Chapter 12 Season 1 – House of Cards Episode Summary 1.12

Episode Summary: President Garrett Walker begins interviewing candidates for the vice presidency and becomes annoyed at the unlikely the candidates.  Unknown to him, Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez and House Representative Francis Underwood have agreed to present hopeless candidates in order to make Frank look like the best candidate for vice president.   Meanwhile, Janine Skorsky uncovers a conspiracy theory pegs House Representative Francis Underwood as the mastermind.

Chapter 12 House of Cards Recap: Christina Gallagher meets with Paul Capra to speak about him taking over Peter Russo’s seat in the House of Representatives.  The offer surprised Paul only because he thought Christina had asked to see him to speak about Peter, who had only been deceased for a month.  Christina’s behavior puzzles him for the woman opted to miss their friend’s funeral.  The woman has chosen to bury herself with work instead of grieving.Continue reading...

News of the senior official of the Shipbuilder’s Association, Paul Capra, meeting with Christina Gallagher reaches Janine Skorsky of Slugline.  Janine immediately calls Mr. Capra to get confirmation on rumors of him taking over the seat Peter Russo left vacant.  Moreover, she asks him about his involvement in the closing of the Philadelphia Shipyard and learns that the Shipbuilder’s Association was not consulted about its closing.  Janine brings up the fact that the late Congressman Russo did not offer a testimony to the BRAC commission and discovers from him that a politician with more power than Congressman Russo forced him to refrain from testifying.  Janine shares her discovery to Zoe Barnes and names Frank Underwood as her suspect.  She realizes that Congressman Underwood began his association with Peter Russo right after the closing of the Philadelphia Shipyard.  She also confronts Zoe with her speculation that Frank Underwood is her source.  Zoe does not confirm nor deny Janine’s conjecture, but she agrees to speak to Frank about the information she gathered from Mr. Capra.  She confronts Frank about Janine’s conjectures and he, as one would expect, denies all of it.  Frank denies pressuring Peter Russo into closing the Philadelphia Shipyard.  He instead admits to advising him into trading a losing hand for a winning one.  According to Frank, Peter made allies out of enemies after allowing the closure of the shipyard.  Zoe feigns being satisfied with Frank’s answers, but decides to investigate further.  She finds connections between the McCuddin Air Force Base, the stepping down of Majority Leader David Rasmussen, and House Representative Terry Womack stepping up as the new House Majority Leader.  Zoe suspects Womack as the politician who pressured Russo, because the McCuddin Air Force Base that is in Womack’s district remained open at the expense of the Philadelphia Shipyard.  Zoe has imbibed Frank’s lies enough to convince herself that Janine’s conspiracy theory is incorrect.

President Garrett Walker along with Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez and Congressman Francis Underwood interview House Representative Tabitha Lonnergan, a candidate for the soon-to-be vacated vice presidency.  They find the woman utterly jejune and decide to cross her off their list as a viable replacement for Vice President Jim Matthews.  President Walker is irked with the candidates Linda and Frank had presented him, which is what the two had planned all along.  They intended to put the President in a position to find Frank as the most viable candidate to fill the seat of the vice president.  Linda speaks with the President only to learn that he is considering the multi-billionaire Raymond Alan Tusk as his new vice president; she did not have the opportunity to recommend Frank Underwood as an option.  Linda fills in Frank of the President’s decision and receives the same reaction she had upon hearing of his plan.  Duplicitous Frank Underwood, however, decides to approve of the President’s choice of tapping a proven and down-to-earth businessman as his new vice president.  He refers to the President’s strategy as bold and exciting.  Frank learns that the President has already vetted Raymond Tusk before when he considered him for Secretary of the Treasury.  The only hindrance now is Tusk’s reluctance to accept the nomination.  The President confides to Frank of sending his representative to speak to Tusk prompting Frank to volunteer his services.

Doug Stamper provides Frank the research he has on Raymond Tusk.  He wonders whether Linda had purposefully intended to send Frank to St. Louis in order to allow her and the President to continue their search for a viable vice president without Frank’s interference.  Frank believes that Linda has nothing to do with it despite her betrayal with the State Secretary nomination.  Frank arrives at the modest St. Louis home of multi-billionaire, Raymond Tusk, where he is to stay as he tries to convince the businessman to accept the President’s offer.  The smell and sound of sizzling bacon wakes Frank at two in the morning.  The two begin an early morning conversation in their pajamas about Frank’s habit of knocking on wood with his ring.  Frank explains that his father taught him that habit. It was supposed to help harden one’s knuckles for a fight with an extra benefit of knocking on wood.  He considers the mannerism a mixture of preparation and luck.  Their conversation leads to Frank’s father who is a failed peach farmer.  Frank confesses that his father was better at giving advice than following it.  The call from China causes them to postpone their conversation in the morning at Raymond’s office.

As per their agreement, Frank arrives at Tusk’s office and speaks to him about the President’s desire for Raymond to become his vice president.  He would like to know the cause of his hesitation to accept it.  Frank finds that Raymond is deflecting to answer a simple question of whether or not he wants to become Vice President of the United States.  He worries that Raymond is inclined to say no or that he desires to be wooed to accept the offer.  Raymond asks Frank to allow him a few minutes to finish his meetings and proposes they resume their conversation away from the office.  Frank finds himself bird watching in the woods with Raymond Tusk and tries to fish for the reason for the man’s hesitation to accept the vice presidency.  He speculates whether the President’s opposition to nuclear power is the reason, because Raymond does own a nuclear power plant.  Raymond once again deflects the question.  At dinner, Frank tries to get an answer from him again and learns that husband and wife work as a team.  Jean Tusk brings up the blind trust should Raymond accept the vice presidency.  She does note that the blind trust inadvertently unburdens them from a great deal of stress of managing a multi-billion company.  The Tusks want to know why the President wants Raymond to become vice president.  Raymond then turns the table and asks Frank whether he thinks he should accept the President’s offer, but Frank is as good as he is at deflecting the question.  He then asks Frank whether he would accept the vice presidency, but Frank uses the same argument Raymond employed and manages to avoid having to answer the question.

At midnight, Frank receives a call from Doug informing him that the President lied to him about not knowing Raymond Tusk personally and of only meeting him once at a fundraiser.  Walter Doyle was able to catalog all the events Raymond and the President both attended.  Moreover, Raymond Tusk was a major stockholder of Pioneer Airlines, a company where the President used to be the CEO.  Early that morning, Frank Underwood confronts Raymond Tusk about the charade.  He conveys to him of having discovered that he was not sent there to vet Raymond and learns that it is the other way around.  The President considers Raymond Tusk as his trusted adviser.  Moreover, he learns that Raymond advised the President not to nominate Frank as Secretary of State.  He is aware that Frank has made himself incorrigible since then with Kern, the teachers’ strike, and Matthews.  Raymond attributes all of those problems as Frank’s doing.  He, however, have come to see that Frank is effective in attaining goals.  This efficiency will be of value to Raymond and the President.  Moreover, with Frank as vice president, the President has a man that straddles between the Executive and the Legislative branches of government.  Despite the benefits of having Frank serve as vice president, Raymond’s favorable recommendation depends on Frank’s ability to return the favor.  Frank rejects agreeing to return the one favor Raymond wants of him, but Raymond gives him time to consider.  Upset at having been played, Frank confronts Linda about the possibility of her lying to him about her knowledge of the President and Raymond’s relationship.  Linda maintains not knowing of their relationship and argues of not benefiting from lying to him.  She informs him that the President still wants to meet with Frank to get his evaluation of Raymond Tusk, one they already know to be a farce, but Frank agrees to attend the meeting.  Frank must figure out a way to force Raymond to come crawling to him for he will never agree to become beholden to him.  He believes that Raymond’s weakness is his fortune.  Frank wants to create an illusion that it is in danger and he must do so in a week’s time.  His estimation of Tusk is that the man is more concerned with the loss of his life’s work than the loss of money.

Gillian Cole speaks with Claire Underwood about a request from the PR Office of SanCorp to send a film crew to shoot footage of their filtration project in Botswana.  Gillian becomes suspicious of CWI’s relationship with SanCorp aware that the same company fought against them on the Watershed Bill.  Claire informs her that SanCorp was the one who helped them get their filters out of South Sudan.  Gillian is against doing business with a company that is against everything their organization stands for, but Claire finds that their relationship is harmless.  Soon, Claire receives a peeved call from Remy Danton after receiving a complaint from the PR team regarding Gillian Cole’s lack of cooperation.  Gillian rejected SanCorp’s request to have its crew film their filtration project in Botswana.  Claire prepares to reprimand Gillian for opposing her only to learn that the woman took the day off due to illness.  On Gillian’s return, Claire accuses Gillian of feigning illness to avoid having to deal with the consequences of rejecting SanCorp’s request.  Claire reprimands her for her actions, but Gillian argues that the filtration project is hers and she can make the decisions without consulting Claire given that she had promised her autonomy on her projects.  Claire argues that the filtration project would not have been possible without SanCorp’s help to which Gillian contends that Claire did not consult her about the deal with SanCorp.  Claire disputes that Gillian works for her organization, but Gillian refutes this given that their agreement is an affiliation.  Claire refutes this claim, because the contract Gillian signed did not specify an affiliation.  Gillian’s claim is based merely on a good faith understanding that Claire is no longer honoring.  Claire states that the good faith understanding they had was dissolved the moment Gillian disobeyed her.  Claire orders Gillian to take a leave of absence equivalent to her termination if she refused to return.

Janine pursues her conspiracy theory and speaks with Christina about it unaware that Frank Underwood had put Doug Stamper on alert.  He believes that Janine asks the right questions that could uncover the truth.  Doug interrupts the conversation between Janine and Christina, ending it abruptly.  He offers the ruse of protecting her from harassing questions from the press.  Christina returns to the office.  She finds herself having to go through Peter’s things for a document and finally finds herself grieving for the loss of Peter Russo.  Meanwhile, Janine is convinced even more that Underwood was behind the closing of the Philadelphia Shipyard after the incident at the cafeteria with Doug and Christina.  She was able to establish more connections in her theory.  Janine found that the Education Bill went to the floor shortly after Womack rose to become the House Majority Leader.  Zoe was pivotal in the success of Underwood’s Education Bill, because she leaked Congressman Donald Blythe’s education bill that is far left of center.  Then there is the Kern article that Zoe also leaked.  Janine finds that the link to all those events is Zoe.  Frank Underwood has been using the young journalist to his end and Janine finds that they must uncover what Underwood’s goal truly is.  She urges Zoe to speak to Roy Kapeniak about the Kern article.

Lucas Goodwin offers to drive Zoe to the airport to see Kapeniak and confronts her about his suspicion that Zoe was sleeping with Frank Underwood to get ahead.  Zoe confirms his suspicion upsetting him more than one would expect, because Lucas has fallen in love with her.  Zoe arrives at Roy Kapeniak’s neighborhood and learns from his neighbor that the man was evicted and left.  His stripper girlfriend, Echo, however is still in town.  Zoe arrives at the strip joint where Echo works and learns from the stripper that a man claiming to be a congressman came to see Roy about the Kern article.  The congressman was Peter Russo.  Peter convinced Roy to declare that Senator Michael Kern wrote the editorial that expressed an anti-Israel sentiment.  Zoe tries to inveigle Echo into officially making the statement, but the stripper refuses to do so.  She returns to Washington D.C. and shares her discovery to Janine.  Both of them are now certain that Underwood was behind all of it.  Regrettably, none of them has hard proof of Underwood’s role in those events.  Zoe knows him as a dangerous person to fight against and fears of him learning of their awareness of the truth.  Janine argues that the only weapon they have against Underwood is to uncover the truth about him to the public.  They must find information and evidence that connect Underwood with the death of Peter Russo.  Zoe believes that the key lies with Christina Gallagher.  She informs her that Peter convinced Roy Kapeniak to speak to her about the editorial Senator Michael Kern supposedly wrote.  Peter was acting on someone’s orders.  She asks Christina if she remembers any strange events around the time of the inauguration, specifically on January 24.

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Chapter 11 Season 1 – House of Cards Episode Summary 1.11

Episode Summary: House Representative Francis Underwood speaks with Vice President Jim Matthews about the vice president running for the governorship of Pennsylvania.  He presents his proposal to President Garrett Walker and Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez with Linda coming to a realization of Frank’s plan, a plan that depends on Peter Russo’s withdrawal from the gubernatorial race.  Regrettably, Peter Russo has remained in seclusion, drowning his shame in liquor.  Moreover, he grows a conscience and desires to take responsibility for all his offenses.

House of Cards Chapter 11 Recap: Congressman Francis Underwood speaks with Vice President Jim Matthews about finding a replacement for Peter Russo after his disastrous radio interview.  With only seven weeks left until the election, the vice president could not think of anyone with the name recognition and donor base that will win the gubernatorial seat for the Democrats.  Francis helps the vice president realize that he fits the bill.  He strokes his ego with a declaration that the vice president resigning his position in the White House to save Pennsylvania will make him a hero.  Moreover, he insinuates that President Garrett Walker is considering not keeping him as his running mate for the next elections.  The only obstacle hindering Vice President Matthews from returning to his passion for state governance is the notion that President Walker will not allow it.  Frank volunteers to speak secretly in his behalf.Continue reading...

Frank proposes the idea to President Walker, who is reluctant to accept the proposal, claiming that there is no historical precedent for such a move.  Frank offers two vice presidents from centuries ago who had done so, but the President finds the examples unsatisfactory.  The President is unwilling to use vice presidents who committed murder and believed in slavery as their reference.  More than the unlikely references, the President wants to avoid the appearance of him pushing the Vice President out of office or the appearance of the Vice President abandoning the administration.  Frank argues that there are important things at stake if they lose an important swing state.  The Democrats could lose the majority of the House and the President could lose the second term of his presidency.  Frank suggests that the President and the Vice President come out with a joint statement declaring that the Vice President will only resign his position if he wins the gubernatorial elections in Pennsylvania.  Sensing that the President is reluctant to acquiesce, Frank turns Machiavellian and employs the same strategy he used on the Vice President.  Frank turns the President against the Vice President.  He uses the latter’s supposed criticism of the former as his weapon.  Moreover, he presents benefits from agreeing to his proposal.  Having the Vice President win the gubernatorial elections in Pennsylvania will secure the swing state for the Democrats.  In addition, it presents the President an honorable way to find a more favorable replacement.

Christina Gallagher finds Peter Russo in his trashed apartment with a bottle of hard liquor watching Jeopardy.  Peter knows that his career as a politician is over.  He plans to remain in seclusion until the ignominy is forgotten.  Christina tries to rescue him from self-destruction, but to no avail.  She leaves him in his apartment to allow the ruined house representative to collect himself until he is ready to face the public with a statement.  Peter does seem to have a desire to return to the world.  He asks a staff from his building to purchase liquor for him and pays him significantly more than the cost of the alcohol.  The staff rejects the exorbitant payment and even offers to help him recover from inebriation, but Peter refuses his help.  Later, a heavily inebriated Peter Russo eludes the press by taking the freight elevator straight to the garage.

Claire Underwood takes a walk in the park with Adam Galloway.  They speak of their relationship beginning with Claire’s reason for ending their affair.  Claire would not allow herself to fall deeply for Adam.  She denies fear as the rationale behind her decision for she believes that fear does not accomplish anything.  Adam argues against her belief claiming that rational fear keeps people alive.  He confesses that when he is not overseas his fears surround the notion of triviality.  He fears of wasting precious moments for frivolities.  Claire confesses to have had those fears as well, one she would not dare admit to her husband.  She is afraid that her life would not amount to something.  Adam believes that Claire is some other person before she met Frank.  He likens her to the young woman they see on a bench, alone, reading a book.  Claire, to him, was a curious, independent person who absorbs everything.  She denies his estimation of her as a young woman.  Moreover, Claire claims that she wanted to become more than an observer.  She wanted to be significant.  Later that night, they print an enlarged photograph of the young woman they saw at the park whom Claire photographed.  Adam insists on calling the unknown woman Claire.  He maintains that the young woman though not resembling Claire exudes an aura reminiscent of her youth.  News about Peter Russo reaches Claire in New York and she finds herself sympathizing for the congressman despite knowledge of her husband’s plan.  Adam perceives that Claire is missing the life she escaped and senses that their affair is about to end yet again.  He can no longer serve as a mere diversion for Claire.  He could not fathom why she gave up a free spirited life for that of sadness.  Claire confesses to have chosen a man she could love for more than a week.  She chose permanence.  Claire has a history and a future with Francis, both of which Adam does not possess.  Adam tells her to kill whatever part of her that still loves him, because he will.  He returns later that night to find Claire still in his loft, sound asleep.

Zoe Barnes returns to her squalid apartment and cleans it up.  She gets a message from Frank asking her to come to his home to talk.  Zoe learning that Claire is not at home takes the opportunity to invade her privacy just as she had done to her.  She rushes up to the master’s bedroom and goes through her things.  She puts on the dress Claire wore at the gala and insists on keeping it to underline her intrusion.  She decides later not to steal the dress after undressing and disheveling Claire’s side of the bed.  Frank asks Zoe of starting their relationship anew.  He wants to simplify things by agreeing to Zoe’s previous request to keep their relationship professional.  The two agree to this.  Zoe continues to stay at Lucas’ apartment.  She confesses to have carried on an affair with an older, married man without revealing his identity.  She divulges of the threat the man made against her the first time they engaged in a sexual relationship.

Frank requests a meeting with Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez to ask about the proposal he presented.  Linda admits that President Walker is torn.  She confesses that she finds acceding to it a mistake.  Frank’s plan has become clear to her.  She realizes that Frank expects her support as payment for his part in getting her son into Stanford.  Moreover, she has come to a realization that Frank has been aiming for the vice presidency all along with a more ultimate goal of running for president in 2020.  Linda confronts Frank with these conjectures, but he avoids the admission of guilt.  After careful consideration, Frank decides that honesty will win Linda’s support and concurs to her accusations.  Frank states plainly his desire to become Vice President of the United States and his hope that Linda will return the favor after he got her son into college.  Moreover, he instills seeds of ambition in Linda expressing that the two of them make a formidable team.  The success of his plan, however, remains in the hands of Peter Russo.  Peter needs to withdraw officially in order to put pressure on Walker.  Regrettably, Peter Russo has gone missing.  Unknown to them, Peter is parked merely a few meters away from the Capitol.  He listens to news of his disappearance and the consequences of his disastrous radio interview, one that seemingly secured his opponent the gubernatorial seat in Pennsylvania.  That night, Peter parks across her former wife’s house and calls her children on the phone.  He asks to speak to his son, but his son refuses to speak to him knowing very well the dishonor he brought to them.  Guilt overcomes him at this realization and the awareness that his children have witnessed his self-destruction.  Her daughter senses that her father is intoxicated and politely ends their conversation much to Peter’s dismay.  Peter calls Christina, the one person who is still willing to speak to him.  He tells her his whereabouts and she asks that he stay where he is.  Peter, however, throws his cellphone on the sidewalk and drives away.  He drives to a police station and turns himself in for a previous criminal offense that was expunged from police records.  The desk sergeant refuses to arrest him for an exonerated crime he committed.  Peter desires to be imprisoned and confesses to have driven to the police station while under the influence.  He identifies himself as Congressman Peter Russo and presents valid proof of identification.  Doug arrives at the neighborhood of the former wife of Peter, but does not find him there.  He, however, finds his cellphone on the gutter.  Soon he learns from Police Commissioner Barney Hull that Peter has surrendered to the police.  Peter is now being held in an interrogation room by himself.  The commissioner worries of Peter divulging the purging of his criminal offense, one he had made possible as a favor for Frank.  Doug fetches Peter through a back exit at the police station, but Frank meets them and offers to drive Peter home.

Frank learns that Peter had thrown himself in jail as an act of taking responsibility for his actions.  Peter divulges his plan of making a statement of pulling out of the race, but also of confessing all his offenses.   Moreover, he refuses help from Frank in writing the statement.  This worries Frank, who had a part in Peter’s troubles.  They arrive in the private garage in Peter’s building.  Peter refuses Frank helping him up to his apartment.  Frank sees a bottle of liquor and offers it to the heavily intoxicated alcoholic.  He drinks with him in his car and shares his dislike of fathering children due to his unhappy childhood whom he believes Peter had too.  Frank, however, realizes that it was a coward’s excuse.  Peter succumbs to fatigue and falls asleep on the passenger seat of the car.  Frank wipes his fingerprints off the car and the bottle of liquor.  He uses Peter’s finger to turn on the engine of the car.  He leaves Peter inside the car and closes the garage door while the engine is still running.  Frank puts on a baseball cap and sneaks out of the building.  He returns to his house and finds Doug waiting for him.  He tells Doug that they will never speak of the events that will surface in the next few hours.  This shocks Doug, but he accedes to the order.

Frank has an early meeting with President Walker, Chief of Staff Vasquez, and Vice President Matthews.  He learns that his strategy to use honesty won him Linda’s support.  President Walker explains that Linda managed to convince him of the benefits of agreeing to his proposal.  Moreover, he has spoken to Vice President Matthews and convinced him of agreeing to run for governor.  All agree that the President and the Vice President will make a joint statement of their decision for the vice president to run for governor.  Moreover, the President will make it clear that he will only accept the vice president’s resignation if he wins the election.  They are, however, confident that Vice President Matthews will win so much so that the President has already asked Linda to put together a list of candidates for the vice presidency.  All now rests on Peter Russo officially withdrawing from the gubernatorial race.  With the rest of their plans depending on Peter’s withdrawal, the President sends his people to go look for him.  Secret Service informs President Walker of the suicide of Peter Russo.  The President announces the news to Linda, Matthews, and Frank.  Peter was found in his garage with the car still running.  Frank feigns shock and sends a text message to his wife informing her of Peter Russo’s suicide.  Peter’s suicide soon fills every news headline except Slugline’s who is learning about it from other news outfits.  Zoe only learns of it from Lucas who receives a text message prompting him to leave for the office immediately.  Peter’s campaign staff including Christina only learns of his fate on the news as well.

Claire resumes communication with Frank and tells him that she is coming home.  She leaves Adam’s loft without a goodbye except for a large origami of a swan made from one of the pieces of the young woman’s enlarged photograph that Claire had rearranged.  Claire arrives home and finds Frank waiting for her in the living room where they reconcile.  Later, husband and wife stand side-by-side to address the press with their sympathies for the loss of the ruined house representative, Peter Russo.

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Chapter 10 Season 1 – House of Cards Episode Summary 1.10

Episode Summary: House Representative Francis Underwood learns that his wife betrayed him to pursue her goals and Zoe Barns threatens to expose Claire Underwood’s betrayal.  With the failed passage of the Watershed Bill, Peter Russo finds his election as governor of Pennsylvania in danger.  He threatens to expose Frank’s hand in smearing former State Secretary nominee Michael Kern.

House of Cards Chapter 10 Recap: President Garrett Walker reproaches Congressman Francis Underwood for the failure of the Watershed Bill.  Everybody believed that the bill would pass.  Frank blames the misinformation on the journalist Janine Skorsky, who published an article claiming to have received verified vote counts in favor of the bill.  President Walker, however, is not concerned about the misinformation.  His concern is the division the bill created among Democrats that makes his leadership appear incompetent.  The knowledge that Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez disobeyed his instructions dismays the President even more.  Linda missed meeting with the house representatives to rally them into supporting the bill in order to address a personal matter.  Francis takes full responsibility for her absence believing that Linda’s influence was not necessary at that time.Continue reading...

Frank Underwood is out to chastise the two Democrats who betrayed him, Vanderburgh and Abrams.  He, however, learns from Zoe Barnes that his wife, Claire Underwood, was the person who dissuaded the two from voting for the Watershed Bill.  Zoe threatens to write an article about the betrayal if Frank does not feed her with better information.  Frank verifies Zoe’s information with Vanderburgh and Abrams who relays the conversation they both had with his wife.  Claire Underwood told them to vote for their conscience and added that it would not be the end of the world if the bill failed.  Frank chastises his wife for her betrayal and learns that she has done so as payment for Remy’s help in getting her shipment out of Sudan.  Claire justifies making a decision without consulting him.  She argues that Frank has kept her in the dark of his plans for the past six months.  He worries that her betrayal will become news, one from which they cannot recover.  She learns that the very threat of exposing her betrayal comes from Zoe whom she believed was under the control of her husband.  She attributes the imminent threat to them to her husband’s inability to control his sexual urges.  Frank lost his hold on Zoe when he made her his mistress.  Claire begins to feel that she has made more sacrifices toward her husband’s goals than hers.  This leads Frank to remind her that CWI is not as important as their ultimate goal.  His reminder only made it clear to Claire that her husband has only been using her just like everyone else.  Frank attributes her defiance to menopause causing Claire to throw her husband out of her office.  Later that night, Claire pays Zoe Barnes a surprise visit and purposefully intrudes.  She came to make it known to the young woman that she and her husband share everything, not only does she know of their affair, she is aware of the details including trivial ones such as her trapping a spider with a wine glass.  That night, Claire does not return home and does not answer her phone.  Frank decides to satisfy his urges with Zoe and learns that Claire had come to see her.  This knowledge prompts him to rush back home, but Claire is nowhere to be found.

The failure of passage of the Watershed Bill does not bode well for Peter Russo’s election as Governor of Pennsylvania.  The journalists question his absence in Washington during the critical time when his influence as the chief sponsor of the bill is required.  Moreover, Janine Skorsky brings up the new ad that uses his failed bill to question his resolve in maintaining his sobriety.  Peter realizes the precariousness of his election with the failure of the keystone of his campaign.  He orders Frank who promised the passage of the Watershed Bill to fix it.  He threatens him of going public with Kapeniak and the Kern editorial if he does not do so.  Peter has come to a realization that Frank no longer holds power over him for his sordid past is now public knowledge.  Moreover, Peter now has power over Frank with his participation in the ruining of Senator Michael Kern.  Frank speaks to Doug Stamper about accelerating their plan regarding Peter Russo for the man has become uncontrollable.  Doug obtains a decent apartment for Rachel Posner, one whose furniture, security deposit, first and last rent he paid.  His supposed good will, however, comes with a price.

Still unaware of Claire’s whereabouts, Frank drops by CWI to fish information from Gillian Cole.  He learns that Claire has feigned illness and has scheduled a weeklong absence from work.  Frank also learns that Gillian, a Stanford alumnus, knows the Provost of Stanford Warren Tynsdale.  In fact, the provost has made her the poster child of alumni whose attendance has been requested on fundraising events.  Frank obliges Gillian to recommend Ruben Vasquez, the son of Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez, for acceptance after hearing that Stanford continues to reject his application despite Linda’s meeting with the Dean of Stanford.  Later, he meets with Remy Danton at his secret hideaway, Freddy’s.  Frank proposes turning Peter into a pro-natural gas candidate despite sponsoring the Watershed Bill.  He argues that Peter is for employment and not opposed to drilling.  He is asking SanCorp to consider building refineries that will create jobs in Philadelphia in exchange for Peter’s support for natural gas.  Remy agrees to bring the proposal to SanCorp.  Frank persuades Peter into becoming an ally of SanCorp notwithstanding his appearing a hypocrite for a chance to discuss the construction of SanCorp refineries in Philadelphia.  Christina Gallagher opposes the strategy, but Peter agrees with Frank.  Moreover, he foregoes his prior obligations in order to speak with Remy at a gala for the McNeally Cancer Institute in order to discuss a potential partnership with SanCorp.  Frank also recommends publicly showing his support for SanCorp’s drilling efforts on his radio interview with a local radio station in Pittsburgh the following day.  He tells Peter that Remy has given assurance that a display of public support will prompt Remy to persuade SanCorp to build refineries in Philadelphia.  Peter instructs Christina to cancel the events in his schedule to allow him to attend the gala.  That night, he speaks with Remy and learns that SanCorp is disinclined to build refineries in a major urban center due to the costliness of doing so.  However, statewide permitted use zoning can avert the steep cost.  Peter contends that zoning is state legislature that is beyond the authority of a governor, but Remy claims that a governor can put pressure on the legislature.  His election as governor of Pennsylvania is conditional on his support for permitted use zoning.  Peter reminds Remy that his opponent already supports drilling, but Remy argues that his opponent is not asking to build refineries in Philadelphia.  It is a request SanCorp finds favorable.  Peter tells Remy to have SanCorp listen to his interview with the local Pittsburgh station.  Having made a deal, Remy leaves the event.  Peter is very pleased and delights in the possibility of him winning the gubernatorial race.  Rachel Posner, whom he does not recognize, begins to flirt with him.  She leaves him with a key to her hotel room.  Peter could not fight the urge to be with the young woman that he follows her up to her hotel room.  Soon he loses the fight against alcohol and drinks whiskey with Rachel ending his sobriety.  Moreover, he engages in a sexual intercourse with her.

Claire arrives at Adam Galloway’s apartment and resumes their affair.  That night, she finds herself enjoying a party at Adam’s apartment among his friends unaware that her husband had asked their driver, Ed Meechum to locate her.  Meechum learns from his friend at Missing Persons that Claire is staying with a friend in New York, a friend Frank immediately identifies as Adam Galloway.  Meanwhile, Zoe realizes that she could no longer bear living in a squalid apartment and everything it represents.  She waits for Lucas Goodwin by his car and asks to stay at his apartment for a few days.  Zoe takes the couch, but later decides to sleep beside Lucas.  The two begin a sexual relationship.

Peter spends a night of debauchery with Rachel.  He only realizes the time when the young woman opens the curtains.  Still inebriated, Peter rushes to get ready for his radio interview that begins in half an hour.  Soon he receives a call from Doug, who is waiting for him at the front desk of his apartment building.  He informs Doug of his whereabouts prompting the man to rush to where he is.  Doug smells the alcohol in Peter’s breath and observes his slurred speech.  Congressman Peter Russo pursues the radio interview against the recommendation of Doug to forego it.  Christina immediately senses trouble when Peter misidentifies the radio host.  As the interview progresses, it becomes apparent that Peter could not collect his thoughts.  Moreover, despite the interview done over the phone, the hosts could sense that Congressman Peter Russo is currently intoxicated.  Peter denies being drunk and begins to make excuses until Doug hangs up the phone abruptly ending the interview.  He takes the blame for allowing the congressman to push through with the radio interview and offers a plan to make an announcement for the disastrous interview.  Peter realizes that this is the end of his career as a politician.  Frank immediately after listening to the interview that led to the destruction of Peter Russo sends a message to Zoe of fulfilling his promise of providing her a better story to write about than the story about Claire’s betrayal.  He calls Linda Vasquez soon after to inform her of the fiasco.  The woman does not seem worried for some good news came her way.  Stanford reversed their decision and decided to accept her son due to Gillian Cole’s recommendation.  Linda did some research and learned that Gillian works for Claire.  She finds herself once again indebted to the Underwoods.  Frank then instructs Doug to schedule an urgent meeting with the Vice President.  Doug, however, finds that Peter Russo has sneaked out of the hotel.

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Chapter 9 Season 1 – House of Cards Episode Summary 1.9

Episode Summary: Congressman Peter Russo begins the bus tour of Pennsylvania as part of his gubernatorial campaign and he finds himself at the mercy of the reluctant Vice President Jim Matthews.  Congressman Francis Underwood and his staff struggle to get the votes in support of the controversial Watershed Bill that caught the ire of the oil and gas industries not to mention SanCorp Industries.  Meanwhile, Claire Underwood finds that the State Department has failed to get CWI’s shipment of water filters out of South Sudan.

House of Cards Chapter 9 Recap: Representative Francis Underwood and Peter Russo speak with their fellow Democrats to ascertain their support of Peter.  All of them are already in disagreement of the Watershed Act given the disapproval of the drilling industry, SanCorp, in particular.  The house representatives confess that Remy Danton of SanCorp has already approached them with various offers in order to dissuade them from supporting the Watershed Act that enforces more responsible drilling in Pennsylvania.  Congressman Underwood reminds them that the Democrats losing the governorship in Pennsylvania will lead to their party’s loss of the House in the next election along with their committee chairmanship.  Therefore, all of them are dependent on Peter winning the gubernatorial race and his election is contingent on the success of the Watershed Act.Continue reading...

With everyone tied with meetings for Peter Russo’s campaign, Claire Underwood finds herself volunteering to bring Peter’s kids to school.  Kids, the type of people, her husband despises.  With Peter’s drug history out in the open, the other children have been bullying his kids because of it.  Claire sympathizes for the children for suffering the consequences of the sins of their father.  The eldest wishes that her father were not running for governor.  Her wish came in too late.  Congressman Russo meets with a journalist from The New York Times for an interview at Allentown.  The main subject of the interview is the Watershed Bill that has taken a whipping from Republicans and Democrats alike.  The bill receives the ire of the Republicans for it threatens the oil and gas industries, while the Democrats find the bill deficient.  Congressman Russo argues that the bill seeks a middle ground in order to ensure its passing.  The journalist questions his sincerity and insinuates that the sole reason for sponsoring the bill is to get the support for his election as governor of Pennsylvania.  The interview segues into the congressman’s substance abuse, which he handles quite well given his honesty about it.  Congressman Russo once again answers truthfully the question regarding the hesitance of Vice President Jim Matthews to provide him support.  He believes that the vice president did not believe him worth of his endorsement until he heard that he landed a one-on-one interview with The New York Times.  The vice president proves his lack of confidence in him after ignoring Peter in front of the press and the public when he arrived in Pennsylvania.  Moreover, Vice President Jim Matthews has been speaking of himself for an hour and has yet to introduce Peter to the crowd causing Peter to be late for the next stop at his campaign.  Not only did the vice president ruin Peter’s campaign schedule, he publicly opposed him when he cut off Peter as he explains how the Watershed Act will create jobs for Pennsylvania and offered his own strategy of creating tax credits for small businesses as the only real option.  Peter speaks with Frank about the vice president torpedoing his campaign and his decision to have him leave the bus tour.  Frank encourages him to inveigle his support instead or to, at least, stand up for himself.  Peter confronts Vice President Jim Matthews and lays down the fact that he is sabotaging his campaign.  The vice president believes that his acts are saving Peter from a loss.  Peter strokes Matthews' ego by using his struggles to be elected as governor.  Matthews confesses of his regret for leaving the Governor’s mansion at his prime to become a Vice President believing that it was a step up.  He learns now that he is merely a mascot without any shred of influence.  Peter offers him his influence through his guidance and expertise, but if Matthews refuses to show his support, he is to return to Washington to resume his role as a non-entity.  Soon he sees that their confrontation proved its worth.  The vice president addresses the people of Bristol and confesses to have had doubts about Peter Russo, but adds that all that has changed after spending a few days with the smart, energetic, and resilient young congressman.  Vice President Jim Matthews finally gives the support Congressman Peter Russo deserves.

Frank meets with Remy to tell him to stop lobbying against the Watershed Act for he is certain of the bill’s success.  Remy believes that the mere act of meeting with him in an attempt to dissuade SanCorp from lobbying against the bill shows the uncertainty of passing the Watershed Act.  Moreover, he states that SanCorp is against any regulation no matter how trivial it might seem.  SanCorp has already provided financial support for Peter’s opponent because of it despite the knowledge of its consequences, which includes Frank losing his role as the House Majority Whip.  SanCorp finds replacing Frank as their pawn a lesser evil than allowing a bill that will regulate their industry to pass.  Frank believes that there will come a time when he will need to take down Remy, but that time has not yet come.  Meanwhile, Claire meets with State Secretary Catherine Durant to persuade her to force the Sudanese government into releasing CWI’s large shipment of water filters held in South Sudan.  Regrettably, Catherine informs her that she had done everything she can to get her water filters out of South Sudan.  To add to Claire’s misfortune, President Garrett Walker has ordered an end to diplomatic ties with Sudan following its numerous human rights violations.  This means that the State Department can no longer communicate with the Sudanese government in any way.  Claire speaks to her husband with the hope that he could persuade the State Secretary to return the favor for putting her in that position.  There is nothing that anyone can do due to the directive from the President.  Claire begins to consider seeking the help of the law firm Glendon Hill believing that they have contacts in South Sudan.  Unfortunately, receiving a favor from Glendon Hill will be at the expense of the Watershed Act.  Claire comes to a realization that her goals are only secondary to the goals of her husband.  She supposes that her husband’s ego is the one preventing him from seeking the help of Glendon Hill.  Frank is embarrassed to beg a former employee, Remy Danton, for help.  Her supposition caused Frank to grow livid and to go into a tirade of the problems he currently faces.  Claire calmly listens to her husband’s harangue and apologizes only to be asked for a favor again.  Frank wants her to speak to Congressman Vanderburgh and Abrams believing that she can get them to commit to the Watershed Act.  He believes that Claire can appease the concerns of the two congressmen who tout themselves as environmentalists.  Claire complies with her husband’s request.

Janine Skorsky believes that there is more to the Watershed Act than meets the eye.  She finds it strange that the only major bill Congressman Russo has sponsored in six years is getting national coverage.  She believes that the congressman who is running for governor in Pennsylvania is relying on the bill in order to keep the support of the Shipbuilders’ Association.  Congressman Russo cannot win the governorship in Pennsylvania without the support of the Shipbuilder’s Association.  Janine needs a vote count to validate her conjecture.  She reaches out to Zoe Barnes supposing that the young journalist has sources in Underwood’s office.  Zoe, however, denies knowing anyone there.  Janine closing in on the truth behind Congressman Russo’s campaign worries Zoe enough for her to schedule a rendezvous with Frank.  She becomes even more concerned when Janine teases her for having an affair with her mysterious source.  Zoe becomes intrigued when Janine confesses to have done it herself with various staff of politicians not to mention a congressman.  She asks Janine of the identity of the congressman she had an affair with, but the woman would not divulge his identity until Zoe reveals hers.  Janine, however, does not seem to be interested in learning the identity of Zoe’s source for she does not press the young journalist about it.  She instead advices that doing sexual favors in order to get information is not a good strategy.  Janine has been there and no one took her seriously once news of her affairs got out.  Moreover, she learned from experience that the reward she received for debasing herself is not worth it.  Zoe joins Janine for dinner, ignores Frank’s call, but informs him of running late for their meeting.  Frank decides to forego the meeting and comes home to his wife upset.  Sixteen hours later, he receives a text from Zoe asking for them to meet.  Zoe informs him that Janine has found an angle on the Watershed Bill and Peter Russo’s campaign.  Janine believes that the Shipbuilders’ Association has agreed to accept the Watershed Bill as their consolation prize after losing their jobs following the closing of the shipyard.  Moreover, she speculates that their support is contingent on the passage of the bill.  Frank does not deny any of Janine’s conjectures.  He asks that Zoe continue to inform him of any other speculations her colleague might have.  Zoe asks for the vote count in order to keep Janine from feeding her information.  She, however, has another request.  Zoe asks Frank that they end their sexual affair claiming that it complicates their working relationship.  Frank’s immediate concurrence creates doubt and fear on Zoe.

Rachel Posner is still staying at Nancy Kaufberger’s house.  Doug Stamper learns that Rachel has lost her waitressing job possibly due to her manager whom she described to Nancy as a creep.  Doug learned that Leon, the manager of the restaurant, propositioned Zoe into providing him a sexual favor, which the young waitress refused resulting in her termination.  He goes to the restaurant and speaks to the manager insinuating that he has been forcing his employees to perform sexual favors for him.  Leon threatens to call the police, but Doug counters with a threat to call immigration knowing that he has committed a felony after hiring four undocumented staff in his kitchen.  Moreover, Leon has been harboring illegal immigrants in an apartment he rents for them.  He listens to Doug for fear of his imprisonment and deportation of his family.  Soon after, Rachel gets her waitressing job back.

Claire meets with Remy, a partner in Glendon Hill, whose main account is SanCorp.  She seeks the help of SanCorp in getting CWI’s water filters out of South Sudan.  Her request, however, comes with a huge price tag.  SanCorp wants Claire to put an end to the Watershed Bill in exchange for her water filters.  Meanwhile, Frank threatens the two congressmen unwilling to allocate $250 million dollars towards the Watershed Act and orders them to speak to Claire the next day.  He tells them that Claire will go over their concerns point-by-point from which they should base their decision.  Frank informs Claire that the first phase of his plan is completed.  She is to speak to them tomorrow for the second phase.  Frank delivers the premature good news with President Garrett Walker and Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez certain that his wife will obtain the two votes he needs to get the Watershed Act passed.  Both the President and the Chief of Staff are displeased with the bill for starting a battle with the oil and gas industries.  They are disinclined to show their support for the bill, but the President forces Linda to be his representative at any case knowing the significance of a Democrat winning the gubernatorial seat in Pennsylvania.  Her role is to help procure votes in support of the bill.  Frank learns of the real reason behind Linda’s reluctance to appear at the Hill tomorrow to help obtain votes.  Linda is to meet with the Provost of Stanford following the university’s rejection of her son’s application.  Her meeting is on the day the President wants her to be at the Hill.  Linda blames herself for her son’s rejection and believes that personally meeting the provost will lead to Stanford’s acceptance of her son.  Frank orders Linda not to be at the vote count and offers to cover for her absence.  Linda, once again, is beholden to Frank.  Meanwhile, Claire is meeting with Vanderburgh and Abrams who apprises her of Frank’s intimidation.  The congressmen become confused when Claire states that Frank will not fault them if they voted for their conscience.  Moreover, she claims to share the same doubts regarding the bill notwithstanding CWI’s public support of the Watershed Act.  Vanderburgh tells her bluntly of expecting her to persuade them into voting for the bill, but Claire appeases them that new legislation with stricter regulatory standards can be passed if the Watershed Bill fails.  Without telling them to vote against the bill, Claire lets the congressmen decide by encouraging them to vote their conscience.  Claire returns to her office to deliver fortunate news to Gillian Cole.  CWI’s shipment of water filters will be taken out of South Sudan and will be delivered to Botswana in the next few weeks.  Gillian is to set up base camp and the depot in Botswana, but she asks that they send someone else in her place for she is pregnant.  Claire learns that Gillian will be raising her child on her own given that the relationship she had with the unborn child’s father did not end well.  The father who works for Doctors without Borders is married.

Zoe conducts an interview about the Congressional agenda for the fall session, the midterms, and finally Peter Russo’s race for governor and his Watershed Bill.  Janine provides a summary of the Watershed Bill for Zoe’s interview.  Zoe learns that Janine still has not received a vote count on the Watershed Bill and calls Frank to get the information.  She realizes that Frank has been ignoring her calls following her decision to end their affair, a decision she thought was well received.  She finally gets Frank on the phone only to find him deliberately withholding the vote count from her as punishment.  Later that night, Frank receives a text from Zoe resuming their sexual relationship just so she can get the vote count on the Watershed Bill.  Zoe confesses of her disgust of their arrangement and asks the reason for the necessity of the affair.  Frank confesses of their affair as his display of power.  Zoe accepts the role of a whore and demands the payment in the form of information.  Frank states that the bill will pass by two votes.  The following day, the vote count is aired live on C-Span.  Everyone involved in the Peter Russo campaign including Linda Vasquez are in Frank’s office celebrating an imminent win.  Linda has returned from Stanford hopeful of her son’s acceptance.  Peter arrives to watch the final passage of the Watershed Bill only to witness its failure by two votes.  Frank is aghast at the outcome and is already out to get the one who lied.

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Episode 5 Season 2 – The Tudors Episode Summary 2.4

Synopsis: Sir Thomas More continues to reject the oath despite his family’s pleas for he firmly believes that swearing it will subject his soul to eternal damnation.  Bishop Fisher too refuses to take the oath.  He is found guilty and is sentenced to death.  Anne Boleyn flaunts his pregnancy only to miscarry disappointing the King and her father who fears for their status with the King.  She begins to become paranoid, fearing that the King will change his mind about the Act of Succession and make Lady Mary the Queen of England.

Episode Summaries: Archbishop Thomas Cranmer apprises King Henry VIII the great success of having his subjects swear the oath.  Regrettably, neither Bishop Fisher nor Sir Thomas More has agreed to swear the oath.  He, however, informs King Henry that Sir Thomas has no misgivings about the Act of Succession.  Nevertheless, King Henry VIII insists that everyone must swear to all the contents of the oath most especially Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas for allowing those two reputable men to swear only to parts of it will set a precedent for others to follow.Continue reading...

Thomas Cromwell hands King Henry a letter from Dame Alice More, the wife of Sir Thomas, a letter that annoys King Henry that he does not bother to read it.  Cromwell apprises him of its contents instead.  The woman pleads mercy in behalf of her husband who seeks no harm, but acts only on his conscience.  King Henry VIII would hear nothing of it for he believes Sir Thomas, who had sworn to live privately and to speak nothing of his great matter, has broken his promise.  He found him writing about his great matter, visiting the former Queen, and raising support for Catherine of Aragon.  It is, therefore, his belief that Sir Thomas must accept the consequences of his actions.

Dame Alice along with her daughter Margaret visits Sir Thomas in his prison cell to beg him to swear the oath.  She informs her husband that his entire family has sworn the oath and pleads him to do so for his family who will face destitution because of his refusal for the penalty is death and forfeiture of his property to the Crown.  Sir Thomas remains hopeful that King Henry will keep his promise that he will not force him to act against his conscience and that Sir Thomas must look first unto God and only after unto the King.  Sir Thomas begs his wife not to be angry with him for his stubbornness and learns that she is not, but she is frightened for her husband.  There is reason for her fright.  Bishop Fisher sends John, his servant, to ask Sir Thomas if he contemplates swearing the oath.  The servant also informs Sir Thomas that the bishop despite his frailty remains unbroken.  As to the inquiry, Sir Thomas answers with certainty that he will never take the oath for doing so will subject his soul to eternal damnation.  Cromwell pays Bishop Fisher a visit to deliver him news that the Pope has made him a cardinal and that Parliament decreed that the malicious denial of the King’s supremacy is treason, which is punishable by death.  Cromwell asks Bishop Fisher one last time if he will swear the oath and accept the King as the Supreme Head of the Church.  Bishop Fisher continues to reject the oath.  Cromwell then produces an intercepted letter from Cardinal Fisher to the Emperor whose contents ask the Emperor to invade England and asks him to restore Catherine of Aragon as Queen of England.  Cardinal Fisher neither denies nor concurs his authorship of the treacherous letter.  News of his impending, disconsolate fate reaches Catherine of Aragon.  Ambassador Chapuys is saddened to see the once powerful Queen unwell.  He learns that the Earl of Wiltshire, Sir Thomas Boleyn, visited her and threatened her life after she refused to take the oath.

Queen Anne Boleyn is again with child and parades her pregnancy around the court very pleased with herself.  Unfortunately, she miscarries disappointing the King once again and driving her into depression.  Her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, visits her and offers no consolation.  In fact, he blames her for the miscarriage.  He warns that they must all be careful not to lose the King’s love.  True enough, King Henry VIII comes across William Webbe and his beautiful wife Bess as they are passing through the forest.  Bess catches the King’s interest and she willingly leaves her husband to lay with the King.  News of Anne Boleyn’s miscarriage and the King’s infidelity reaches the Pope, delighting him.  Cardinal Campeggio, however, is not amused for he fears for Catherine of Aragon, Lady Mary, and Cardinal Fisher.  The Pope can only offer prayers and adds to envy Cardinal Fisher for the opportunity to die for Christ.

The troubles of the Boleyns grow as Mary Boleyn arrives at court carrying the child of a soldier in Calais, William Stafford.  Her news brings ire to both father and sister for her decision to marry a man without standing and fortune.  Sir Thomas Boleyn disowns Mary despite her argument of being fortunate for finding an honest man for a husband in spite of her reputation as the great prostitute.  Mary begs her sister to have mercy on her.  Although Anne feels pity for Mary, she decides to banish her sister and her husband from court.

Cromwell, recently appointed vice-regent in spiritual matters, obeys the King’s order to obtain Sir Thomas More’s reasons for rejecting the oath.  Sir Thomas continues to refuse to state his reasons and to reject the oath despite the knowledge of having to pay the ultimate price.  Margaret More comes to court to petition Mr. Secretary Cromwell in behalf of her family.  The Mores have become impoverished following Sir Thomas More’s imprisonment.  Ambassador Chapuys, who has great respect for the Mores, finds sympathy for the injustice the family received.  He adds that he pities England for there the good suffers and the wicked prospers.  This may not be for so long.  Anne Boleyn appears to be out of sorts following her miscarriage.  She begins to show signs of paranoia believing that Lady Mary and Catherine of Aragon remain impending threats to her throne.  Her brother, Sir George Boleyn, appeases Anne by reminding her that the Act of Succession ensures that Elizabeth will be the heir to the throne.  Anne, however, argues that the oath the King forced everyone to take gives him absolute power allowing him to do whatever he pleases including repealing the Act of Succession.  It is for this reason that she believes that the King can still crown Mary the Queen of England instead of her daughter, Elizabeth.

Sir Thomas learns from John that Cardinal Fisher was found guilty.  Cardinal Fisher will be punished by death the next day.  Sir Thomas knows that he will suffer the same fate soon after.  Although death does bring fear, both men look forward to meeting each other in heaven.  Cardinal Fisher steps up the stage where he will be beheaded.  He addresses the crowd to ask them to love and obey the King whom he finds good in nature despite the punishment he has ordered for him.  He informs them that his condemnation to death is due to his determination to uphold the honor of God and the Holy See.  He, however, confesses to be frightened of death and asks the crowd to help him have courage to face it.  The crowd blesses Cardinal Fisher as he lays his head on the chopping block and waits for the executioner to strike.  He is beheaded with one blow of an axe.  Cardinal Campeggio relays the news to the Pope, who seems to be more interested to peak at Michelangelo’s depiction of The Last Judgment than to hear of Cardinal Fisher’s beheading.  Meanwhile, Margaret visits her father again only to find his situation worse than before.  Sir Thomas asserts not to fear death, but confesses to fear the torture that will be used upon him to force him to swear the oath.  His fear stems from his doubt in his courage to endure the physical suffering.  Margaret begs her father to take the oath in order to save his body, but Sir Thomas firmly believes that saving his flesh will be at the expense of his soul even though none of his family believes it.  Little did they know that King Henry VIII fears having to execute Sir Thomas More for his conscience tells him not to do so.  He continues to love Sir Thomas even though he hates him for having the will of spirit to deny him of the acceptance he seeks.  Cromwell sends Sir Richard Rich to collect the books and papers from Sir Thomas’ cell in order to deprive him the little luxury he has.  Sir Richard Rich poses a hypothetical question to Sir Thomas asking him if he will swear an oath to a bill that names Sir Richard Rich the King of England.  Sir Thomas quickly answers yes, but asks Sir Richard if he would swear an oath to a bill that declares that God was not God.  Sir Richard quickly answers no and adds that no such bill can be passed for Parliament has no competence to decide on that matter.  Following the same reason, Sir Thomas argues that Parliament has no authority to make the King supreme head of the Church.

Sir Thomas More arrives at Westminster for his arraignment on charges of high treason.  Sir Thomas denies maliciously opposing the King’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and maliciously rejecting the Act of Supremacy for he argues that he had kept silent on both matters.  The commission argues that his silence can be construed as an action to which he counters that his silence precludes the charges laid upon him for he who is silent is taken to agree.  The commission accuses him of conspiring with Cardinal Fisher in prison, but he refutes their accusation without denying corresponding with Cardinal Fisher through his servant.  Finding no evidence to support the accusation of conspiring with a known and punished traitor, the commission returns to Sir Thomas’ claim of silence towards the Act of Supremacy and calls Sir Richard Rich as their witness.  Sir Thomas comes to a realization of the true motive of Sir Richard’s last visit.  Sir Richard relays his conversation with Sir Thomas and quotes him at his statement that Parliament cannot make the King supreme head of the Church.  His statement is found a malicious denial of the King’s authority.  With Sir Richard Rich’s testimony, the commission finds Sir Thomas More guilty of high treason.  Sir Thomas asks the court to allow him to speak before the commission passes judgment, as was the custom when he was practicing law.  The commission allows him to do so and Sir Thomas declares that his indictment is grounded upon an act of Parliament that is directly repugnant to the laws of God and His Holy Church.  Sir Thomas More at last breaks his silence on the great matters and declares that no temporal prince may presume the governance of the Church for it belongs by right to the See of Rome to St. Peter and his successors as per God’s order when He was on Earth.  He adds that the realm cannot make any law that contradicts the general laws of Christ’s universal Catholic Church.  The commission continues to find his assertions malicious and Sir Thomas More continues to deny the maliciousness of his words.  He merely is stating his opinion and even asks God that He preserves and defends the King’s Majesty.  He also wishes that the King would find good counsel.  The commission sentences Sir Thomas More with a torturous and shameful death.  He will be drawn in a hurdle from London to Tyburn where he will be hanged until he is half-dead after which he will be beheaded.  His bowels will then be extracted and burned before his body that will later be quartered.  The crowd clamor as Sir Thomas More is escorted out of Westminster, his children especially Margaret fights through the crowd and the guards to hug her father one last time.  Cromwell upon the urging of King Henry VIII informs him that Sir Thomas More will be executed tomorrow, July 6 at ten in the morning.  It is news that brings the King despair, a stark contrast to the Boleyns who seem to delight at the verdict.  King Henry VIII commutes the sentence to a beheading.  Sir Thomas More addresses the large crowd that has come to attend his execution.  He asks that they bear witness to his death in and for the faith of the Holy Catholic Church.  He begs them to pray for the King and to tell him that he died his good servant, but God’s first.  The crowd is so moved that even his executioner asks Sir Thomas his blessing.  Sir Thomas More says his last prayer and lays his head on the chopping block, opens his eyes and stretches his arms.  The axe soon after strikes his head cutting it from his body.  King Henry VIII wails in agony at having ordered the execution of his dear friend, mentor, and loyal servant, Sir Thomas More.

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Episode 4 Season 2 – The Tudors Episode Summary 2.4

Synopsis: King Henry VIII commands Sir Thomas Cromwell to present a bill to the House of Parliament that bestows the succession to his children with Anne Boleyn and to no one else.  Moreover, he mandates all subjects to take the oath that accepts the succession and that recognizes him as the supreme head of the Church of England.  High treason, imprisonment, and forfeiture of goods are the punishment to any man who refuses to take the oath.  Meanwhile, Anne Boleyn learns that King Henry VIII has taken up Lady Eleanor as his mistress.  She sets in motion a plan that will eliminate Lady Eleanor or anyone who poses a danger to her.

Episode Summary: The daughter of Anne Boleyn is baptized as Elizabeth, the Princess of England.  King Henry VIII commands Thomas Cromwell to put forth a bill to Parliament that will state that the line of succession is now firmly vested in his children with Anne Boleyn and no one else.  The bill is in response to the Pope’s declaration that all children born out of Anne Boleyn are illegitimate.  Moreover, King Henry would soon admonish those who still question the validity of his marriage to Anne Boleyn.Continue reading...

Sir Thomas More receives an unexpected visit from Bishop Tunstall in the pretense of his concern for his welfare.  He learns soon enough that King Henry VIII sent the bishop to inquire about his absence at the coronation of Anne Boleyn.  He answers the bishop with the story about Emperor Tiberius, who enacted a law that exacted death for a certain crime except when the offender was a virgin.  Eventually, a virgin was accused of the crime leaving Emperor Tiberius perplexed and unable to proceed until one of his council proposed to deflower the virgin that she can be devoured.  Sir Thomas More likens his situation to the virgin believing that his attendance at the coronation sets a precedent that will oblige him to preach and to write books defending the validity of Anne rising up to become Queen of England.  Sir Thomas declares that he will never be corrupted.  Later, he addresses his family of his inability to support all of them any longer given his significantly reduced income following his retirement from public life.  He orders his children who can manage to live on their own to do so.  Moreover, he presages of worse things to come.

Cromwell speaks with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, who is a known sympathizer of the Dowager Princess to inquire of his support for the bill that will vest the succession with the King’s children with Anne Boleyn.  In fact, notwithstanding his disappointment at fathering a daughter instead of the son he expected, the King gives Elizabeth her own establishment at Hatfield where Lady Mary will wait on her among other servants.  The thought of the daughter of the King’s previous wife waiting on her daughter troubles Anne.  Adding to her anxiety is her husband’s lack of lust for her and his perceptible desire for Lady Eleanor.  Her brother confirms that Lady Eleanor Luke is King Henry’s mistress.  Anne orders George to get rid of her.  Sir George Boleyn plants Anne’s jewels in Lady Eleanor’s quarters and accuses her of theft.  In the authority to be believed, he threatens to publicize the accusation despite its falsehood if Lady Eleanor does not leave court to her family.

Ambassador Chapuys visits Lady Mary at the Ludlow Castle in The Welsh Marches and speaks to her about the great disappointment of Anne having given birth to a daughter instead of the son she promised the King.  Lady Mary, who is forbidden to communicate with her mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon, eagerly asks about her.  Regrettably, Ambassador Chapuys is prohibited to speak to her as well.  He, however, heard that the Queen is still strong.  Moreover, she continues to beg the King to allow her to see her daughter.  Lady Mary is hopeful that the King will one day relent due to her belief that her father still loves and cares for her.  She arrives at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire where the governess of Princess Elizabeth, Lady Margaret Bryan informs her that she is to serve as a lady-in-waiting for the new princess.  In the privacy of her austere room, the unperturbed Lady Mary finally breaks down at having severely fallen from grace.  Lady Mary must serve the new daughter of the King who now carries the title and status she once enjoyed.  Her new role destroys her belief that her father still loves and cares for her.  Her father, however, shows some sign that might restore her belief in him.  King Henry VIII, in his journey, drops by to see Princess Elizabeth and although he did not ask for Lady Mary, he did bow to her after sensing her presence from the balcony of the Ludlow Castle.  Anne Boleyn arrives there at another time to pay a visit to her beloved daughter, Elizabeth.  She speaks to Lady Mary about persuading the King to accept her back in court if only she accepts her as Queen.  Lady Mary bravely declares that she recognizes no other queen but her mother.  Moreover, she refers to Anne as the King’s mistress.  Lady Mary falls ill and Queen Catherine of Aragon hears of this prompting her to write to the King pleading for mercy to allow her to nurse her sick child.  Henry, although troubled at the news of her daughter falling ill, rejects Catherine’s request fearing that mother and daughter will conspire against him when brought together.  King Henry argues that Catherine would want her daughter to be Queen above all else.  Moreover, she is capable of waging a war against him just as her mother, Queen Isabella, had the courage to do so in Spain.

Ambassador Chapuys watches with great annoyance King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as they publicly display their affection for each other.  The incompetent assassin, Brereton, asserts his ability to poison her despite his many failures.  Ambassador Chapuys advises against it for his master, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles I, who is preoccupied with a war against the Turks, will receive the blame for her death.  He does not need England to wage war against him.    Brereton vows to die a martyred death and claims never to surrender information about the assassination.  Ambassador Chapuys doubts Brereton’s resolve when he faces torture for his crime.  He orders him not to pursue his plan.  So it seems that Anne will remain Queen after all especially with Charles Brandon’s decision to vote in favor of bestowing the succession to his children with Anne Boleyn.  It is indeed a happy Christmas to Anne and King Henry, who learns that Anne is with child again.

Cromwell presents to King Henry VIII and his councilors the Act of Succession that nominates the children born of His Majesty and Queen Anne as first rightful heirs to the throne.  The act claims to protect the kingdom from divisions it suffered in the past due to several different titles that contended for the throne.  It warns that any act or writing against the lawful matrimony between the King and Queen Anne and their heirs will be guilty of high treason that is punishable by death and forfeiture of goods to the Crown.   The act mandates all subjects to take an oath genuinely accepting the whole contents and effect of the bill.  The oath, however, also requires acknowledgement of the King’s supremacy in all matters, spiritual and temporal.  Refusal to take the oath will result in treason and imprisonment.  News of the mandate to all subjects of England requiring them to swear an oath that the King is the head of the English church reaches the Pope.  Pope Paul III responds by making the imprisoned Bishop Fisher a cardinal believing that King Henry will hesitate to prosecute and torture a Prince of the Church.  Cromwell pays Bishop Fisher a visit in his prison cell to question his refusal to take the oath.  The bishop asserts that he continues to believe that the King’s marriage to Queen Catherine is still valid and cannot be undone by any man not even Archbishop Cranmer.  Moreover, he rejects the King as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.  He, however, makes a mistake of inquiring about Sir Thomas More, who at that time has been living peacefully.

Anne Boleyn’s new status as Queen does not only favor her and her daughter, but also of her immediate family.  Her brother, Sir George Boleyn, has received several titles since her coronation, as he is now the Master of Buckhounds and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.  There is one title he is not quite keen at flaunting and that is Master of the Bedlam Hospital for the insane.  Sir Thomas Wyatt, another recipient of the good graces of the Queen, derides Sir George for the unflattering title.  Moreover, he finds all of their rise to power ludicrous that he has written a satire about life in court.  Annoyed at the insinuation, Sir George threatens Sir Thomas Wyatt about poking fun at those with authority.  One night, the giggling of Queen Anne’s ladies-in-waiting awakens her.  She finds that her cousin, Lady Madge Sheldon, is the instigator of this giggling as she reads a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt.  She scolds her cousin for reading trifles and instructs her to read the Tyndale bible instead.

The father of Anne Boleyn, Lord Rochford, now the Earl of Wiltshire, returns from his visit to Paris.  Anne learns that King Francis, despite the wedding gifts he sent to her, still would not recognize her as Queen as long as Catherine of Aragon remains alive.  Sir Thomas Boleyn is not too concerned about the King of France’s refusal to recognize Anne as the new Queen of England especially since she is with child again.  However, he learns that the King has taken up a mistress the last time Anne was pregnant given that she could not copulate with him during her pregnancy fearful that the intercourse will put their unborn child in danger.  Her father informs her that it is natural for a man to find pleasure elsewhere while his wife is with child and it must be expected of kings.  He discloses that the danger to her and to her family is not that the King takes a mistress, but that the King takes the wrong one, somebody whom they cannot control or worse somebody who could control the King.  Sir Thomas Boleyn advises that Anne make the choice for the King.  King Henry learns of the dismissal of Lady Eleanor and asks his wife about it.  Queen Anne asserts that she has evidence that Lady Eleanor stole something precious from her, which is true in essence.  She then presents to the King, her slightly corpulent and unwitting cousin, Lady Sheldon.  Later, she informs Lady Sheldon, Madge as she is fondly called, that the King has become one of her admirers.  Moreover, she gives her the blessing of becoming his mistress.  The request frightens Madge, but Anne is persuasive and honest of her wish.  She confides that she would rather have the King lie with a woman whom she can trust given that she cannot satisfy his needs during her pregnancy.  Anne is feeling indisposed to go riding with her husband that she sadly but willingly sends Madge in her place fully aware of the outcome of her decision.  True enough, King Henry and Madge begin their affair.

Cromwell presents a bill calling for the dissolution of small monastic institutions run by monks who refuse to take the oath.  King Henry VIII signs the bill that not only dissolves the rebellious monasteries, but also transfers their very considerable wealth to his Exchequer.  Cromwell then informs the King of the Pope’s decision to make Bishop Fisher a cardinal, but this news only made the King laugh.  He, however, starts to ask about Sir Thomas More anxious to know if he will take the oath.  Cromwell summons Sir Thomas More to his office and asks him of his opinion regarding the King’s new marriage.  Sir Thomas answers that he has no opinion about it.  Cromwell then asks him about the King’s supremacy over the Church in England to which he confesses to have been unsure about it until he reread King Henry VIII’s Assertio septum Sacramentorum that asserts the divine origin of the papacy stating that the Pope’s supremacy descends directly from the rock of St. Peter.  Cromwell asks Sir Thomas to take the oath, but the man refuses to do so.  He instead asks him to impart his faithfulness, truthfulness, and loyalty to the King.  In addition, Sir Thomas conveys his lack of desire to live in a world where a man’s goodwill is not enough to keep him alive.  Soon after, Sir Thomas More is summoned to take the oath at the Lambeth Palace.  He speaks to his family of the summons and of his imprisonment soon afterwards for they are fully aware of his stand.  Sir Thomas leaves for Lambeth Palace certain that he will never return.  He appears before the council and swears to the validity of the succession, but not to the rest of the contents of the oath.  Archbishop Cranmer calls him the most villainous and traitorous servant of the King and accuses him of bullying the King into writing the Assertio septum Sacramentorum against his conscience.  Sir Thomas denies doing so for he will never persuade anyone to act against his conscience.  Moreover, he states that it is King Henry, who persuaded him of the paramount importance of the papacy.  Sir Thomas denies Archbishop Cranmer the pleasure of learning his reason for rejecting the oath.  He is immediately imprisoned in a cell above Bishop Fisher’s prison cell.

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Episode 3 Season 2 – The Tudors Episode Summary 2.3

Synopsis: King Henry VIII appoints Thomas Cranmer as the new Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir Thomas Cromwell as Lord Chancellor.  These appointments resolve his Great Matter and the dissolution of his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon becomes official in England despite the condemnation of the Pope.  King Henry VIII soon marries the pregnant Anne Boleyn and crowns her Queen of England.

Episode Summary: The Savilles, supporters of the Boleyns, accost Sir William Pennington, a known supporter of the Duke of Suffolk, who like his master has an aversion towards Lady Anne Boleyn.  Sir Pennington like Sir Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, is displeased with her elevation.  Sir Richard Southwell and the other Saville draw their sword and attack Sir William Pennington, who finds sanctuary in a church.  Sir Pennington put ups his sword having taken sanctuary in the house of God, but the Savilles continue to attack him.  He defends himself but later takes down his sword to obey the priest’s request to stop the violence inside the church.  Sir Southwell, however, seizes the opportunity to stab an unguarded opponent in the heart killing him instantly.  Lord Suffolk arrives a minute too late and finds the bloody corpse of Sir William Pennington on the floor of the Church’s vestibule, while the Savilles kneel in front of the altar pleading for God’s forgiveness.  Lord Suffolk prepares to kill the Savilles, but contains his rage at the request of the priest who reminds him of the eternal consequence of committing murder in the house of God.  Lord Suffolk foregoes avenging the murder of Sir Pennington with the slaying of the Savilles, but puts the blame on Lord Rochford.Continue reading...

King Henry VIII learns from Sir Thomas Cromwell that King Francis did not fulfill his promise to speak to the Pope on his behalf regarding his Great Matter.  King Henry is not upset for he never expected the King of France to fulfill his promise.  He, in fact, welcomes this knowledge for it gives him good reason not to wait for the Pope’s decision.  King Henry orders Cromwell that the annulment of his marriage must be declared immediately, which confuses Cromwell given that the King is the head of the Church of England.  King Henry argues that the Archbishop of Canterbury should sill decide and declare the annulment of his marriage.  Cromwell reminds His Majesty that the position remains vacant given the recent passing of Archbishop William Warham.  King Henry considers appointing Thomas Cranmer, the former chaplain to the Boleyns, as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.  News of this angers Bishop Fisher, who discusses this development with Ambassador Eustace Chapuys and Sir Thomas More.  Ambassador Chapuys finds this concerning as well knowing that Cranmer is a staunch supporter of the Lutheran movement.  They have not yet learned that Cranmer has smuggled to England an illegal wife he married in Germany.  Bishop Fisher believes that Cranmer must take an oath not to meddle with the divorce given his relationship to the Boleyns, but Sir Thomas More believes that his alliance and beliefs form the rationale for his impending appointment.  Sir Thomas More becomes upset that the kingdom has turned its back on the Church and its people.  He fears for Queen Catherine of Aragon and her daughter against whom Lady Anne had made threats.  Sir Thomas More’s wife worries about him and their children for her husband’s words are treacherous.

Cardinal Campeggio presents to Pope Paul III the Bull Sublimus Dei that forbids the enslavement of the native peoples of the New World.  The Pope willingly signs it.  He finds it his duty to be the conscience of the powerful Kings of Europe who have no regard for morality.  He, however, believes that he can play politics with the Kings.  Pope Paul III approves the appointment of the obscure cleric, Thomas Cranmer, as the new Archbishop of Canterbury despite his knowledge of his secretly being a Lutheran.  His approval stems from his plan to appease the King of England and his belief of making him beholden to the Catholic Church for approving his request.  The appointment of a Lutheran nonentity as Archbishop of Canterbury may not be as damning to the Catholic Church as the appointment of Sir Thomas Cromwell as Lord Chancellor, the successor of Sir Thomas More.  Soon, King Henry VIII and Lady Anne Boleyn are married in secret with only a few chosen attendees as witnesses, which include the hesitant and tardy Lord Suffolk.  In irony or maybe due to his rumored reverence for Queen Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII tasks the Duke of Suffolk to convey to the Queen the disheartening news of the King’s marriage to Anne Boleyn.  The dissolution of their marriage strips Queen Catherine of Aragon of the title of Queen; she will now be referred to as the Princess Dowager of Wales.  Although the King allows her to keep her property, he will no longer pay for her servants’ wages and household expenses.  In the privacy of her home, Queen Catherine confides to Lady Elizabeth Darrell that she will continue to call herself the Queen of England for as long as she lives.

Even though Sir Thomas More had chosen a life away from public life, he could not contain his anger at hearing about the bill the newly appointed Lord Chancellor Cromwell plans to present to Parliament.  He confides to Bishop Fisher his repulsion for The Act of Restraint of Appeals that provides the King of England absolute power on sovereignty and spiritual matters. The bill will also prevent Queen Catherine from appealing to the Vatican against any decision made in England.  This bill comes opportunely for the ecclesiastical court that Archbishop Cranmer now heads and had just declared null and void the union between Queen Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII consequently making King Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn valid and lawful in the eyes of God.  The hired assassin, Master William Brereton, brings the news to Rome prompting Pope Paul III to condemn it.  He proclaims that King Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn is null and void.  The Pope asserts that the Curia is the only one that can decide the dissolution of the King’s marriage.  He gives King Henry VIII until September to take back Queen Catherine before excommunicating him.  Master Brereton, who fled to Rome due to his disgust at the events in England, finds favor with the Pope who begs him to join the Jesuits that he will ordain through the papal bull Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae.  The members of this holy order, sometimes called soldiers of Christ, will go where others fear due to the great danger they will meet in promoting the Catholic faith.  Master Brereton with great reverence for the Pope accepts his request to return to England even at the risk of martyrdom.

Mary Boleyn visits her sister and finds her with child.  Anne confides to her of having visited a famous astrologer who confirms the physicians’ belief that she is carrying a boy.  Anne’s rise to royalty is eminent with her preparing for the coronation, but sadness finds her, which befuddles her sister.  Her sadness may have come from her knowledge of the people’s lack of support and surreptitious denouncement of her impending new status as Queen of England.  Lord Suffolk is one of those against her coronation as Queen so much so that he agonizes over having to attend the coronation.  Moreover, the King has appointed him High Constable for the event.  Lord Suffolk fearing the consequence of refusing his duty has no choice but to attend.  His clever wife, however, advises that he store up his knowledge and anger and wait for the opportune time to use them to bring down Anne Boleyn.  He is unaware that Master Brereton has returned to England to assassinate her.  The King parades his new wife, but very few bothered to greet their soon-to-be Queen and none showed the reverence fit for a Queen.  Master Brereton fires a shot, misses and hits a groom instead.  By the time he reloads his rifle, the carriage bearing Lady Anne and King Henry had passed.  The parade continues despite this assassination attempt and Lord Rochford covers up the fatality so as not to spoil the event.  Archbishop Cranmer presides over the coronation of Anne Boleyn, but it is King Henry VIII, who crowns her with St. Edward’s crown, making Anne the new Queen of England.

Ambassador Chapuys speaks with Sir Thomas More about the dreary coronation and its celebration where his absence was noted.  He also informs the former Lord Chancellor of the increasing difficulty to communicate with Queen Catherine given the imposed restrictions preventing her from receiving guests.  Moreover, any praise spoken of her has been made grounds for imprisonment.  In fact, Bishop Fisher has already been placed in house arrest.  Sir Thomas More mourns the past when he believed the King to be the most enlightened and promising prince in Christendom.  How things turned out to be the contrary to his expectations.  In fact, the new Queen of England tells her entourage that the old days are gone so much so that she encourages them to draw spiritual nourishment from the formerly banned Tyndale’s English bible.  Her reign as Queen marks the beginning of a new beginning for all of England, a kingdom that is free from the bondage of the Pope.

Lord Rochford visits the Ludlow Castle at the Welsh Marches to apprise Lady Mary about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s dissolution of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon’s marriage.  This dissolution consequently strips her mother the title of Queen of England and her as princess.  She will be referred to as Lady Mary going forward and shall recognize Anne Boleyn as the Queen of England.  Lady Mary refuses to recognize Anne as Queen.  Her intransigence resulted in a communication proscription between her and her mother.  Meanwhile, Sir Thomas More risks imprisonment and pays Queen Catherine of Aragon a visit through a written request made to Sir Cromwell.  He learns that Queen Catherine has been forced to cease calling herself Queen for refusal to do so will result in the King withdrawing his fatherly love for their daughter, Lady Mary.  She, however, refuses to concede despite the threat for she believes that doing so will damn her and her husband’s soul.  She finds that she still has a supporter in Sir Thomas More and learns that he has been speaking to her supporters in Parliament to take courage and to stand up for the lawful Queen.  This, however, will be for naught, because the King no longer answers to any man but himself.  In fact, he rejects the final decision of the Curia that declared his marriage to Anne Boleyn invalid and any children produced from it illegitimate.  He no longer recognizes the Pope’s authority such that he does not fear the threat of excommunication.

King Henry is frustrated for Anne’s refusal to satisfy his carnal urges given her pregnancy.  Charles Brandon sees him eyeing Lady Eleanor Luke, one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting, who belongs to a family that owns an estate in Oxfordshire.  Brandon offers to speak to her on his behalf.  He may not need to for Anne is about to give birth.  Anne Boleyn gives birth to a very healthy baby girl disappointing everyone most especially the King, who was certain that Anne was carrying a son.  His disappointment is so great that the King did not bother to hold his daughter.  He begins an affair with Lady Eleanor.

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