HOUSE OF CARDS Season 6 Trailer: The Middle-Aged White Man Is Dead

Claire Underwood has always been House of Cards’ most interesting character. The Lady to husband Frank’s Macbeth, she’s just as driven by power and revenge as the show’s former lead character was. But between the writers’ scripts and Wright’s performance, Claire has a deep, abiding inner anguish that sets her apart. We always knew what Frank was thinking; Claire, on the other hand, could be plotting or feeling a dozen different things at any moment, and Wright’s ability to communicate that through a stoic facade is spellbinding.

Now rid of its disgraced former star, House of Cards enters its final season with Wright atop the bill - a strong state of affairs for any show. Netflix dropped a teaser today, and even if you’ve abandoned the show in its disappointing last couple seasons, it’s worth a watch: 

There’s some strong stuff in there. Claire definitely seems to be on a tear politically, swerving away from her deceased husband’s political goals. The shot of Claire delivering a death-stare into the camera, her mascara-stained mask of mourning melting away, is shiver-inducing. And you could do worse than adding Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear to your cast.

It’s surely no accident that Netflix dropped this trailer today, of all days. A show that kicked out its A-list sexual-predator star, releasing footage of its female president proclaiming an end to “the reign of the middle-aged white man,” on the same day as a historic sexual-assault hearing in Washington? That’s got to be on purpose, and it'd be surprising if the show didn't address in its text some of the issues that have emerged over the past two years. 

House of Cards’ sixth season will release on Netflix on November 2nd. Will you be watching?