It felt like a writer change, I don't know if that was the cause of it but one of the impressions I got was that the entire season revolved around hamstringing Underwood.
I guess you could dress it up fancily and go blah blah something showing how the most powerful man on earth is not so powerful after all blah blah blah but I honestly didn't want some sanctimonious bullshite, I wanted Kevin Spacey shaping the YooEssAyy in his image and some good banter with the russkie that was totesnotputin.