While we may have thought that we needed to adjust our Netflix connections at the outset of "Chapter 20," our eyes weren't deceiving us. The episode opens with a rather realistic attack ad promoting a Republican victory in the midterm elections to rid congress of "inexperienced" people like Jackie Sharp and "out of touch" oldies like Bob Birch. President Walker is not amused. There's just one small problem: they can't afford a rebuttal and they're unable to figure out where the ad money is coming from. Frank says he'll find the source, because he's a slinky guy who deals in backchannels constantly.
But the President isn't quite done with Frank, and instead holds him in his office to slap him on the wrist a bit. He claims Frank is distracted with running from fire to fire (half of which he definitely lit for himself, unbeknownst to Walker). But as far as Walker knows, the only fires Frank is on are the ones Walker sanctioned, so he gives him some Southern sass and says he's not the President's punching bag. He then dismisses Frank, because he thinks Frank is right and has no idea how spot-on his lecture to the snake of a VP actually is.
Hot on the money trail, Frank learns that longtime Democrat supporter and Kansas City casino owner Dan Lannigan has switched teams. At first, it seems like a dead end, but he realizes that Lannigan's casino is near Tusk and on a hunch he assumes Tusk is using the casino to funnel money. And because we know Frank is never wrong, we're supposed to assume his brilliant brain just struck backchannel intelligence gold.
At Freddy's, Frank's new status is drawing attention. A reporter visits Freddy's to interview him about the VP coming there regularly for ribs, but when the reporter asks if Frank frequents his place to be treated like a normal person, Freddy quips, "Maybe… mostly it's the fucking ribs, though." Don't ever change, Freddy.
After their earlier spat, Frank sends Walker a sarcastic gift: an Everlast punching bag with a note that says, "This one doesn't have a loud mouth like me." Walker is so charmed, he apologizes to Frank and says that it was a kind gesture. Well, it was actually incredibly snide, but alright, Mr. President. It's enough to get Frank back into Walker's good graces, so they sit in chairs in the hallway, playfully contemplating the large, international decisions that have been made there. Frank is steps from replacing Tusk as Walker's best bud and he knows it.