By Emmanuel Berbari

Kevin Spacey is out, his beloved yet villainous character Frank Underwood is deceased, Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood has stepped into the forefront and the deaths are multiplying. “House of Cards” is back.

The Netflix Original releases eight new episodes as part of its final season this Friday, and binge-watching is sure to be in order for diehard fans who have stuck around through the peaks and valleys of the massive hit series.

However, many of the show’s faithful fans are entering with a glass half-empty mentality. Without the show’s headman, optimism is low concerning Claire’s ability to maintain the intrigue as the recently-appointed President of the United States. While those critics will still be tuned in, it may be safe to expect a new-look for season six that goes beyond the show’s (typically nonexistent) limits.

Frank’s off-screen death moves him into the company of the other deceased main characters, many of which were murders that he ordered himself.

Zoe Barnes, Peter Russo, Lucas Goodwin, Aidan Macallan, LeAnn Harvey and Tom Yates are all a thing of the past. However, Tom Hammerschmidt, the Underwoods’ key critic who continues his crusade to bring them to justice, Janine Skorsky, who appears to have resurfaced from her hideout in recent trailers, Mark Usher, recently appointed as Vice President, former Secretary of State Catherine Durant, who may be poised for revenge and Linda Vazquez all remain.

Oh, and let’s not forget Doug Stamper, Frank’s former accomplice and Chief of Staff, who is unpardoned and destined for a battle with Claire.

While it is fine and well to debate the inner-workings of what may transpire in the seven episodes of this upcoming final showing, everyone is curious as to how the series will come to a head and ultimately go into the dust.

Keep in mind: come 1 a.m. EST Friday morning, not one more episode of “House of Cards” will be in the works. It’s safe to say that the directors had some fun and grappled with even further wicked depths at the season’s conclusion.

It’s the final season of a series that is mostly responsible for Netflix’s success. Let’s speculate how it will finish:

1. America’s democracy folds—as if it had not already—in a literal sense this time. Claire uses a Machiavellian spirit even greater than her late husband. Congress folds. The first female President of the United States becomes the first American totalitarian ruler.
2. Doug Stamper ends up in the Oval office. He uses his foes in the House of Representatives to force Claire out of office, is tapped for the Vice Presidency and murders President Usher to get the revenge and power he has always sought after.
3. Tom Hammerschmidt may have lost Frank, but he, accompanied by Janine, has his eyes set on the remaining corruption. He finally cracks the code, Claire and Doug are convicted and sentenced.
4. Claire kills off all of her critics and is a major success to the public eye as President, despite what the trailers suggest. She is able to stave off early disastrous implications.
5. Vazquez and former President Garrett Walker join forces with Hammerschmidt and Skorsky lead the charge and bring down Claire and her crew.
6. Claire is assassinated in the last second of the season, leaving viewers with a somewhat open, disturbing finish
7. As expected, the pressure mounts on Claire. In this scenario, she comes clean in an address to the nation in the final episode, exposing herself, her dead husband and all of their cohorts in a full account of the last four years. The final season ends under the assumption that everyone will be put in their rightful place.
8. Frank fulfills his promise made in the last moments of season five and offs Claire (well, I tried—not happening—goodbye, Mr. President)

Time will tell how the epic series concludes, but we’re undoubtedly in for a heck of a ride.