Pennsylvania, who pays the ultimate price: his life. At the end of the first season, Frank is appointed vice president and he continued his grasp for power in season two while trying to distance himself from his dastardly deeds. The new veep clashed with Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney), a trusted adviser to the president (Michel Gill), and got mixed up in Chinese money laundering. Oh yeah, he also killed Zoe and had a threesome with his wife, Claire, and his trusted Secret Service dude Meetchum. With the help of new House Majority Whip, Jacqueline Sharp (Molly Parker), he ties the president to the Chinese scandal and gets him impeached, taking on the role of the presidency in the finale. President Frank Underwood reigns supreme.
Claire Underwood (Robin Wright)
Equally as conniving as her husband, Claire started season one off as an environmental activist. Through much of season one is focused on her work with the Clean Water Initiative. Eventually, she reconnected with a former photographer lover after learning of Frank's affair with Zoe. After a fight with Frank, she ran away to Adam's (Ben Daniels) in New York where she holed up for a while before eventually returning to Frank's side as his schemes heated up with Russo's death. In season two, Claire revealed she was raped when she encountered her rapist at a government function. During an interview, Claire was pretty much forced into revealing she had an abortion, but twists the story so that her rape resulted in the pregnancy. Later in the season, Claire and the first lady begins advocating for military sexual assault survivors. Claire and Frank become embroiled in scandal when a photo Adam took of Claire leaks to the press, but they weathered the storm. Jackie and Claire had a tiff and bit of a power struggle, but eventually reconciled.
Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara)
A central figure in season one, she was basically Frank's pawn. He used her to help advance his grasp for power. When she became a problem in season 2's premiere, Frank threw her in front of a train, and we cried all the tears.
Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly)
Frank's chief of staff is basically his top goon, his best fixer. He helped him throughout the two seasons, cleaning up various messes and throwing people off of Frank's trail, including thwarting Lucas Goodwin when he began looking into the Dark Web and Zoe's death with hacker Gavin (Jimmi Simpson). Doug also relocated Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan), the call girl used by Frank in Russo's downfall, but became obsessed with her. During the season he's spotted in a casino, linking Frank to the backdoor dealings and is scolded and Gavin keeps tabs on him (unbeknownst to Doug until the finale. Gavin revealed he knew about Rachel and tries to blackmail Doug into giving him FBI protection and when Doug goes to collect Rachel, she fights back, bashing him with a rock and leaving him for dead.
Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan)
A hooker in season one who helped Frank cover-up Russo's DUI and later unravel the congressman, Rachel went into hiding with Doug's help in season two. She started remaking her life and fell for her friend, Lisa, despite Doug's objections. Rachel and Lisa moved in together, but a jealous Doug forces them to split up. When Gavin threatened Doug with Rachel, Doug tried to forcibly relocate her again, but put up a struggle, hit him with a rock, and left him for dead.
Gavin Orsay (Jimmi Simpson)
Zoe's lover, journalist Lucas (Sebastian Arcelus), turned to hacker Gavin for help in finding Zoe's phone records, but Gavin was an FBI informant after getting caught. He set Lucas up to get caught by authorities, which resulted in the reporter's imprisonment. However, Lucas succeeded in infiltrating the system before he was caught and Gavin spied on Doug. He then blackmailed Doug with Rachel for FBI protection. Gavin has a guinea pig named Cashew and in case you forgot, you loved him.
Jacqueline Sharp (Molly Parker)
Frank's Whip replacement, Jacqueline, a veteran, quickly fell under Frank's grasp…but she didn't always follow his orders. Jackie clashed with Claire over sexual assault legislation. Through her maneuvering, Jackie and Remy Danton (Mahershala Ali) become…close. Wink, wink. The Underwoods and Jackie eventually reconciled and she helped them secure the votes for President Walker's impeachment.
Edward Meechum (Nathan Darrow)
Frank's bodyguard and driver, he kind of screwed up at one point, but Frank had his back…and put him under his thumb. He cut his hand in the Underwoods' kitchen and then had a threesome with Claire and Frank because naturally that is what happens.
Some other characters you will probably need a little reminder about:
Christina Gallagher (Kristen Connolly) was a aide to President Walkter and the former girlfriend of Peter Russo, she was taken care of thanks to the Underwoods' scheming.
Janine Skorsky (Constance Zimmer) worked with Zoe and started investigating Frank with Lucas Goodwin (Sebastian Arcelus). She went into hiding and dropped it, Lucas was arrested after consulting hacker Gavin for help on getting info on Frank.
Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey) was the White House Chief of Staff for President Walker.
Freddy Hayes (Reg E. Cathey) owned the BBQ joint Frank favored, but just as things were looking up for him with a franchise deal and reuniting with his son and grandson, everything fell apart when Remy revealed his checked past and Freddy's son violates parole. All this because he got mixed up with Frank. Thanks, Frank. Speaking of Remy (Mahershala Ali, pictured above), he's a former employee of Frank and lobbyist who got very close to Jackie Sharp and basically had a hand in all sorts of drama from the Adam stuff with Claire to Frank's Raymond Tusk business.
House of Cards season three premieres on Netflix tonight at midnight.