HOUSE OF CARDS Season Three Premiere

Article originally written for Seat42F.

 

WARNING: This review contains spoilers from the first two episodes of the third season of HOUSE OF CARDS. Also, if you haven’t watched the first two seasons yet but plan to, don’t read this article.

Netflix’s HOUSE OF CARDS return was highly anticipated, and thankfully it comes back strong. With thirteen episodes available immediately for streaming, many will binge watch their way through in a weekend, unable to wait to see what happens next. Hampered as I am by my wife, who loves the show but detests the binge, it may take me a few weeks to see how things end. But beginning with the first two hours last night, I’d say this season is off to a good start.

The premiere, “Chapter 27,” is very heavily about Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly). When season two ended, Doug is beaten up in the woods by Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan) and left for dead, and many viewers, myself included, feared he had passed. “Chapter 27” shows us that he is not dead, but is going through a months-long recovery process to heal his mind and body, only to find out that Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), now President of the United States, doesn’t want him anymore.

I know, that’s not what Frank says, but it’s clear to both the audience and to Doug that that’s what has happened. Frank doesn’t do weak, and by allowing Rachel to get the best of him, Doug has proven himself inadequate for the task at hand. Frank hopes that tossing a few sweet words will pacify his former closest advisor, and Frank does have his press secretary, Seth Grayson (Derek Cecil), keep an eye on Doug. But this is likely more because Frank is protecting himself than any lingering concern for Doug.

For a while, it looks like Doug may go the way of reporter Zoe Barnes, a major character who is killed in the season two opener, though Doug seems likely to go by his own hand or drug use, murdered by Frank’s inaction rather than Frank’s action. But Doug has surprising self-control for an addict, measuring out very small doses of alcohol, and he has surprising optimism for someone who so intimately knows Frank, holding out hope he will be called upon again. Maybe he will.

It’s actually a little frustrating that HOUSE OF CARDS devotes so much of its first hour back to Doug Stamper. I like Kelly’s performance, of course, and his story is very engaging, a good way to skip over a few months without abandoning them all together. But as the installment goes on, I can’t help but wonder what HOUSE OF CARDS’ leading couple is up to, something we see only sparingly.

The second hour takes the teases we get about Frank and his first lady, Claire (Robin Wright), and develops them much further, with the leads taking back the spotlight. Claire is trying to be ambassador to the UN, something Frank’s Republican opponent, Mendoza (Benito Martinez) says he won’t block, but he sort of does. Frank, meanwhile, is trying to push through a massive jobs bills that guts entitlements while fighting a DNC leadership that doesn’t want him to run for election in 18 months.

Claire deserves something more than the ceremonial First Lady position, but I don’t know if she can handle what she dreams of, the first time we’ve really seen her limitations. Mendoza does test her, but he doesn’t seem to be malicious towards her, though the civility could just be a cover, as it is for Frank. Instead, Claire kills her own chances, and I’m surprised the vote ends up being as close as it is, especially with the DNC upset at Frank. Claire is the sympathetic of the two, and I feel bad for her when she fails, but by getting the job in a back-door move by Frank, doing an end run around Congress, I feel she is leaving her husband vulnerable and setting herself up for more negative criticism and likely failure.

Frank is also in dire straights for most of “Chapter 27” and “Chapter 28.” He is blocked at every turn by the opposition and his own party, something he doesn’t understand. The thing is, though, we’ve watched Frank for two seasons at lower levels of government. He recruits pawns; he doesn’t make friends. He also makes plenty of mistakes (does anyone else assume a reporter will run up to get a picture of Frank’s dad’s grave and find the urine after the season-opening scene?). Frank is a very smart operator, and he does find a path forward by the end of the second episode that feels momentarily triumphant (what a great speech!), but I think much of these two hours expose his weaknesses that will lead to his eventual downfall.

It’s bizarre to think that Frank is a Democrat given his lack of empathy for the people, his disregard for social safety nets, and his obsession with jobs. I believe HOUSE OF CARDS may put him in that party purely to keep Republicans from dismissing the show and to do something surprising. Sure, there are calculating, jerk left-wingers serving in government, but his personality and values so much more lines up with the current GOP. This disconnect feels wrong in “Chapter 28,” the first major misstep HOUSE OF CARDS seems to make in three seasons. Well, that, and the fact that they show Stephen Colbert (himself, or his on-air persona from The Colbert Report’s version of himself) still being on the air in 2015, which is very regrettably not true.

Still, it’s very easy to be drawn into this story, so well crafted and acted. Frank and Claire are far from the heroes viewers root for, and yet their enemies are frequently despicable themselves, and so you end up hoping the Underwoods will find success. I don’t think they will end season three on a high note. I’m guessing with no foreknowledge or without having seen the end that this will also be the show’s last, purposely designed as such, despite its popularity and critical acclaim. But I’m very interested to see how they will be taken down and by whom, assuming they are their own worst enemies. By the end of “Chapter 28,” all I wanted to do was watch “Chapter 29.”

The entire HOUSE OF CARDS third season is available now on Netflix.

House of Cards Season 2 Midpoint Check-in

Article first published as House of Cards Season 2 Midpoint Check-in on TheTVKing.

Note: This review is written after having viewed season two, episode seven of House of Cards, "Chapter Twenty." If you are not that far along yet, please watch some more, then come back to this column.

Season two is shaping up to be a great one for Netflix's House of Cards. There are a number of personal stories interwoven around the main plot, but the central thrust thus far has been a war between Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney, Simon & Simon, Major Dad). Which has more influence in Washington: money or power? I believe we'll find out as this year continues to play out.

By "Chapter Twenty," Frank has successfully sabotaged Raymond's sway over President Walker (Michael Gill). Rather than being defeated, though, this makes Tusk more determined to have control, switching his allegiances to the other political party, without it being publicly obvious that he has any affiliation with either side of course. This isn't something Frank can stop, and his meeting with Tusk's business partner, Lanagin (Gil Birmingham, Twilight), as well as Stamper's (Michael Kelly) efforts with another partner, Feng (Terry Chen), come to nothing.

That doesn't mean Frank is done, by any means. Frank has wormed his way back into Walker's good graces, expertly dismantling a feud and forming a friendship. It's all an act, from Franks' perspective, just another strategic move in his game, but Walker seems completely taken in, and while money can buy elections, those still in office do have influence.

One wonders how this could end up. Frank wins by manipulation, something easy to do in the halls he's so familiar with, but much harder to do on a national scale in terms of elections. On the other hand, Tusk may be shut out of the White House, but he can buy up as many TV spots as he likes, which can sway public opinion. Frank seems to be scoring minor victories, but is losing overall. I wonder who will come out on top?

It's interesting that Frank is building a Civil War battle model in "Chapter Twenty" of a conflict that resulted in heavy losses on both sides and no clear winner. Might this be how House of Cards lets this war play out? Or is this just how Frank sees things as they are, leading to so much frustration that he smashes his work?

We don't yet know Grayson's (Derek Cecil) true loyalty, which could shift the balance. He confesses to Frank that he's been working for Remy and Tusk, but professes that he thinks Frank is the better man to back. I'm not sure if this is true or if Grayson is really good at what he's doing for Tusk. Grayson does get Remy to remove Ellis (Sam Page), an obstacle, from the Underwoods' circle, but is that Grayson playing Tusk or trying to accomplish his mission? This arc still has too much mystery to make anyone comfortable, but it's this kind of suspense that drives the series.

Luckily, Frank has something Tusk lacks: Claire (Robin Wright). Claire isn't directly involved in the current machinations, but she's there to support Frank, taking him on a run to calm him down. She also helps Frank throw a dinner for Walker and the First Lady, Tricia (Joanna Going), whom Claire befriends, giving the couple even more of a bond to the Underwoods. I've learned never to underestimate Claire, so the fact that Tusk may soon be fighting the two of them, not just Frank, is what should have Tusk worried.

I'm a little confused about why Claire is sabotaging Christina's (Kristen Connolly) reputation. Is Christina merely collateral damage, a way for Claire to get in with Tricia? Or did Christina sleeping with her boss really offend Claire so? Or does conflict in his marriage make Walker confide even more in Frank? Or maybe I just missed something.

Something that might make Frank's life more difficult would be a defection in his own ranks. Jackie (Molly Parker) doesn't seem like the loyal little soldier any more. I guess it's true; once a backstabber, always a backstabber. She has a history of this behavior. Her rebellion would only ever be a minor setback for Frank, he's dealt with worse, but she's playing with fire that could destroy her. Do not ever, ever betray Frank. He might push you in front of a subway or fake an overdose. We're not talking career suicide, we're talking literal suicide.

To make matters worse for her, Jackie is shacking up with the enemy, sleeping with Tusk's man, Remy (Mahershala Ali). I like what we see in Remy, that he's not content for casual sex, revealing something more about him than has been obvious, a noble moral compass. But Jackie is probably just trying to advance her status, and not doing a very good job of it since she doesn't fake the emotions that will help her attain her goal. She is no Frank, and these weaknesses will be her downfall.

It does appear that one of the threats to Frank, the media, has been neutralized. With Lucas (Sebastian Arcelus) discredited and in jail and no one coming to his aid, Frank may have defeated this branch of enemy. Or it may just be dormant, meant to be revived later, possibly with the help of Gavin Orsay (Jimmi Simpson), who seems sympathetic to Lucas' cause.

Amid all this chaos, love may be blooming for Stamper and Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan). Suddenly, Stamper is refusing pretty women in China (ridiculous!) and calling her just to check in. His harsh words on her voice mail are clearly just a cover, though. Who would have thought this might happen? Does it have any chance of working, Rachel being broken enough to be drawn to the man who would protect her? Or is this a distracting side story that doesn't mean much?

Speaking of odd subplots, in "Chapter Twenty," Freddy (Reg E. Cathey) finally gets his own focus. There's a really sweet scene with him meeting the Walkers, but more important, he's suddenly in the press and being offered franchise deals. Is this a sneaky plot by Tusk to knock Frank off his game, trying to steal away Frank's beloved ribs? Or is this a completely separate story? The former seems much more likely given the tight writing of House of Cards, but I appreciate that no ulterior motive has been given for Freddy's fame yet, making it seem like he's earned well-deserved recognition.

By "Chapter Twenty," there's plenty of exciting plot to watch, but no real clear vision of how the season will play out yet. This is completely fine, as House of Cards is great at tying up unexpected threads at just the right time, one in which we don't quite see it coming, but it makes sense in retrospect. It's full of incredible writing and acting, and season two has maintained the quality of the first year, even as the mystique has started to fade away, fans finally figuring out what the DNA of the show is. As long as it keeps up the good work, we should all be satisfied.

Both thirteen-episode seasons of House of Cards are available now streaming for Netflix subscribers. Join me in a couple of weeks for my season two finale review, date TBA.