Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Claire’s opening months as president bring public anger, death threats and pressure from the Shepherd siblings, Annette and Bill. Frank died off screen before the season begins; the initial account attributes his death to an accidental overdose of liver medication, but Claire suspects murder. When Claire is absent from public view for three weeks, Vice President Mark Usher and her cabinet prepare to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. She returns during their meeting, dismisses the cabinet and appoints an all-female replacement. The Shepherds continue trying to force their preferred policies and candidates on her administration.
Tom Hammerschmidt keeps investigating Frank’s crimes and the death of Zoe Barnes, while Doug Stamper tells Tom that he and Claire are on different paths. Tom pursues Rachel Posner’s disappearance and learns from Doug that he killed her. He is killed in a staged robbery. Claire’s conflict with the Shepherds continues through their attempt to take over her administration and influence the coming midterm election. When Doug challenges her over Frank’s will, Claire reveals she is pregnant with Frank’s child.
In the finale, Doug admits he deliberately tampered with Frank’s liver medication to cause the overdose that killed him, after discovering Frank planned to kill Claire. Doug says he acted to protect Frank’s legacy. He then holds Claire at the throat with a letter opener but cannot bring himself to kill her. Claire takes the blade, stabs him in the abdomen and suffocates him as he lies bleeding on the Oval Office floor. Doug’s death is shown on screen. Claire remains president as the series ends.