** WARNING: Spoilers Ahead. Please don't read on unless you've watched "House Of Cards" Season 2, Episode 3, or if you don't mind finding out what happened.**
Quick Synopsis: This episode of "House Of Cards" starts with Frank drawing a bull with a relatively large -- ahem, appendage -- on a piece of paper during a presidential briefing for the State Of The Union. Based on the doodle, it's indicative of what's to come: a bullish, relentless Frank gunning for top office.
President Walker eventually crafts a State of the Union address (doesn't this guy seem like the lamest U.S. President ever? He's so wishy-washy and malleable), and Frank seeks bipartisan agreement with Senate Majority Leader Mendoza to avoid a government shutdown. Sound familiar? There is so much political mumbo-jumbo and jargon here that I can't pretend to understand what happened exactly, but the gist of the situation is Frank needs to juggle a lot of balls and keep them in the air.
Jackie, meanwhile, is fully dealing with the fallout of her decision to throw an old friend to the wolves. It's not so easy to be moral once you're in the hot seat, is it, Jackie? She takes away some of the pain by getting more work done on a large vine-and-poppy tattoo that runs up her right flank.
Eventually the Senate Republicans attempt to fillibuster, and this causes the President, who at this point is straight-up vitriolic, to berate Frank. Frank is forced to take drastic measures to reach an agreement, essentially by threatening all absent senators with arrest. Over the top, but exactly what we expect from Frank by now.
Claire and Frank are also searching for a new press secretary. Yawn.
On the flip-side of things, Lucas, still pining over Zoe and convinced she was murdered, unsuccessfully pursues/stalks Christina and further establishes contact with hacker Gavin, who claims to be able to help him retrieve Zoe's phone records. Stamper sets up a sting operation to stop Lucas before he gets too close.
Rachel contacts her mother at her telemarketing job and meets friendly-woman-on-the-bus Lisa, even though Stamper has forbidden her to make friends. Methinks this will not end well -- though the clear romance developing between Lisa and Rachel is pretty darn cute.
Best Frank Quote: "There are two types of vice-presidents: Doormats and matadors. Which do you think I intend to be?"
