It is so sad that such a great show in its prime, so Seasons 1-4, was reduced to a shambles of a final season that felt like a different show entirely completely unrecognisable from what came before. And no, there is much more to the problem than Frank (the character, and Kevin Spacey's acting, making the show) not being there. Of course his absence is immediately noticed and deeply felt, but it was the writing, storytelling and characterisation (perhaps the three most important things to make something work) that condemned the season.
"Chapter 72" is not quite the worst 'House of Cards' episode, that dubious dishonour will always be the show's final episode "Chapter 73", but it is to me an easy second worst. Personal opinion of course and it is not because of it being the show's second lowest rated episode, ratings here mostly mean nothing to me and have gone against the grain quite a number of times. Not just of a season where none of the episodes were good and the best ("Chapter 70") being just mediocre at best, but also of a terrific show at its best.
Granted, "Chapter 72" is well shot and Michael Kelly does the best he can with material that does him and Doug absolutely no favours.
Everything else is very poorly done. The story throughout is chronically dull with no tension or intrigue whatsoever, it was like, even for Season 6, everything had come to a standstill. It is also flimsy, never plausible and is quite muddled. The little that advances is forced and nothing here is remotely realistic. The one-liners, awkward exchanges and over-used cliches passing for dialogue are still awful, everything with Doug and the monologues is just awkward. The music is excessively scored and utilised.
Really hated the overly-simple and dumbed down characterisation, Claire's character writing has been a major problem throughout and Robin Wright never looked at ease, but what made me furious was what the episode does to one of the show's most compelling characters (and the only one in this regard of the season too) Doug. The episode making him too much of a one-dimensional psycho, which he isn't. The parentage subplot continues to perplex, it doesn't make sense and it involves characters that were not worth giving a tuppence about. The revelation of the Shepherds' master plan is one of the biggest "what the heck" moments of the entire season, and of the whole of 'House of Cards' even, in a season littered with them.
All in all, very bad, not what a show's penultimate episode should be like and the second worst episode in the show's history. 2/10
