The latest season of House of Cards opens with Frank Underwood on the verge¹ of becoming a sitting duck president, his empire slipping through his fingers like sand. And that empire’s foundation – his marriage – appears to be falling to pieces as well.

最新一季的《纸牌屋》一开篇，弗兰克•安德伍德就险些成了傀儡总统，他的权力帝国则如同指间沙般一点点脱离他的掌控。而作为他根基的婚姻也岌岌可危、眼看就要毁于一旦。

Frank, on several occasions in this new season, states that he isn’t good enough for his wife. And by all accounts, this is the plain truth. Where Frank operates like a brutal² tyrant³, Claire, though equally calculating, always enacts⁴ her devilish plans with class.

第三季中，弗兰克多次表示自己配不上妻子。在坊间，这早就是不争的事实。弗兰克残忍如暴君，虽然她的妻子克莱尔也精于算计，但她总能优雅地实现她的邪恶计划。

But despite Claire being perhaps even more talented at manipulation than her husband, she’s always played second fiddle⁵ to him. When Frank needs someone to infiltrate⁶ the United Nations, he uses Claire. When he needs someone to charm a Russian leader, he trots⁷ out Claire. When he needs his confidence replenished⁸ – Claire.

在控制力方面，克莱尔甚至更胜丈夫一筹，但她却总是屈居二线。当弗兰克需要人打入联合国内部时，他让克莱尔上阵；当需要有人诱惑俄罗斯领导人时，他献出了克莱尔；当他需要重拾信心的时候，还是克莱尔……

Like many real-life first ladies, it’s frustrating⁹ to watch Claire live in her husband’s shadow, and as has always been the case with the series, Claire’s turmoil¹⁰ is as entertaining as it is meaningful.

克莱尔就像现实生活中的总统夫人们一样，生活在丈夫的光环之下，令人沮丧。而就像前几季一样，克莱尔的爆发既意味深长又富有娱乐性。

Season three is far from perfect. Like a nasty cold passes from one person to the next, one of the series’ most exhausting subplots continues to be passed along season to season.

纸牌屋》第三季远非完美。其中，最无趣的副线就像重感冒一样从上一季传染到这一季。

Doug Stamper isn’t that interesting a man, so it’s hard to understand why so much time is spent on him and his obsession¹¹ with a long lost love interest. Who actually cares who Doug is in love with? His story’s constant reappearance is an indication that the show’s creators are possibly running short on creativity. Doug is a distraction¹² from the show’s most interesting component¹³ – the crumbling¹⁴ relationship between the first lady and the president.

道格•斯坦普本就不是个讨喜的角色，剧集却将大量的时间浪费在他和他那旷日持久的失意爱情上，着实令人费解。谁会真正关心他喜欢谁呢？如此频繁地讲述他的故事也许只能说明编剧没了创意。道格的故事线反而扰乱了剧中最有趣的总统与夫人间岌岌可危的感情线。

This third season doesn’t reach the dramatic heights that the series’ opening does, but it far exceeds the blandness¹⁵ of season two. Is season three worth watching? Sure, if only because season four threatens to outdo them all.

纸牌屋》第三季也许很难再达到该剧首播时的高度，但是较之平淡无味的第二季，还是要出色很多。那么《纸牌屋3》是否值得一看？答案是肯定的，因为第四季说不定会更出色。