house of cards season 2 finale
Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood in House of Cards. Netflix

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) will return to his presidential seat in the Oval Office when “House of Cards” streams Season 3 in its entirety on Netflix Friday, Feb. 27. Excited? We don’t blame you! We can hardly contain our enthusiasm as we wait to see what Beau Willimon, the creator of the political thriller, has in store for audiences next in the critically acclaimed series.

That led to us to wonder where exactly we left off when “House of Cards” showed its Season 2 finale. So, we took a look back and quickly realized that a lot of jaw-dropping action occurred in the final episode of its sophomore season.

Need a refresher on all the drama? We’re recapping all the major moments from “Chapter 26” below.

At the end of the second season, Frank had managed to pull the rug right from under the ever-so-clueless Garrett Walker (Michael Gill), becoming the 46th president of the United States. But, as you can imagine, Frank didn’t gain his elite title through fair politics. In fact, his induction was anything but fair. The duplicitous politician used every form of manipulation he could muster to oust Walker from the White House and persuade the public, as well as the government, to turn their backs on the former president.

However, there was one person who remained loyal to Walker despite the lies being spread about him: Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey). Linda had urged the president to stick to the plan they had cultivated together. But Frank deviously changed Walker’s mind with a simple letter. And that, my friends, changed it all. Instead of Frank being thrown to the Judicial Committee, it was Walker who ended up getting the boot from the White House -- along with Linda.

And that wasn’t the worst of it. (Yes, we consider Frank being promoted to president as a negative outcome.) Viewers were also forced to say goodbye to another beloved character after Doug (Michael Kelly) took a rock to the head from Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan). The former prostitute, who has corrupt connections to both Frank and the late Peter Russo (Corey Stoll), bludgeoned Doug with the rock after he chased her into the woods.

Here’s what happened: After infiltrating AT&T’s cell servers, Gavin (Jimmi Simpson) told Doug that he knew about Rachel and the secrets he was hiding. Following an attempt to seek FBI protection in exchange for keeping his skeletons hidden, Doug decided to flee -- which resulted in Rachel relocating with him. But Rachel was convinced Doug was going to kill her. That’s why she fearfully leapt out his car and ran into the woods. And let’s be honest, Doug frantically chasing after her wasn’t exactly comforting. So, she killed him -- or at least, that’s what it looked like.

The final important note worth mentioning is Claire’s (Robin Wright) decaying relationship with Megan (Libby Woodbridge), another victim of sexual abuse by Gen. Dalton McGinnis (Peter Bradbury). After Claire pulled the military sexual-assault bill, Megan caught wind of the treacherous act and wrote the current first lady off -- even though Claire consoled Megan following her suicide attempt. We have a feeling Megan, who clearly has nothing left to lose, will wind up as a problem for Claire down the road. Better avoid those subways, Meg.

The Season 2 finale concluded with Claire remaking Frank’s class ring as a birthday present. He previously buried his original accessory during the Civil War memorial. After slipping on the ring, he looked straight into the camera and, in his iconic fashion, knocked twice on his desk.

“House of Cards” Season 3 will premiere on Netflix Friday, Feb. 27, at 3 a.m. EST.

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