The first four episodes of this season were a long way from promising, with the best of them "Chapter 67" in my view still being mediocre at best. The best, or at least, least bad of all eight episodes of a very bad and quite pointless Season 6 is "Chapter 70", and that only improved on two things and only marginally so. The episodes aren't completely irredeemable but the flaws vastly outweigh the good things and the worst things are executed dreadfully.
A feeling that is still apparent here in "Chapter 71". One of the worst episodes of Season 6 and of 'House of Cards' in general, but it is marginally better than the next, and last, two episodes. "Chapter 72" was a big failure in almost every way, apart from Michael Kelly, and "Chapter 73" gets my vote as the worst ever season and show final episode. "Chapter 71" as said has a few good things but has so much wrong with it and executes all its many flaws badly.
Will start with those good things. Michael Kelly and Boris McGiver give more than credible performances, as does to a lesser extent Lars Mikkelsen. Hammerschmidst is also the only halfway reasonable character in the episode, the only one who's properly interesting and the only one to have any likeability or be worth rooting for.
"Chapter 71" again is well shot and atmospheric in look.
Other than those components, there is really nothing else to recommend for "Chapter 71". It has all of the flaws of the previous Season 6 episodes, which were very similar throughout the season, and has flaws of its own too. Claire is just not a compelling character and the way she behaves throughout the season and here lacks logic. Robin Wright was terrific in the previous five seasons but it is a completely different story here and for all of Season 6, she has lost her charisma and is too clinical, Claire's icy demeanour taken to extremes, and wooden. The characters are simplistically written and lose what made them interesting before, the only one to really do anything for me being Hammerschmidt. Cannot say anything better about the writing, which actually got worse as the season snail-crawled to its end. So much fatigue and contrivance and the worst makes one cringe.
Moreover, the story is as bad, as dull and as increasingly ridiculous as with the season's previous episodes. It is very thin and the very little that advances feel forced, nothing drew me in and found it drawn out. It has been hard throughout the season to figure out what was going on and that is still the case in "Chapter 71" (though perhaps not quite as badly as other episodes), or to believe what's going on because it is so ridiculous. Claire's decision making is too easy and too calculated and while her manoueveur is given some context and reason it is still shaky and can be easily disputed. The dragged out parentage subplot is just absurd and likewise with everything with Cathy, one can argue that realism was not a strong suit on 'House of Cards' but the whole of Season 6, and these subplots in particular, really took the biscuit. The music is intrusive and over-scored.
Summing up, not good. The complete opposite really with a few minor bright spots. There was a season too far feel throughout Season 6 and this epitomises why. 3/10
