Season 5 of "House of Cards" is set to air on Netflix in just a couple of months and if reports are to be believed, Frank Underwood's hold on power is about to be upset by a woman.
Den of Geek speculates that an addition to the cast holds the clue to a major plot focus for season 5.
The new season is seeing a number of new additions, among them the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Patricia Clarkson, the details of whose role are yet to be confirmed by Netflix.
The website guesses that Clarkson will have a key role as a major challenger to Underwood's power.
The rumor mill has been wondering for some time now whether a woman would cause an upset for Underwood, specifically inspired by real-life political powerhouse Hillary Clinton who was beaten to the White House by Donald Trump last November.
Even with her defeat in the real political world, rumors have persisted that she will form the basis of a powerful female adversary for Frank.
It will be interesting to see whether this rumor turns out to be true when the Netflix original series becomes available at the end of May, and how Clarkson's character would fit in alongside another confirmed new character played by Campbell Scott, of "Royal Pains" fame.
It could be, as some are guessing, that there is a three-way struggle for the White House between Frank and the new characters played by Clarkson and Scott. In which case, Frank would have quite a handful to deal with next season that could prove too much even his expert machinating.
It will also be interesting to see if the change of showrunners behind the scenes has an impact on the look and feel of the show, as fans will recall that original showrunner Beau Willimon moved on to other projects after season 5. Season 5 will be overseen by the show's senior writers Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese.
As Den of Geek reports, that change in oversight appears to have shifted the plot away from Frank and Claire's demise, to their survival.
"House of Cards" season 5 is available from May 30, which is a longer wait for fans than they would have wanted, given that the last series had a February. So we'll just have to wait until then to see what really becomes of Frank and Claire.
