Frank's nightmare begins in the 'House of Cards' season 4 premiere

By the end of House of Cards' season four premiere, Frank is closer than ever to his inevitable downfall, and it can't come soon enough.

In "Chapter 40," the excellent debut of the show's fourth season, President Underwood faces an opponent more formidable than even Viktor Petrov himself. Claire has gone rogue, abandoning her husband and making moves for the Texas governorship at the expense of the Underwood campaign, and although a marriage in trouble becoming the driving force of a political drama might not sound compelling, Frank once again has a clear adversary. This plot turn should elevate the new episodes over last year's somewhat muddled outing in which there was no longer an obvious antagonist for Frank, who had achieved his goal of becoming leader of the free world. Frank is at his most watchable when everything is falling apart around him, not when he essentially has everything he wants, and for that reason, season 4 is an immediate improvement.

Much of the episode plays out like Frank's nightmare, both in a figurative and literal sense. In New Hampshire, Underwood trails Governor Conway by 10 points, and Seth's betrayal forces the campaign to squash rumors that Frank's marriage is in shambles. Of course, those rumors are accurate, but the very man who leaked them appears in front of reporters to accuse them of peddling gossip. As usual, House Of Cards hilariously contrasts what's in the news with what occurs behind the scenes. During one moment early on in "Chapter 40," it's utterly chilling how naturally Frank spews a lie about Claire's whereabouts to a journalist. He has gotten way too good at this.

Meanwhile, Claire is finished letting Frank hold her back, and so she immediately executes a plan to become governor of Texas. Or senator. It doesn't seem to matter as long as it's a position of power. Is she concerned with how any of this will hurt the Underwood campaign? Not at all. The first lady suddenly drops in to Texas, and though the official word is that she's there to work on the campaign, she has zero events scheduled. Not suspicious at all, right? And like a true Underwood, Claire thinks of herself as entitled to the congresswoman's seat despite the fact that her daughter Celia is clearly better suited for the job. It's laughable that that constituents of this district, which is primarily Hispanic and black, would embrace a rich, spoiled white lady who looks at the role as nothing more than a stepping stone, but Claire does not concern herself with the opinions of peasants.

As a result, we see the most heartless version of President Underwood since his murder of Zoe Barnes back in season 2. Frank flat out fantasizes about beating his wife during a profoundly disturbing dream sequence, although even in his fantasy he fails. She gets the upper hand and is about to pull a Gregor Clegane before Frank is awoken by Meacham (who he will almost certainly have sex with before the season ends). Clearly Frank considers Claire a worthy foe who stands a chance of destroying him, and that assessment is likely correct. House of Cards tends to allow Frank to speak to the camera only when he feels he is in complete control, and so it's notable that he never once addresses the audience in this premiere.

Frank's sinister persona continues as he sends Stamper on a mission to blatantly threaten Claire's new campaign manager, Leanne. Doug ominously shows up at night unannounced and picks up her gun while the president essentially warns that she'll be shot if she isn't careful. Yeah, Leanne probably will not vote for him come November. Neve Campbell is a fine addition to the series, and her character is shaping up to be for Claire what Stamper is for Frank. "You're speaking to the president," Stamper shoots at Leanne. "Yes, I recognize his voice," she dryly replies. Let's pray this is the first of many heated conversations between the two.

Oh yeah, and Claire's mom is dying of cancer. In a macabre twist, Claire has been so blinded by this quest for power that she overlooked the fact that her own mother, Elizabeth, has been in chemotherapy for three years. She was even staying in her mom's house while remaining blind to what was going on. Claire's self-obsession keeps her blind to the struggles of anyone else. How very Underwood of her. It only gets worse from there, as the illness is simply used as a tool to control the media and turn the divorce rumors around. Does Claire consult her mom about revealing her medical history to the entire nation? Of course not.

Frank has burned a lot of bridges in his time, and "Chapter 40" reminds us of all the people who were on those bridges as they crumbled, a cast of characters desperate to take him out. Lucas finally returns after being absent from the third season, and he is easily the Frank's most significant threat. After all, Lucas, now released from prison, is one of the few individuals fully aware of what a monster Frank is, and it's hard to imagine he's going to abandon that story. Seth is yet another liability, already leaking information and making arrangements with competitors that will likely send him down a treacherous path. Elizabeth, a total badass, despised Frank before it was cool, and his new job title hardly changes her opinion. "Not even being president could give you any class," she coldly tells him. How cathartic those words are to hear.

As the hour comes to a close, Elizabeth and Claire are back on the same page to some degree, united as we all are in their hatred of Frank. "You're stronger than he is, but you've got to put him in his place," Elizabeth declares.

Will season 4 be the year Frank is at last put in his place? We can only hope so because to quote Jesse Pinkman, he can't keep getting away with it.