‘House Of Cards’ Fans Should Expect A Shift In The Drama

House Of Cards earned a loyal following almost as soon as it premiered on Netflix in 2013. Give us Kevin Spacey as a murderous, backstabbing politician with a chic partner-in-crime wife (Robin Wright) and we’ll follow his every move. Now, with the premiere of Season 3 nearing, fans are wondering what they can expect after the last episode left everyone with so many questions.

Possible spoilers ahead.

Of course, the show’s first two seasons of House Of Cards were all about Frank Underwood’s rise to power, the people he crushed beneath his heels on the way to get there, and his struggle to keep his personal life separate from it all. Now that he’s gotten Garrett Walker out of the way to become POTUS, viewers can expect to see a shift in the way the drama plays out. Underwood has finally achieved his goal, and now we get to watch him snake his way through the White House as he tries to keep a whole lot of secrets. It is, as the title suggests, a delicate balance.

Because he’s got a lot more eyes on him, he won’t be doing anything as high profile as getting rid of potential problems. Early reviews of the season agree that the first few episodes are much more politically-focused than in the other seasons, with less soap-opera dramatics.

With Frank busy in the White House, there’s a lot of room left for the show’s other riveting characters to make waves, including hacker Gavin Orsay. He made a bargain with Doug Stamper that he wouldn’t leak the truth behind Zoe Barnes’ death if Stamper dropped the charges leveled against him, but Stamper may be out of the picture after a run-in with Rachel Posner.

Obviously, there will no doubt still be some juicy story lines to satisfy every fan, and if the extended trailer for the new season is any indication, things between Frank and Claire are a tad tense. Now that they’ve become a couple who would do literally anything to gain power, there seem to be a few doubts floating around.

“We’re murderers, Francis,” Claire says in the clip.

“We’re survivors,” he responds.

Season 3 of House Of Cards will be available at midnight tonight on Netflix and stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Michael Kelly, and will also reportedly guest star members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot.

[Photos courtesy Netflix and Netflix/YouTube]