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* LackOfEmpathy: Frank has no regard for the people he uses to and tosses aside to achieve his goals nor does he have any remorse for doing so. Even Claire isn't safe from Frank's sheer cold-heartedness.
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* TooCleverByHalf: Frank's defining flaw. He's a terrifyingly skilled strategist and cunning manipulator who is able to play people effortlessly to gain power. However, he has a much harder time actually ''using'' said power once he has it and never thinks that the people he burns to get to the top might also be ones he has to rely on once he is there or might come back for revenge later. As a result, his presidency doesn't really go anywhere as he proves hopelessly unsuited to a role where he can't simply smooth every crisis over with his charm or betray people to achieve his goals.
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->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/KevinSpacey
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** Creator/KevinSpacey has said that he got some of Frank's character down by shadowing California congressman Kevin [=McCarthy=], who, in Fall 2015, was briefly vying to become Speaker of the House following John Boehner's resignation.
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** Creator/KevinSpacey has said that he got some of Frank's character down by shadowing California congressman Kevin [=McCarthy=], who, in Fall 2015, was briefly vying who went on to become Speaker of the House following John Boehner's resignation.for nine months in 2023.
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* ChildSupplantsParent: His feelings toward Rachel are...complex. He views her as a daughter, mother and lover.
-->'''Doug:''' I work hard. I keep things simple. I know what my priorities are. But there's this, this person. She's not even in my life, except on the edges making things blurrier. It doesn't tempt me to drink. It's more like she...more like she feels what it was like when I was drinking. When I couldn't get enough. No matter how many drinks I had, I wanted another. I don't want to be with her. I mean, I do. But it's more like she's my daughter. Or my mother. I don't know, this is fucked up.
-->'''Doug:''' I work hard. I keep things simple. I know what my priorities are. But there's this, this person. She's not even in my life, except on the edges making things blurrier. It doesn't tempt me to drink. It's more like she...more like she feels what it was like when I was drinking. When I couldn't get enough. No matter how many drinks I had, I wanted another. I don't want to be with her. I mean, I do. But it's more like she's my daughter. Or my mother. I don't know, this is fucked up.
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* OedipusComplex: His feelings toward Rachel are...complex. He views her as a daughter, mother and lover.
-->'''Doug:''' I work hard. I keep things simple. I know what my priorities are. But there's this, this person. She's not even in my life, except on the edges making things blurrier. It doesn't tempt me to drink. It's more like she...more like she feels what it was like when I was drinking. When I couldn't get enough. No matter how many drinks I had, I wanted another. I don't want to be with her. I mean, I do. But it's more like she's my daughter. Or my mother. I don't know, this is fucked up.
-->'''Doug:''' I work hard. I keep things simple. I know what my priorities are. But there's this, this person. She's not even in my life, except on the edges making things blurrier. It doesn't tempt me to drink. It's more like she...more like she feels what it was like when I was drinking. When I couldn't get enough. No matter how many drinks I had, I wanted another. I don't want to be with her. I mean, I do. But it's more like she's my daughter. Or my mother. I don't know, this is fucked up.
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* VillainBall: The way he handles Rachel involves one long run with it. Doug begins to fall apart entirely by fixating on Rachel and it eventually gets him nearly killed. It's out of character for a man so ruthless about tying up loose ends, but [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by his [[OedipusComplex tangled feelings]] toward her.
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* VillainBall: The way he handles Rachel involves one long run with it. Doug begins to fall apart entirely by fixating on Rachel and it eventually gets him nearly killed. It's out of character for a man so ruthless about tying up loose ends, but [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by his [[OedipusComplex [[UsefulNotes/OedipusComplex tangled feelings]] toward her.
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* KickTheSonOfABitch: It may be hard to view Doug's injury and loss of influence with Frank as undeserved, since he'd spent Season 2 uprooting Rachel from wherever she settled, acting in a threatening way toward her and purposefully isolating her from everyone but him. It's little wonder why Rachel snapped. Doug himself kicked the son of a bitch when he intimidated Rachel's sleazy employer Leon, who had sexually harassed her.
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* FatalFlaw: Ultimately, his core flaw is that in his lust for power, he [[AndThenWhat never took into account the responsibility that comes from wielding it.]] He's a cunning schemer and manipulator, but once he's in a position of real authority. He's a complete mess.
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** Frank is a former member of the House leadership in the same party as a sitting President who ends up promoted to Vice President partway through his term. He ascends to the presidency when his predecessor resigns rather than face impeachment over a scandal. He immediately finds himself mired in constroversy and ends up in a nailbiter bid to win reelection that heavily hinges on foreign affairs issues. One could argue House of Cards is an answer to the question 'What if UsefulNotes/GeraldFord had masterminded the fall of Nixon?'
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** Frank is a former member of the House leadership in the same party as a sitting President who ends up promoted to Vice President partway through his term. He ascends to the presidency when his predecessor resigns rather than face impeachment over a scandal. He immediately finds himself mired in constroversy and despite being the incumbent ends up in a vicious primary battle he only barely manages to triumph in, only to end up in a nailbiter bid to win reelection that heavily hinges on foreign affairs issues. One could argue House of Cards is an answer to the question 'What if UsefulNotes/GeraldFord had masterminded the fall of Nixon?'
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** Frank is a former member of the House leadership in the same party as a sitting President who ends up promoted to Vice President partway through his term. He ascends to the presidency when his predecessor resigns rather than face impeachment over a scandal. He immediately finds himself mired in constroversy and ends up in a nailbiter bid to win reelection that heavily hinges on foreign affairs issues. One could argue House of Cards is an answer to the question 'What if UsefulNotes/GeraldFord had masterminded the fall of Nixon?'
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** Frank is a former member of the House leadership in the same party as a sitting President who ends up promoted to Vice President partway through his term. He ascends to the presidency when his predecessor resigns rather than face impeachment over a scandal. He immediately finds himself mired in constroversy and ends up in a nailbiter bid to win reelection that heavily hinges on foreign affairs issues. One could argue House of Cards is an answer to the question 'What if UsefulNotes/GeraldFord had masterminded the fall of Nixon?'
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** Frank is a former member of the House leadership in the same party as a sitting President who ends up promoted to Vice President partway through his term. He ascends to the presidency when his predecessor resigns rather than face impeachment over a scandal. He immediately finds himself mired in constroversy and ends up in a nailbiter bid to win reelection that heavily hinges on foreign affairs issues. One could argue House of Cards is an answer to the question 'What if UsefulNotes/GeraldFord had masterminded the fall of Nixon?'
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Ambiguous Disorder is not a trope anymore, but a redirect to a YMMV entry.
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* AmbiguousDisorder: There is something definitely off about Doug and the more you watch the show, the more you realize that his struggle with alcoholism is the least worrying aspect of his personality.
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* HasAType: She prefers blond bearded artsy men for affairs: photographer Adam Galloway and author Tom Yates. Both seem to represent the freedom and happy life she could have away from Frank.
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* PetTheDog: Despite the utter insanity and even physical violence Doug subjects him to, he seems genuinely concerned for him to a degree, even pointing out how close he is to breaking his sobriety, though it’s more like concern for a rabid dog than anything else.
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** He strangles Seth by holding a drink glass over his mouth and holds his nose closed, demanding his loyalty, then when Seth is about to leave offers him a drink. Seth is disgusted by his insanity and calls him sick.
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* DiseaseBleach: Paralleling real life U.S presidents, the stress of the Oval Office causes Frank's hair to go greyer throughout season 3 until it is white by Season 4.
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* DiseaseBleach: Paralleling real life U.S presidents, the stress of the Oval Office causes Frank's hair to go greyer throughout season 3 until it is white by Season 4.4, though this is also caused by the stress his body undergoes after [[spoiler: his assassination attempt.]]
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* TheLostLenore: His wife Marjory is gradually dying to Alzheimer’s throughout Season 1, and dies sometime before Season 3. [[spoiler:When Frank is shot and Blythe is there to comfort Claire]], he makes it clear just how deeply her death still affects him.
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Zigzagged. Claire actually disagreed with Frank bumping her off; finding it to be unneccesary as it was wasteful. Frank still goes through it unfortunately.
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* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:Frank Underwood was one thing, but when she realizes that her old friend Jane Davis is about to set her up for a dirt nap, Cathy is downright heartbroken. After Cathy escapes her would-be assassination, she calls Jane and tells her as a warning AND a threat that she chose the wrong side.]]
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* LikeASonToMe: It's clear that Frank has come view Meechum in this manner; being one of the VERY few Frank doesn't screw over.
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* DrowningMySorrows: After his wife’s Alzheimer’s flare up and she cannot recognize him, he accepts a Scotch from Frank, signaling he’s becoming open to Frank’s manipulations.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: While often dismissed by other politicians, during the entitlement bill crisis in Season 2, Blythe shows incredible steel, to the degree even Frank compliments him for it, and he immediately dismisses Frank’s attempt at flattery.
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They’re both evil
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* ALighterShadeOfGrey: Unlike Frank, Claire has moral qualms, but they never actually prevent her from doing anything, just give her some minor regrets later. Some of her Macbethian influence on Frank is toned down compared to her British counterpart and she's [[AdaptationalHeroism slightly less villainous or cold]], from time to time. Come Season 4 and especially Season 5, however, she sheds this status as she very much proves Frank's equal in villainy, and in some ways could be seen as even worse than him.
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* ALighterShadeOfGrey: ALighterShadeOfBlack: Unlike Frank, Claire has moral qualms, but they never actually prevent her from doing anything, just give her some minor regrets later. Some of her Macbethian influence on Frank is toned down compared to her British counterpart and she's [[AdaptationalHeroism slightly less villainous or cold]], from time to time. Come Season 4 and especially Season 5, however, she sheds this status as she very much proves Frank's equal in villainy, and in some ways could be seen as even worse than him.
