The Guardian. Sure, he had his sex and meechum threesome claire frank and drug issues, but its Frank that mercilessly exploits them to his own gain, pushing him to the brink before Frank decides to give him that one last push. Underwood is now President-electbut his past once again comes back to haunt him when Hammerschmidt writes a story linking him to Barnes' death. New York Observer critic Drew Grant notes that although the series aired during the golden age of dramatic antiheroes, Underwood's villainy has become trite: " House of Cards is a good reminder, however, that there is a reason Asian girl yummy wasn't the center of Othello. House of Cards.