One of my favorite elements of the show, of which there are actually many the more I think about it, is the relationship between Frank and Claire Underwood, power couple extraordinaire. There have been a lot of really poorly handled political marriages in the world of TV and movie dramas, where the wife is either completely ignored and serves essentially as stage decoration, or else she’s a plotting Lady Macbeth type, controlling her husband’s every move and causing his eventual demise.
The relationship in this case is one that seems fairly complex, built partly upon sincere love and affection, but also mutual ambition and career advancement, almost like a business arrangement where both parties are able to assist one another in various circumstances. There’s also a tension between what the agreed upon arrangement is meant to be, which seems to entail forgiveness of certain transgressions so long as they’re carried out for the advancement of their political goals, and then the real feelings they seem to have for one another, ranging from admiration to resentment. There are hints of true kindness and outright sabotage at play.
It’s tough for us to put our finger on what the nature of the relationship is because it’s not clear the two of them know, or are honest about it. Seeing a political relationship handled in this way is fascinating not because it’s necessarily a realistic portrayal of what these types of marriages are actually like but a reflection of some sort of truth about what they can be boiled down to on a fundamental level.
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