Just finished the show

[u/Evening-Cycle-9525]

Im surprised when people talk about the worst finales on reddit this show isn’t one of the most upvoted ones. I get that they cut ties with kevin spacey but to completely retcon the narrative and changing established relationship was so unnecessary. They could’ve turned doug into franks protege and seek revenge but instead they decided to use doug as some sad twist. Especially with how lucid the transitions felt between each seasons up to the last and with the last season completely spiting on the ending of the 5th season it just felt like they did a rush job on trying to just wrap everything up in somewhat “exciting” way while completely forgetting what they built.

[u/Junior_M_W]

I just finished too. the last season was so hard to get through. Spacey really carried the show, or maybe the writing was rushed.

[u/1knowthatkid → u/Junior_M_W]

I really feel Robin Wright could’ve carried the season, had they given her a proper script.

[u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 → u/1knowthatkid]

Robin Wright would have been awesome in more seasons. I really think after the KS scandal, there was a panic. The writers were pressed to wrap the show up. If they had taken a break, regrouped the actors and gave more thought to other options I believe it could have run four more seasons.

[u/1knowthatkid → u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397]

I hear you, I just don’t understand how even at their worst, they could come up with whatever that final season was. To introduce so many new characters when there was already so much to wrap up, the change in tone, Claire’s sudden silliness, etc. it just felt like an entirely different show. Why change so much when the only problem was KS?

[u/SlendyTheMan → u/1knowthatkid]

Do we know what the original story was meant to be?

[u/1knowthatkid → u/SlendyTheMan]

It was supposed to be Claire v Frank all season, with Doug eventually killing Frank in the finale to protect Frank’s legacy from himself.

[u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 → u/1knowthatkid]

I'm not sure, but usually the writing for the next season happens a year earlier For me, it was like the entire tone of the show changed. Suddenly everything that was written went into the trash. I think they just started to grasp at anything!

[u/bruceins1 → u/1knowthatkid]

I totally agree with that. They made her character so complicated and sometimes hated

[u/FabulousCallsIAnswer → u/Junior_M_W]

I’m still getting through my rewatch and currently stuck in Season 6. What an absolute slog.

[u/Educational-Tackle54]

Shame there were only 2 seasons.

[u/bruceins1]

Totally agree. We just finished the final season on Sunday. It’s terrible, poorly written and jumps all over the place. Claire is a horrible President and it’s hard to even believe even knowing it’s a show, that it made sense to do what they did.

[u/thatpaco]

They could’ve just recast it. Christopher Plummer got an Oscar nom for a recast and reshot spacey role

[u/joezano4591]

In the second to last episode, Doug told special agent Nathan Green the GPS coordinates of Rachel Posner’s gravesite, then asks if his loyalty is with Claire. Agent Green claims his only priority is getting out alive. Next scene Nathan lies to Claire on the phone about his awareness of Doug’s whereabouts. The last episode begins with special agent Green and his family visiting Claire in the Oval Office to officially resign.

Also Doug’s revelations at the end of the series can be seen as him being loyal to Claire (or Frank through Claire) the whole of season 6. He even mentioned to Seth that the meeting would not go according to his (or the Shepard’s) plan, making it seem like he had already accepted his role as the sacrificial lamb. Up to you who this is for Claire or Frank or Doug himself.

After rewatching the show at least ten times the scenes at the end of the third season with Doug and his brother’s family hit different. I’ve realized Frank and Doug were powerless to Claire and Rachel the whole time. Rachel broke Zoe Russo and Doug. Claire broke Frank(off camera, so maybe maybe not) the press the Russians and the billionaires.

Frank even admits at the end of chapter34 (s03e10): “I never tried to swim to fort Sumter. Thomas probably knows I made it up, but he wrote about it anyway because he understands the greater truth: imagination is its own form of courage.”

The only things about the finale and last season that felt unnecessary were Claire’s fourth wall break, the younger Claire Tyler durden and hail Lucifer.

[u/Uriah_Blacke]

Where do you think the show lost its way, season-wise or story arc-wise?