House of Cards Page #3

FRANCIS:

I’ve paid my dues Linda. I deserve

this.

13.

VASQUEZ:

There are lots of deserving people

Frank. We can’t nominate them all.

FRANCIS:

I’d like to speak with Walker

personally.

VASQUEZ:

The decision is made.

The two stare each other down like gunslingers.

VASQUEZ (CONT’D)

We need you Frank. Desperately.

Just not in the cabinet. I’m asking

for your help here. Are you going

to stand beside us?

It takes every ounce of will to swallow his pride.

FRANCIS:

Yes. I will.

VASQUEZ:

I’m very glad to hear that.

FRANCIS:

May I ask - if not me, then who?

VASQUEZ:

(hesitates, then...)

Michael Kern.

He says the following with a smile, but underneath the table

we can see Francis cracking his knuckles with rage.

FRANCIS:

Michael Kern...That’s an excellent

choice.

INT. CLEAN WATER FOR AMERICA (CWA) OFFICES - DAY

TO ESTABLISH:
A large polished steel sign above a reception

desk that reads:

CLEAN WATER FOR AMERICA

We TRACK an older woman (50s) - EVELYN - carrying a folder

past side offices to CLAIRE’S OFFICE. She knocks on the

door, which is slightly ajar.

14.

CLAIRE (O.S.)

Come in.

INT. CWA OFFICES - CLAIRE’S OFFICE - DAY

Claire is behind her desk. Evelyn sits across from her.

EVELYN:

Maybe we should do this in steps.

A couple people at first - see how

that goes, then if we decide -

CLAIRE:

This isn’t about operational

efficiency, Eveyln. This is about

freeing up money. It’s a new year.

It’s time to clean house a little.

Spring cleaning, right?

EVELYN:

It’s not spring - it’s January.

Claire just stares at her. That was a stupid thing to say.

EVELYN (CONT’D)

I just want to make sure we don’t

cripple our ability to function

properly in the process.

CLAIRE:

I hear you, but if I thought that

was going to be an issue, I

wouldn’t be asking for this list in

the first place.

EVELYN:

(shifts in her chair)

Okay...

Claire feels the needs to address Evelyn’s discomfort. She

leans forward, sympathetically.

CLAIRE:

We went over this before the

holidays.

EVELYN:

I know...

CLAIRE:

You didn’t mention anything then.

15.

EVELYN:

I know...

CLAIRE:

We want CWA to maximize it’s

potential, don’t we?

EVELYN:

Of course.

CLAIRE:

So can we agree it’s time to

reorganize? To raise the bar?

EVELYN:

Yes.

CLAIRE:

Good. Put a proposal together.

Evelyn stands and exits, closing the door behind her. Claire

glances at her watch. Picks up her phone. Dials. Waits.

No answer. Leaves a message.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

(into the phone)

It’s me. I feel like an idiot

leaving messages like this. Call

me back.

She hangs up. We linger on her for a moment. An expression

of frustration and concern.

INT. WASHINGTON HERALD - NEWSROOM - NIGHT

JANINE SKORSKY (late 30s) - hard-edged and ruthless - is

punching away at her computer. Zoe leans over her cubicle

partition, lingers for a moment.

JANINE:

(not looking up)

What is it Zoe?

ZOE:

I know you’re going to have your

hands full at the White House, with

the new administration and

everything, so if you need somebody

to do research, punch out

background -

JANINE:

I think I’ll be fine.

16.

ZOE:

But if things get hectic, if you

need any help or

JANINE:

So you can blog about rubbing

shoulders with the big boys?

ZOE:

Lucas told you.

JANINE:

No offense, Zoe, but I don’t have

time to ween you off your training

wheels.

Wham - a slap in the face. Zoe eats it.

ZOE:

Okay. Just thought I’d ask.

She walks off, humiliated, fuming.

INT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

TIGHT on Claire sitting alone, stock still, face grim.

We hear the front door open. In the background we see Francis

enter the room. He looks weary, spent.

He comes into the foreground, sits down across from her.

Shame in his eyes. Disappointment in hers.

FRANCIS:

Claire -

CLAIRE:

You didn’t call me.

FRANCIS:

I was -

CLAIRE:

(harder this time)

You didn’t call me, Francis.

Before Francis can defend himself she’s on her feet, all the

pent-up energy from waiting bursting forth. She’s furious.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

When you didn’t call me right after

I wondered. When I called and you

didn’t call back I knew.

(MORE)

17.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

You don’t not call me. Not when

it’s this big.

FRANCIS:

You’re right.

CLAIRE:

When have we ever avoided each

other?

FRANCIS:

I wanted to figure out a solution

first.

CLAIRE:

Did you?

FRANCIS:

No.

A long beat.

CLAIRE:

So they lied to your face.

FRANCIS:

For months.

CLAIRE:

And you didn’t see it coming?

FRANCIS:

It was always a possibility. My

mistake wasn’t in failing to

consider this scenario; it was in

miscalculating the risk. I thought

it was almost impossible.

CLAIRE:

You’re usually good at sussing out

liars.

FRANCIS:

I am. But this time...

(shakes his head)

Hubris. Ambition.

CLAIRE:

Those aren’t bad things.

FRANCIS:

They are when they blind you.

18.

CLAIRE:

Aren’t you angry?

FRANCIS:

Of course I am.

CLAIRE:

Then where’s your anger?

FRANCIS:

You want to me lash out at Walker?

At Vasquez? You want me to go to

the press and make mess of

something I can’t change?

CLAIRE:

I want more than what I’m seeing.

FRANCIS:

How kind of you.

CLAIRE:

I’m not doling out sympathy.

FRANCIS:

I didn’t ask for it.

CLAIRE:

You’re better than this, Francis.

FRANCIS:

(genuinely)

I’m sorry, Claire.

CLAIRE:

No. That I won’t accept.

FRANCIS:

What?

CLAIRE:

Apologies.

Claire looks hard at him. A typical wife might smother him

with sympathy, but not Claire. She knows that’s the worst

thing she could do for a man like Francis.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

My husband doesn’t apologize, even

to me.

Claire walks out of the room toward the stairs. We follow

her.

19.

As she ascend the stairs we hear a CRASH in the living room,

something SHATTERING. She pauses without turning, just a

fraction of a moment, then continues up the stairs.

BACK ON Francis in the living room. Rage in his eyes. We see

an overturned coffee table. Shards from a broken vase on the

floor. He rights the table. Bends down, picks up the larger

shards and places them on top.

He walks over to the side window. There’s a pack of

cigarettes and a lighter neatly placed on the sill. He

raises the window. Opens the pack. It’s nearly full. He

pulls out one of the cigarettes. Perches himself on the sill.

He turns to us, cooled down by now.

FRANCIS:

(to the camera)

My wife and I don’t smoke. Once a

week maybe. Together at this

window. It’s our time to escape.

To be ourselves.

Lights the cigarette. Takes a long drag.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(looks out the window)

But I’m alone now.

(back to us)

She’s left me this way. To myself.

To my thoughts. It’s not a

punishment; it’s a challenge.

He looks back out the window. Takes another drag.

INT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - DAWN

Claire is in bed as morning light seeps in through the

window. The bed is empty beside her. Her eyes are open.

She stares at the ceiling. The alarm beeps. She reaches

over, turns it off.

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