Honestly, I have to say that I feel bad for the writers of House of Cards. For a show that has built its reputation around political intrigue, corruption, and in general just a lot of sketchy happenings in the White House, the current political climate in the United States probably means that no matter what material the writers can come up with for future seasons, they won’t really be able to outdo what is actually happening in reality.
But I digress. This is not going to be a political post; there have been enough of those plastering practically every form of media for the past year. Rather, I want to draw your attention to a show that, despite reality, still provides an extremely entertaining narrative as to the lives that politicians lead. Even after five seasons, the show is still going strong, the story is still fascinating and keeps you at the edge of your seat, and is able to make politics seem very interesting for the average Netflix binger. Today, that may not be an incredible feat (controversial political news is being pumped out practically every week), but five years ago when the show first started, believe me, that achievement broke new ground.
What’s it about?
Set in Washington, DC, the series follows the story of Democratic congressman Francis “Frank” Underwood and his quest to gain power and influence within the United States political system. After being denied an appointment to Secretary of State by the newly elected President (despite this appointment having been previously agreed upon in the campaign process), Frank begins formulating a plan behind the President’s back to gain power for himself.
What follows is a long process of deceit, blackmail, betrayal, and manipulation as Frank pursues his goal. Frank’s wife Claire, who runs a NGO (non-governmental organization) for global clean water, aids him in his quest, and both Underwoods demonstrate their willingness for using less-than-legal means to gain what they seek. Murder, cover-ups, and scandals are far from foreign concepts in this series, which gives a unique spin to American politics, which can be considered “tumultuous” at times, but never quite so blatantly corrupt as the actions taken by Frank and Claire Underwood. Yet that is what makes this show so interesting.
Why is it good?
There is a certain intrigue that comes from watching something crash and burn. It may not be very nice to look at, but at the same time, it seems almost impossible to look away. You would almost be stunned with a kind of horrible fascination as to what will happen next.
This is the exact kind of feeling that you get while watching House of Cards, but the show is executed in such a way where it still remains nice to look at. The production value, as per all Netflix originals, is fantastic, but beyond that, the story itself is incredibly interesting as well, with the best part being that you don’t have to be interested in politics whatsoever and can still wholly enjoy this show.
There are some things that remain tough to watch, however. Frank’s actions in the series are horrible. He does terrible things, to the point where they would probably define him as a terrible person. Claire does the same. However, despite this, you can’t help but still cheer for Frank, at least a little bit, as you see his plans unfold and succeed. I think a lot of this can be attributed to the fantastic acting done by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who play Frank and Claire Underwood respectively. They are able to bring humanity to their characters which are, most people would agree, essentially heartless, and that is not something that is easy to do. The show is also excellent with its use of breaking the fourth wall, where often Frank will directly address the camera to explain his innermost thoughts, giving a sort of sinister foreshadowing as to what is to come.
But the reason I say that you will be watching something “crash and burn” is because you will expecting this “crash” from the moment you begin the first episode. The series is called “House of Cards” for a reason: the “house” is not stable, and can be toppled with even a slight gust of wind. In the case of the power that Frank will work to build up, his power will not be stable. When all of his influence is built upon lies, deceit, and manipulation, at some point something will crack, and the entire structure will be left without support and crumble. Frank’s house of cards will crumble.
The series is still ongoing, so clearly that point has not been reached yet, but the idea that every viewer signed on to this eventuality, I believe, is a central reason as to why this show is so good. Like most great stories, there will be a great rise, and then a great fall.
For now, however, we can all enjoy watching Frank formulate his schemes and launch them into action, while we sit back and see how they play out. Sometimes we’ll be shocked, sometimes we’ll have our suspicions confirmed, and yet sometimes we’ll simply say to ourselves, “Wow. That was actually really clever.” Overall, that is why I cannot recommend this show enough.
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