OK, here’s where they’re starting to really lose me.

So, here I am, watching the show and there’s a gas crisis caused by a Russian oil boycott due to Frank granting asylum to one of Petrov’s enemies or something, and it’s during these times when I watch stuff like this where being a somewhat well-read person comes back to haunt me.  Or, more accurately, prevent me from enjoying something that’s as blatantly ridiculous and unrealistic as House of Cards.  I mean, Frank imagined a faucet in his house was dispensing blood instead of water.  Clearly we’re going heavily into the theatrical over the realistic here.

But what’s wrong with the gas shortage thing?  Well, for one, I don’t think the U.S. gets that much oil from Russia.  Europe?  Sure.  The United States?  Not so much.  Likewise, when one country historically has cut us off, the thing the United States generally ends up doing is just buying more oil from someone else.  Did you know Canada sells a lot of oil to the States?  Besides, with the fracking boom, the United States is a lot more energy potent than she used to be.

But then something came along later that made me think every character on this show might be riding the short bus to school.  Namely, the photo of Frank’s father surfaces with the man next to the Klansman and there’s all kinds of people wonder who did it.

Um…who even knew that photo existed besides Frank?

IT WAS OBVIOUSLY CLAIRE!

Sheesh!

Even Frank saying he more or less knew it all along doesn’t remove the fact that she was the only one who could have done it.  Not Sleazy Seth.  Not Meechum.  Not Heather Dunbar.  Not even Lucas as he scrambles to do…something.  No, just Claire knew that photo existed since it was in a safety deposit box that presumably only the Underwoods knew about.

And then things take a turn for the even more stupid when Claire basically says she did it because the two of them are stronger together (she’s not wrong), so she should be his running mate (she is very wrong).

Let’s ignore Frank’s points about the fact Claire has never been elected to anything first and consider, if we will, that it was first of all illegal as freak for Claire to be an UN Ambassador thanks to our nation’s anti-nepotism laws, laws which have been on the books since the Johnson Administration.  Clearly no one working on House of Cards or living in that universe knew that.  But if she can’t be a UN Ambassador, how the hell can she be Vice President?  And that’s ignoring the fact that I distinctly remember learning that when George W. Bush named Dick Cheney as his running mate back in 2000, Cheney had to change his state residency because it was also illegal for the VP candidate to be from the same state as the presidential candidate.

I get that this is done for dramatic purposes (see above on bloody faucets), but that doesn’t change the fact that while Claire says she considered all the possible reasons why she can’t be his running mate, everyone involved ignored the best reason, that being it just plain ain’t legal.

This isn’t even something against Robin Wright or Kevin Spacey.  The two of them are strong actors, and Wright for one should be pleased to get that rare meaty role that isn’t just somebody’s mother at her age.  The whole scenario is just poorly written.

Bah.  I’ll be back with the next episode next week, but this sure isn’t going well right now.