With the previous Season 4 episodes some are better than others, but they made for a very promising first half to the season that was better than that of Season 3, which was better in its second half, and that was still solid enough. Of the previous Season 4 episodes, there is one decent if patchy episode ("Chapter 45"), two excellent ones ("Chapter 41"and "Chapter 44"), one outstanding one ("Chapter 43") and the rest being very good.
After being a little disappointed by "Chapter 45", "Chapter 46" is a big improvement and sees Season 4 and 'House of Cards' back on track. Find it one of Season 4's best episodes, the best since "Chapter 43" and equal in quality to that episode. It may not quite have the same level of intensity of that episode , but it is still outstanding in its own way while having the same strengths and the closest any episode of Season 4 up to this point of it (the halfway point) has come to feeling like classic 'House of Cards'.
Compared to the previous Season 4 episodes, "Chapter 46" is a somewhat lighter episode in places and is not as suspenseful, but there was a freshness to that approach and it was welcome to have something a little less heavy-going. It was good to have a fresh slant and introduce new story strands and such while not abandoning what has happened beforehand, rather than spending too long and too much of the season on the on-going conflicts and struggles. There is still a good deal of tension though, the conflict that is set up is very intriguing already and that is present in also Frank's manipulation of Blythe and Claire's gun control/NRA subplot.
The Conways are also introduced and their storyline is compelling and even genius, providing a reminder of the horrors of social media that is still very much current today. The scene where Frank imagines a duel with Conway in front of former presidents' portraits was brilliant writing and classic 'House of Cards'. That is also the standout of the writing, which is some of the season's finest and even sees a return to the much missed Frank talking to the camera/breaking the fourth wall.
Visually, the stylishness still remains as does the clever direction, the cross-cutting not being too gimmicky. The performances are first rate, with Kevin Spacey dominating and in the most masterful of ways, truly having a great time delivering Frank's ingenious character writing.
In conclusion, outstanding. 10/10
After being a little disappointed by "Chapter 45", "Chapter 46" is a big improvement and sees Season 4 and 'House of Cards' back on track. Find it one of Season 4's best episodes, the best since "Chapter 43" and equal in quality to that episode. It may not quite have the same level of intensity of that episode , but it is still outstanding in its own way while having the same strengths and the closest any episode of Season 4 up to this point of it (the halfway point) has come to feeling like classic 'House of Cards'.
Compared to the previous Season 4 episodes, "Chapter 46" is a somewhat lighter episode in places and is not as suspenseful, but there was a freshness to that approach and it was welcome to have something a little less heavy-going. It was good to have a fresh slant and introduce new story strands and such while not abandoning what has happened beforehand, rather than spending too long and too much of the season on the on-going conflicts and struggles. There is still a good deal of tension though, the conflict that is set up is very intriguing already and that is present in also Frank's manipulation of Blythe and Claire's gun control/NRA subplot.
The Conways are also introduced and their storyline is compelling and even genius, providing a reminder of the horrors of social media that is still very much current today. The scene where Frank imagines a duel with Conway in front of former presidents' portraits was brilliant writing and classic 'House of Cards'. That is also the standout of the writing, which is some of the season's finest and even sees a return to the much missed Frank talking to the camera/breaking the fourth wall.
Visually, the stylishness still remains as does the clever direction, the cross-cutting not being too gimmicky. The performances are first rate, with Kevin Spacey dominating and in the most masterful of ways, truly having a great time delivering Frank's ingenious character writing.
In conclusion, outstanding. 10/10