Original subtitles

President and Mrs. Underwood are back in Louisiana today

in an effort to pick up the crucial endorsement from the local...

Now Governor Conway pretends to be...

...took questions from undecided voters

in Charleston this afternoon,

the first of three events the Underwood campaign has planned...

Claire Underwood has fought for the environment...

Meanwhile, they still trail Conway

by 12 to 14 points in every national poll.

That's a big gap to close with two months to go.

You'll vote Underwood...

...his whistle stop tour of Ohio will conclude...

...an Underwood rally in Provo, Utah, this morning.

...questions from undecided voters

in Charleston this afternoon,

the first of three events...

Let's give a big Boston welcome to the next president.

For many Americans, the question remains,

what would an Underwood-Underwood White House look like?

Both Underwoods have courted...

So, Arizona, Nevada, and California on Monday,

then the upper Midwest on Tuesday.

It's not enough. Conway's hitting way more states than we are.

Oh, he's not a sitting president. He has more time than you do.

Then we have to make more time.

We have to get out there. We've got to shake...

Francis, are you okay?

- I'm fine. -Sit down for a moment.

No, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's continue.

If you wanna add a fundraiser in California,

we can make that happen.

Uh-huh. Okay.

So?

I agree with Dr. Saxon and the medical team.

We should reduce air travel to once a week.

I'm afraid that's not possible.

You wanted a second opinion, sir. You have it.

I didn't want a second opinion. I wanted a different opinion.

Planes take a toll. We're concerned about a sudden organ rejection.

I can't win an election if I can't travel.

You can't win if you're hospitalized.

Thank you, Doctor.

You stay here. I'll go wherever Conway goes, I'll just...

I'm on the top of the ticket. It has to be me.

We can't ignore the doctors, Francis.

It's the story we tell.

If I stay here, Conway prances around the country,

playing up his fighter-pilot image, and meanwhile,

-I'm stuck here in the Rose Garden... -I won't risk losing you.

Let's be smart about this.

- I need to project strength. -So project it.

The air strikes are working, sir.

We've stopped ICO's advance to the Euphrates.

We've delayed the advance. We haven't stopped it.

Your own reports say they're regrouping.

I want a decisive blow,

a face, the leadership, to send a message.

The Ahmadi brothers are in hiding. We don't know their location.

Well, your task is to find them.

We've tried, sir. Our assets hit a wall.

To root them out would require special forces on the ground.

That is a step I am willing to take.

We don't have authorization from the Syrians.

Secretary Durant will smooth that out.

I will not be satisfied by blocking the serpent's path, gentlemen.

I wanna cut off its goddamn head.

The Syrians will say no, and when they do,

see if they'll work with the Russian special forces.

The Russians do the dirty work, we take the credit.

Petrov won't go for that.

He will if we give him back some of our drilling zones.

Well, that'll take congressional approval.

Doug's laying the groundwork now.

Are you interested in my opinion on this,

or has it already been decided?

I want to move fast, so unless you have a quicker option,

it's probably best you keep it to yourself.

- Yes, sir. -Cathy.

Do we have a problem?

No, sir. I'll coordinate with Doug.

After a dog's bitten you, you either put it to sleep,

or you put a muzzle on it.

I've chosen a muzzle, for now.

Hi. I was thinking on the way over here

that I don't wanna do the same speech at every event.

I really think we'll get more news coverage

if I have a different speech every time.

LeAnn already told me.

I've been working on some variations.

I think we also need to respond to what Conway is saying,

at all times Start putting pressure on him.

Seth's office is sending me transcripts.

There was an interview query from Time,

a voicemail about some memorial fund.

Senator Halston called about the meeting on Tuesday.

Wait. The voicemail.

Uh, Laura Moretti, from the Anthony Moretti Memorial Fund.

- I guess you donated? -Cue that up for me.

Just press one when you're ready.

I'll catch up with you in a little bit.

Okay.

Hi, this is Laura Moretti

leaving a message for Douglas Stamper.

I just... I wanted to reach out to you personally,

to say thank you for the incredibly generous donation.

It's the biggest donation we've received. By a lot.

Uh, I don't know how you found out about us.

Maybe because of the president's transplant.

But whatever the reason,

it means so much to us, to me and my children.

Anyway, I... And I know this is a long shot,

but if you're ever free for coffee, I'd love to thank you in person.

No worries if you can't. Um, thanks again, Mr. Stamper.

Hi, this is Laura Moretti

leaving a message for Douglas Stamper.

I just... I wanted to reach out to you personally,

to say thank you for the incredibly generous donation.

It's the biggest donation we've received.

Will there be enough time to get this up on the teleprompter?

They're mostly cuts.

Should be quick. I'll get 'em there now.

What did you change?

I took out the paragraph about love.

- That's the best part. -It was too soft.

This used to be a barbecue joint, here.

Frank came a lot before he was president.

What happened to it?

Same thing that happens to everything Frank touches.

- You mind? -I do mind.

I haven't agreed to anything yet.

Tell me what you know.

I know Underwood lied about the money laundering.

I know he met with Lanagin when he said he didn't.

I know Edward Meechum doctored travel records,

and I know you were there for all of it.

Then Tusk gets a pardon. You get Chief of Staff.

- Old news. -Why'd you quit the job?

I wanted to go back in the private sector.

You just said everything Underwood touches gets demolished.

I don't like the man. So what?

Why'd you team up with him again for the Russia deal?

I don't have to like the people I work with.

Plus, there was a fortune to be made.

See,

I don't think you give a damn about the money.

I think there's a lot more to this you're not admitting.

But I think you want to.

So, truth is, you don't have anything solid.

I will get to the bottom of this story.

We can talk now, or you can wait till you have a team of lawyers

talking to my fact checkers.

I've been threatened by billionaires and by presidents.

You think an out-of-work reporter makes me nervous?

I can call the White House right now,

let 'em know you're working on this story.

That's a gamble I took asking to meet.

But my chips

are on the better part of you prevailing.

The who, the what, the why, how...

Don't ignore where.

I think it'd be better if I turn it.

I think this side is a little better.

- Yes, that's very nice. -Freddy.

- Good afternoon, Mr. President. -Good afternoon.

- Helen is teaching me the ropes. -We'll leave you be, sir.

Oh, Freddy?

Why don't you stay back for a little bit? Thank you very much.

I'll be right there.

It's been a while.

Well, they moved me to the flower shop a few months ago.

The basement.

That's probably why you haven't seen me around.

Never would've guessed that, well, that this would be my thing.

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

- How's your grandson? -He's good, good.

- Just started school again. -Mmm.

- What grade is he in now? -Sixth grade.

- Getting up there. -Mmm-hmm.

I really should go. We got a big shipment of autumn blooms in.

Well, then another time, I guess, maybe.

You know, Frank...

I'm gonna be leaving soon.

Helen's husband opened up a flower shop in Georgetown.

They want me to work there.

Are you not happy here, Freddy?

Time to try something new.

Well, is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?

A raise? Better hours?

I appreciate it, but I've already told Helen yes,

and I plan on keeping my word on that. It's what I want.

Well, I'm gonna miss you around, Freddy.

There's not many people here that...

Well, I guess there aren't that many people here I'm all that comfortable with.

You know what you should do before you go?

You should come up here one night and cook us a rack of ribs.

I realize oven-baked isn't nearly as good as the smoker,

but you'd make 'em delicious, anyhow.

Ribs? Really?

You want me to cook ribs for you.

Well, sure, just like old times. What's wrong with that?

I'm just the help, ain't I?

No, that's not true.

I tell you I got something good going,

and your first thought ain't, "Freddy, congratulations."

It's "make me ribs." And what's my big send-off?

- I get to cook you ribs. -No.

Look, you are being way oversensitive about this.

You're misinterpreting what I meant.

You're right.

It's all my fault.

- I don't know how Claire does it. -What did you just say?

Is this how you treat her? She part of the collection, too?

I don't know where all this is coming from,

but it's extremely ungrateful, given all that I have done for you.

What did you do for me, Frank?

This is the White House.

You will call me "Mr President!"

You're a motherfucker!

Get out!

My bad, my bad.

You're a motherfucker, Mr. President!

Governor Conway continues to say

we're not doing enough about terrorism,

but he ignores the fact that ICO has been stopped in its tracks.

The president is working tirelessly to combat our enemies abroad,

and what Governor Conway lacks in his assessment

is the decades of experience the president brings...

Do you think you should keep calling him "the president"?

Well, I wanna emphasize that we're running mates,

and LeAnn is telling me that the marriage angle isn't working.

Screw the research.

People want to hear the real you, a real person.

That's what you gave them at the convention.

Ow.

- Sorry. -That was very different.

Exactly. It was very different.

It was honest.

And you don't want to just react to what he's saying.

You wanna offer something.

I have been campaigning with Francis for 30 years.

You don't ever let the opponent walk all over you.

If you're getting attacked, you fight back.

Fine, but fight back in a different way.

This guy is... He's all spotlight and surface,

and magazine covers and Twitter. Don't play his game.

Don't play the game at all, please. Get beyond the game.

Ow! You know what? Let's finish this in the morning, please.

I'm sorry. You're right.

You have a lot more experience in this kind of thing than I do.

- I should follow your lead. -No, I respect your feedback.

Thank you for being so professional about everything.

- You've been very kind. - I'm not kind.

Just realistic.

That paragraph you wrote about love, it made me uncomfortable.

- Saying you love Francis? -I do love him.

Then what made you uncomfortable?

Saying it in front of you.

- Yes? -Yeah.

- How'd she do? -Very little effect.

- She was all over the news. -White noise.

So how do we make it stick?

Well, there's not much I can do.

We gave you access. I need more than I'm getting.

You're supposed to tell me what people want.

People didn't know they wanted jazz

until they heard it for the first time.

I can get them to like the music. I can't compose it.

Give me something I can work with.

Is this something we could take public?

No, it's classified.

But it's perfect, the president colluding with the Russians.

The idea has merit. The Russians will have far more access,

and it doesn't put American troops in harm's way.

We don't get votes by praising the president's policy.

Let's have Dreyer block it in committee.

I don't like the way the president's handled ICO from the get-go,

-but his approach might work here. -That's what I'm trying to prevent.

So, you wanna keep the ICO leadership alive,

so we can stay on message?

Just until November,

and then we'll hit 'em hard after inauguration.

This is the exact sort of BS I resigned over in the first place.

I'll see you over there.

--Two months away from winning this thing.

But if he gains the initiative, if he picks up any momentum,

that could put us in the margin of error.

I thought you were different.

Don't get any ideas, General.

You threw caution into the wind when you got yourself on my ticket.

You do it again, you start to look foolish.

You talk to Dreyer and 86 this bill.

I couldn't come to Wisconsin without having a taste test.

Mr. Hayes. My name's Tom Hammerschmidt.

I'm a freelance reporter.

I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment.

I don't talk to reporters.

- It's a story about the president. -Did you not hear me the first time?

I think things happened, in your barbecue place.

--Meetings. Things you might have overheard.

I think the president broke the law, and I think you know about it.

Come with me. Let's talk where no one can hear us.

- So, you bring a recorder? -Yeah.

All right. Here's the truth.

I don't work for him no more. I don't serve him ribs no more.

I don't want nothing to do with him no more.

Even if I hated him, and I do hate him,

I don't snitch. Not to cops, not to reporters.

Not to anybody.

Leave me the fuck alone.

Okay.

Lincoln and Roosevelt were progressive Republicans.

--Yeah!

Jefferson was a visionary conservative.

George Washington was a strong commander in chief.

Yeah!

William Conway embodies all these qualities.

I proudly endorse his candidacy for president,

and I ask everyone in our great state to do the same.

The next President of the United States,

William Conway!

I'm humbled by your endorsement,

and by the legacy of these great men behind me.

Now, they all left very big shoes to fill.

You know who hasn't come even close to filling them?

Frank Underwood.

I should go.

Once we land.

I'll get a flight back to the East Coast.

- Tom... -You don't have to say anything.

We've had eggs thrown at the house. Tomatoes, cow dung. Tsk, you name it.

South Dakota's big Conway country.

We've been here all our lives. We raised our son here.

- It's just beyond our experience. - All these folks are our neighbors.

But once I put that sign up...

Governor Conway is a veteran. He has children.

Why us and not him?

When we saw you two at the convention...

I don't know. It just seemed like a real partnership.

Love. Deep, unwavering love.

I wanna thank you for reminding me how important that kind of love is.

Because it is. It's easy to get caught up in the campaign

and to forget how Francis and I got here in the first place,

to remember that we're not just President and First Lady,

or husband and wife.

We're partners.

We have made a choice to tackle everything together.

We go beyond what's pretty and perfect,

beyond what's scary, difficult and unknown.

We're not just partners on the ticket.

We're partners in life.

Mr. President.

You have someone inside the House Intelligence Committee

feeding you classified information.

I'm a sitting governor.

There's nothing wrong with staying informed.

Every Republican is against the Russians being involved.

You are interfering with national security.

I haven't influenced a single member.

Oh, that's because you're having Brockhart do it.

If the general chooses to share his expertise with them,

- they're well served by it.

Fifty times a day, you say we should destroy ICO,

and now you're deliberately preventing us from doing it.

You could've destroyed them six months ago,

so don't lay that at my feet.

I don't blame you for being a fraud, Governor.

I mean, we all have to be hypocrites, every now and then.

But if you block this, I'll send American troops in instead.

You won't send Americans. Syria won't allow it.

I don't care what Syria will allow.

But wouldn't you rather have it be Russians in harm's way,

than your fellow American soldiers?

If anyone gets killed, that's going to be blood on your hands.

You want me to tell the Republicans to get on board.

Or have the general do it.

Put politics aside and do the right thing.

Did you really think you'd be able to convince me

by making this call, Mr. President?

I'm ahead by double digits. I got a message that's working.

You're on your heels, and you're asking me to help you

by appealing to my sense of duty?

I've even got you sold on my message.

Well, you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV.

The governor has ended the call, Mr. President.

- Let's go.

We're gonna go forward with our own ground operation.

I'll inform the Joint Chiefs. Sir, there's another thing.

The Intelligence Committee...

If Conway has someone on the inside...

You're worried about oversight on surveillance.

There's increased attention.

They dig around, find out what Macallan's up to...

Yeah, but I thought we were airtight.

LeAnn says we are, but still...

The safest thing would be to end it.

Claire Underwood's been on the move the past two days,

- showing up in every state...

...Governor Conway's held events.

Absent from the trail has been the president.

Press Secretary Seth Grayson said, quote,

"The president is attending to the business of government

"for the time being," end quote.

But he neglected to say

when the president would resume campaigning,

and there are no upcoming events

currently listed on the campaign website,

leading some to speculate that the real reason for his absence

may be health-related.

It's been six months since the president

received a liver transplant.

Although he was able to resume normal...

- What happened to your eye? -Freddy Hayes.

So I assume he didn't talk.

- I need a way in here, Mr. Danton. - I've helped you as much as I can.

I know you won't go on record.

I'm not even asking to put you on the background.

All I'm looking for is whether I'm warm or cold.

What kind of beer is that?

A lager. Some microbrew they had. I don't know the name.

Mind if I try it?

Go ahead.

It's good.

Used to play a drinking game when I was a teenager

called Never Have I Ever.

- You know that game? -You drink when you have.

That's the one.

Or if the president has.

Never have I ever perjured myself

when investigated by a special prosecutor.

Never have I ever struck a deal with Raymond Tusk,

to perjure himself in exchange for a pardon.

Never have I ever conspired to impeach a president

so I could become president myself.

We're gonna need more beer.

- The First Lady is on line one, sir. -Thank you.

Claire.

Doug called me, about sending in our own troops.

Well, it was that, or sit on our hands.

Conway wouldn't budge.

And what does Cathy say?

I'm more interested in hearing what you think.

Well, I think doing something is better than doing nothing.

How are the events going?

It's hard to tell. I've done so many, it's all a blur.

There's only one interview left tonight,

and then we're done for the day,

but then there's, uh, seven events tomorrow.

How are you holding up?

I called to tell you

Tom's not working on the campaign anymore.

- Did he quit? - No.

What happened?

We both decided it was for the best.

We don't have to worry about him, Francis.

You sound tired.

Make sure you get a full night's sleep tonight.

- Francis? - Yes?

Nothing.

- I'll see you tomorrow. -Okay, tomorrow.

- You're certain Underwood knew? -And Walker didn't.

Could Danton have some agenda on this?

He has no reason to lie.

- Who's corroborated, besides him? -No one. That's why I'm here.

I need institutional support. Legal, research,

a place to work where my dog won't bark at me.

If you crack this story, you can do anything you want.

I'll even make you managing editor again.

I don't want that.

What I do want is absolute autonomy.

I build my team, I keep it small, and I answer only to you.

- How about security? -This was just some bad luck.

- I've lost two reporters, Tom. -Oh, come on, Margaret.

Underwood may be a crook, but he's not a killer.

I don't think so either, but I don't wanna take chances.

You just get me the staff I need.

Once this article comes out, I'm untouchable.

When the White House starts throwing punches, lawyer up.

'Cause he's gonna throw 'em at the Herald, not me.

Hobby I used to have.

The Battle of the Wilderness.

I spent months building a model of it.

Started another one, but never finished it.

- Why not? -I became president.

- Never enough time. -Hmm.

Does Claire know you asked me here?

No.

It was more than just a fling, wasn't it?

- How did she describe it? -I didn't ask.

Well, I'm not gonna go into details.

- I respect you too much for that.

When you two came back from Texas,

I had a feeling.

She says you made her mother laugh.

Yeah, I guess she took a liking to me.

Christ, I haven't seen that woman laugh in 30 years.

I'm just not a threat.

Just someone who didn't judge, accepted her.

Do you make Claire laugh?

We have a connection. Yeah. I make her laugh.

I make her feel desired.

I think she feels comfortable being vulnerable around me.

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised you're not upset.

- What would that achieve? -I admire that, Frank.

I got angry with an old friend yesterday

for calling me Frank instead of Mr. President.

Just for using your name?

It wasn't the name, I suppose.

It's the fact that he's leaving me.

- Leaving you how? -New job.

- Hmm. He worked for you? -Here in the White House.

It's tough for employees to be your friends.

That's why I decided to end it.

You decided to leave.

So that she wouldn't have to ask me to.

And what about your book?

I would never betray her like that.

Thank you, Tom.

- I'll walk you out. -I know my way out.

But thanks.

Take care, Frank.

Three teams. North, east, and west.

We'll triangulate and advance on the center.

Each team will have a field agent

working with local assets to locate the Ahmadis.

Here's the executive order, sir.

Do you have a preference? Dead or alive?

Alive, if we can get intelligence out of 'em.

- Thank you, sir. -Thank you, sir.

You're officially briefing me on ICO-related surveillance activities.

You never saw or spoke to the president.

This way.

Mr. Macallan.

- Mr. President. -The president's in his residence,

not here.

Security. We have concerns.

Conway has people on House Intelligence.

I've got everything masked.

The algorithms for ICO and the campaign are identical.

It's just a matter of what variables you input.

Give me English.

Uh...

One spoon. I can use it to stir my coffee,

to eat soup,

to boil heroin.

All they see is the spoon, not what I do with it.

Or we could just get rid of the spoon.

Shut it down? Well, that would be a shame, especially after yesterday.

- What happened yesterday? -Beyond happened.

Beyond?

What your wife said in South Dakota.

"Beyond what's pretty and perfect."

Liberation from convention, from the past.

Beyond surface, beyond bullshit, beyond the election.

- Beyond marriage. -Yes, exactly.

You're not just husband and wife. You're not just running mates.

You're both and more.

You're what's possible.

The Conways are everything everyone wants to be.

You're everything everyone wants to become.

The president has been shot. He's had a liver transplant.

And I'm sure everyone here in Pittsburgh is wondering,

what happens if he dies?

Not to be indelicate, but...

What if I became president?

And that's fair.

Our party chose me because they saw one half of an indivisible team.

Unconditional support.

Two people working together for years.

Supporting each other is one thing.

Experience is another. You have very little.

I can see from your ring that you're married.

Yes. Eighteen years.

So you know what real partnership is.

We have 30 years under our belts.

Learning from and advising each other?

I'd call that experience.

Okay, so you've got a strong marriage,

but in terms of your qualifications...

What I'm saying is that we need to get beyond husband and wife.

We need to look at the team.

Francis has served in Congress, in the White House.

I've run a major nonprofit. I served as ambassador.

We have passed legislation, developed policy.

We've done all of that together, every step of the way.

So it's natural that we would run together.

And I know Francis better than anyone.

So, if he died, to answer your question,

who better to carry out his plan for America?

Manipulation.

Deception.

Corruption.

That translates to abuse of power and breaking the law.

We know it's true, but we need corroboration.

People on record, every fact researched

and checked and double-checked.

Nothing we discuss leaves this room.

Not your friends, not your family,

not the 50 reporters outside that door

who wanna know what we're doing in here.

The second the White House gets wind of what we're doing,

they start to make this story

disappear.

The radio interview you did was spectacular.

It felt good.

I feel like we're finally tapping into something.

Was it Tom, what you said in South Dakota, with the couple?

I saw a videotape of it.

The core of it, yes. And then...

I sort of made it my own.

He should stay on.

- No. -Not as your speechwriter.

I mean, yes, to the rest of the world,

he can be our speechwriter.

But that's not why he should stay on.

He should stay on because

he can give you things that I can't.

All right, look, Claire, we've been a great team.

But one person...

One person cannot give everything to another person.

I can't travel with you.

I don't keep you warm at night. I don't see you the way he sees you.

It... Look, it's not my permission to give,

but you'll do what's right for you.

But I want you to know, if you want it...

I know you'll be careful

and I'll be fine.

I mean, if we're gonna go beyond marriage, let's go beyond it.

You have three saved messages.

Message one. September 8th...

Hi, this is Laura Moretti

leaving a message for Douglas...

To save this message, press 8.

To call back, press 5.

I'm sorry. My sitter was late, and...

- And then there was traffic, so... -Just relax.

It's fine.

It's so nice to meet you in person.

Here.

I don't know why I got them. I guess I...

- Anyway. -No, they're lovely.

Thank you.

And thank you again for that donation.

I just... I can't tell you how much it means...

You already thanked me on your voice message

and when we talked on the phone.

You don't need to thank me anymore.

Okay, no more thanks.

I hope this place is okay.

It's nothing fancy, but I come here a lot.

I like it. It has a lot of character.

Tony liked greasy spoons like this.

He used to take the kids to

Ben's Chili Bowl every Sunday afternoon

and get them hot dogs.

Sorry.

Don't be.

I probably just shouldn't talk about my husband. I still get emotional.

You can, if you want to.

Even if I cry?

I wanna know more about him.

Will you close the doors, please?

Where is he?

Twice in two days I've been here.

I know.

So, why am I here now?

I want you back.

I want you back, too.

But...

He understands.