Netflix’ political drama “House of Cards” has been renewed for a fifth season and rumor has it that it is going to be the show’s last.
According to Movie News Guide, a lot of factors point that the upcoming season will be the last for the Netflix hit series. For one, the U.K. version of the show ended with its fifth season.
In the U.K. version, Frank’s partner Claire hired an assassin to kill him to preserve his image and legacy. She also wants to protect him from his enemies so she decided to take the life of her own husband.
A Reddit user posted his theory on what’s to come in Season 5 of “House of Cards.” He theorized that Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, will die and Robin Wright’s Claire will step up to take over his position.
It has long been mentioned in the series that Frank has a liver condition and this could possibly be the reason of his deteriorating health.
Also, episodes in Season 4 mentioned that Frank’s liver is possibly rejecting treatment and he was shown in pain numerous times. The Reddit user states that this could be a foreshadowing for the politician’s demise.
Bustle notes that Frank’s death is actually not a big spoiler as the show follows the same plot as its British version so it’s most likely that Frank’s death is already written on the cards since the beginning.
MNR Daily reports that by the end of the fourth season, the episode count has already reached the exact number of the playing cards on deck.
The fourth season contained 13 episodes which give the show a total of 52 episodes since it began. This means that the fifth season could be the season where loose ends will be tied and the story will be wrapped up.
“House of Cards” Season 5 is expected to come out in 2017. No date has been announced yet, but if Netflix will follow its pattern, then the new season will come out by March next year.
The first season was released in February 2013, the second season premiered on February 2014, and the third season premiered in February 2015.
The storyline for the fourth season, which premiered on March 4, coincidentally matched the current state of the US in which there will be a presidential election and Mr. Underwood is up for re-election.
The 58th quadrennial presidential election in the US will happen on November 8 and Americans will vote for their 45th US president.
MNR Daily adds another coincidence that if Season 5 does indeed premiere in March next year then it will again coincide with the current situation of the country.
March 2017 will be the time for the presidential inauguration, and there are reports suggesting that the new season might coincide with the real counterpart to mirror the political state of the United States.
Lastly, another reason why there are reports surfacing that Season 5 will serve as the series finale is because of the executive producer’s exit.
According to Crossmap, following the departure of long-time showrunner Beau Willimon, writers of the show have concluded that the upcoming season will be the last.
Willimon’s exit has prompted promotions for head writers Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese, who both joined the show during its third season, as showrunners.
The previous season saw the tension between the Underwoods explode. Highly Cited notes that the season actually belonged to Wright’s character as she proved herself to be as every bit of dangerous and conniving as her husband.
Season 4 opened minutes following the events of Season 3 with Claire leaving D.C. for Dallas intending to run for Congress in her home district.
As for President Underwood, the season showed how vulnerable he was without Claire by his side. He continuously struggled to get his wife back by his side as he loses ground in key primary states.