With the character of Claire’s mother, played by Ellen Burstyn introduced, the issue of class becomes an issue on the show. The show persists in attempt to convince us that our main characters are something more compelling than comic-book evil - or, at least, logically justify its roots. Campbell’s most important role, ultimately, is ushering in one of the rare bits of the actual Modern Political Universe that manages to seep into the season: an online data analyst with the key to give the Underwoods an invasive amount of insight into what the world thinks of them and their political maneuvers. Campbell’s character is also, ultimately, a disappointment, going from someone willing to challenge Underwood to just a third leg in the self-sacrificing Doug and Seth team. But, ultimately, he just gets Doug to fuck with her prospective campaign manager ( Neve Campbell) for him. The Underwoods end the first half ready to take on the world with an unlikely plan by any standards: going for the Democratic nomination as running mates.įrank daydreamed of blood running from his faucet or killing Claire by smashing her in a campaign-trail-hotel-room mirror in the first few episodes. Despite the fact that she claims to “feel nothing” when Frank is in a coma - lost in cop-out, budget Fight Club psychosexual hallucinations of Zoe Barnes and Peter Russo - his miraculous recovery by Stampfer-strong-armed liver transplant ends up patching over the conflict. However, a deus ex assassination attempt on Frank mutes the conflict. At the start of the season, Claire seems to be angling to enter the congressional race, or take whatever she can get politically, on her own terms. If you thought the schism of Francis and Claire was going to be a lasting thing - how long would it take for one of them to kill the other one? - you were wrong. Its fourth season is bifurcated, wrapping up and shortchanging a major, actually-interesting conflict in its sixth episode. How much revolution is possible in this medium? It’s a question that, of course, many of us have also asked about American politics.įor the first time in House of Cards’ tenure, the show seems delighted, rather than embarrassed, to recycle plot threads and pre-existing situations.
Perhaps it doesn’t matter: In the era of too-much-TV-referring-to-much-other-previous-TV-to-keep-track-of, has the measure of a good TV show become simply whether you keep watching or not? Success is just success, right? It’s unclear what else could serve as a concrete marker in this sea of programming. Only you can decide, viewer: Is the tail wagging the dog? The shocks and twists become the characters, and just as you recover from one gasp, another intercedes there are enough plot lines that Willimon can keep batting the viewer back and forth like worn shuttlecocks.
But like the Great and Influential Show Mad Men before it, all of the “characters” feel increasingly defined by the bullet-point actions they are assigned to carry out, not anything external. Only the truly dastardly can play the long game as well as the Underwoods.Ī lot of the show’s psychological depth is meant to be provided by the other characters in the ever-winding ensemble. Apparently, this terrible twosome is driven simply by an insatiable need for further power and control, and their schemes are pushed to the point of complete logical unfeasibility for the sake of showing how dastardly they can get. We watch their obscure machinations unfold, and sometimes, we get a little spiel recited into the camera about the whys and wherefores. We follow a supervillain around, or, depending on how you count, two of them.
House of Cards continues to be essential politico- noir camp masquerading as, perhaps, something else: the Next Great and Important Television Show.
It’s a lot of kinetic motion, yet so often, it feels like it is just treading water to stay alive.įans of ‘90s thrillers starring the likes of Ashley Judd and Harrison Ford should appreciate Beau Willimon’s approach best. Its unique, opiatic power recalls the work of Christopher Nolan: Like his movies, House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon and his team throw as much intrigue in as fast as possible, before you have a moment a good hard look at how it fits together - or process how ludicrous the premises are. What is it about this dimly lit, cheaply made little show? Why was it the sparkplug to the revolution of streaming-service original programming? House of Cards is four seasons in and at least three past being good, but remains eminently, poisonously watchable. You paused House of Cards for a few minutes, dealt with your obligation, and crawled back immediately afterwards. The water boiled the Seamless order came your mom called.