House of Cards: Political Puppetry

On February 1st, Netflix charged into the world of original programming by releasing the first season of House of Cards. They released all thirteen episodes in one fell swoop, in deference to the growing culture of "binge watching." So I spent my weekend getting sucked in to the seedy world of Washington politics and only came up for air after episode 13 was done. Mission accomplished, Netflix.

The show is based on the eponymous 1990s BBC series but the action has been moved to Washington D.C. where Kevin Spacey stars as South Carolina Congressman Francis "Frank" Underwood, the Democratic House Majority Whip. He has a finger in every pie in Washington and knows how to get things done. In the first episode, Garrett Walker has just been elected as President and he is grateful for Frank's support and political maneuvering. Frank was promised the Secretary of State position, but is informed that he would be more valuable to Walker in Congress. Furious at being passed up in this manner, Frank embarks on a campaign to discredit the current front-runner for Secretary of State and get someone he approves of into the Cabinet. Frank is a man who likes to bestow favors upon people, only to remind them of it later and cash in. With one hand he giveth, and with the other he taketh away.

As the season progresses, Frank pushes for troubled Congressman Peter Russo (Corey Stoll) to run for Governor of Pennsylvania. There are a variety of sordid reasons why Russo owes Frank, but it is unclear what Frank's endgame is. In the meantime, Frank has struck up a relationship with Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), a young reporter who is intent on furthering her career. She is happy to publish the information that Frank carefully doles out to discredit his opponents and support his own power plays. Frank is married to Claire (the remarkable Robin Wright), who runs the charitable Clean Water Initiative and is just as cutthroat and ambitious as her husband. They have an open and supportive relationship, which is oftentimes just as twisted and amoral as the rest of their actions.

The character of Frank Underwood follows in the grand tradition of antiheroes that underpin all great TV dramas (e.g. Walter White in Breaking Bad or Don Draper in Mad Men). Frank is a corrupt and manipulative puppet master, pulling the strings and making unsuspecting people dance to his tune so that he can pursue his mysterious agenda. As House of Cards hurtles to its conclusion, the grandiosity of Frank's ambition and long-ranging foresight becomes clear and you can only marvel at this man's arrogance. He is engaged in terrible doings yet you are spellbound and want to know just how far he will go. Unfortunately, the best laid plans never work out as expected and Frank discovers that some of his puppets have cut their strings and may discover his intentions.

House of Cards is an addictive tour-de-force in storytelling. It is anchored by brilliant performances, particularly Kevin Spacey who constantly breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to the camera and draws the audience into Frank's twisted mind. Not all the plot lines work, but when you're watching it in one go, it's easy to forget the plots that go nowhere and focus on the gradual unfurling of Frank's grand schemes. The season finale is a nail-biter and suggests that it is only a matter of time before this House of Cards collapses.