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New 'House of Cards' trailer -- trouble between Frank and Claire?

The latest trailer for Netflix's political drama hints at a growing rift between the president and his wife over the Machiavellian schemes that won them the White House.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

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Will Frank and Claire make it through Season 3 of "House of Cards"? YouTube/screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Will Season 3 of "House of Cards" spell trouble for the marriage and political partnership between now President Frank Underwood and his wife, Claire? A second trailer for the new season hints at some quick but juicy tidbits in that direction.

When we last saw the Underwoods at the end of season 2, Frank had finally captured what he wanted: the Oval Office. Over the first two seasons, and often aided by his wife, Frank had connived his way from congressman to vice president and finally to president. To win the top political office, the two committed deeds both illegal and immoral. Claire went along with her husband's schemes, but we may now see a breaking of the ranks.

Released Sunday, the second trailer gets right to the point with the tagline: "President Underwood fights to secure his legacy. Claire wants more than being First Lady. The biggest threat they face is contending with each other."

"I'm starting to question all of it, Francis," Claire says. "What are we doing this for."

"For this house," Frank answers. "For the presidency."

The trailer then moves swiftly to reveal a series of short clips: Claire testifying before some committee, Frank among a team of soliders, the two walking their separate ways at home and Claire being prompted to smile a bit more as a photographer tries to take a picture of the two.

With so many people unable to take down Frank, will his own wife be his ultimate undoing?

Set to debut Friday, the third season of "House of Cards" will present all 13 episodes at the same time. The new season will also demonstrate whether Netflix can extend the success of the series.

In 2013, the show grabbed 14 Emmy nominations, the first time a series from an online-only service was up for the award. "House of Cards" won Emmies for casting and cinematography as well as for best directing of a drama series. In 2014, the second season earned a total of 31 Emmy nominations but wound up empty-handed at the end of the night. Still, stars Kevin Spacy and Robin Wright Penn have taken home Golden Globe awards, proof that the series can compete with the best on cable and network TV.

All of Netflix's series compete not just with traditional TV but with other online services such as Amazon Prime and Hulu, which also have begun to offer original programming. As such, beyond relying on existing shows such as "House of Cards," Netflix is going full blast with other original series. In 2013, the company cut a deal with Marvel to turn comic book characters such as Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist into TV shows. The Marvel lineup leads off with the "="" on="" april="" 10"="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="1d2c0bec-2552-4986-88d3-5e8133a55f97" slug="daredevil-is-the-man-without-fear-of-binge-watching-netflix-on-10-april" link-text="debut of " section="news" title="'Daredevil' is the man without fear of binge-watching Netflix on 10 April" edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key"> .