House of Cards, Seasons 1-3 recap: Four things you might have forgotten ahead of Season 4

Frank Underwood is back - and he'll be mad if you haven't done your homework
Jack Dearlove4 March 2016

Cancel all your weekend plans: there's a Presidential election you need to be catching up on.

No, not the US Presidential Primaries - that's far too depressing - but Frank Underwood's campaign to get re-elected in House of Cards.

Netflix's political drama is back with an explosive fourth series, streaming in full now for your bingeing pleasure.

It's been a while since Season 3 arrived, so you might need a bit of a refresher. Here are a few character-defining moments from previous seasons that you might have forgotten.

Warning: contains spoilers (obviously)

1) Frank killed a dog (Season 1, Episode 1)

Within the very first minute of the very first episode.

It’s a moment that encapsulates everything about Kevin Spacey’s character:ruthless, emotionless, and not afraid to get his hands dirty.

The dog’s off-camera death might not be as shocking as the death that kicks off Season 2, but it’s the perfect way to introduce the man who would be President. And to think, it could have been so different.

2) “Did you think I’d forgotten you?” (Season 2, Episode 1)

The show is loved for its soliloquies, but none of them compare to this.

The first episode of Season 2 is completely monologue-less - until this spine-chilling moment. Frank has just murdered Zoe Barnes and that ice-cold "welcome back" (delivered straight to the camera in true Frank Underwood style) makes you think that you're next on his hit-list. The bonus visual gag using Frank’s cufflinks also makes it extra special.

Marvel's Daredevil, Season Two - Netflix

1/5

3) Doug’s DIY healthcare (Season 3, Episode 1)

Doug puts on a brave face as he meets the President
Netflix

Seasons 2 and 3 saw Doug turn from one of Underwood’s biggest assets to his biggest liability and back again.

No scene sums up this journey better than Stamper breaking his arm, taking a load of painkillers, bandaging it up with wooden spoons and then smartening up to meet the President.

The man is literally recovering from near death and all he wants to do is to be back at work. Would you do that for your boss?

4) They actually changed the opening music

The show doesn’t have a lot of music, so the main title theme is really important. But with twelve months between series, even the most die hard fan would be forgiven for not realising that there were a lot of changes between years. Don't believe me? This excellent episode of Song Exploder will explain all.

House of Cards Season 4 is available to stream on Netflix now

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