‘House of Cards’ Episode 2.1; (9 out of 10) Starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Kate Mara, Constance Zimmer, Sebastian Arcelus, Kristen Connolly; Directed by Carl Franklin, Written by Beau Willimon; A Netflix Original Series.
Netflix had a lot riding on ‘House of Cards.’ As it was the company’s first foray into the world of original programming, the political drama couldn’t afford to suck. Who knew that it was destined to become the type of series that could give cable networks like AMC, Showtime, and HBO a run for their money? Now that Netflix has become a contender in the world of original programming, it has ‘House of Cards’ to thank. If you have not taken the time to experience this brutal and intelligent tale of dirty politics in our nation’s capital, it’s time to rectify the situation. Make sure you rectify it before you read on however, because there are some gargantuan spoilers ahead.
“We Don’t Talk About Birthdays.”
Normally, it might be odd to see a couple clothed entirely in black jogging through a park at night. For Frank and Claire Underwood (Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright), it’s as natural as seeing two lions stalking the Serengeti. The arrival of Frank’s birthday appears to have reinforced the Underwood’s survival instincts, and this opening scene clearly shows that the pair is not about to give up on their mutual quest for political power.
In case you’ve forgotten, Frank has accepted the role as vice president of the United States, a position that he earned through some brilliant and brutal political maneuvering, which included the murder of Peter Russo. Though the rest of the country believes that Russo’s death was a suicide, two loose ends remain—prostitute-turned-waitress Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan), who got Russo drunk enough for Frank to kill him and cover his tracks; and the morally ambiguous reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara). With Frank’s sleazy-yet-somehow-noble right hand man Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) coercing Rachel into self-imposed exile, that just leaves Zoe—tons more on this later.
“Am I Really the Kind of Enemy You Want to Make?”
It’s a tough call, but Claire Underwood might be scarier than Frank. Robin Wright digs into the role with such cold, calculating detachment that it’s forever changed the way I watch “The Princess Bride.” While Frank pushes for his manifest destiny, Claire is facing litigation from Gillian Cole (Sandrine Holt), who is suing CWI for firing her on unlawful grounds. Rather than pursuing legal action of her own, Claire simply finds Gillian’s weakness—her pregnancy—and exploits the hell out of it. Claire tells Gillian, “I’m willing to let your child wither and die inside you if that’s what’s required.” Does the warmth not immediately withdraw from your blood? Even though Claire follows this statement by offering Gillian the reins to her entire non-profit organization, it doesn’t make Claire any less terrifying.
Certain moments of this episode imply that Claire is planning on having a baby of her own, which would explain why she wants to pass CWI off to Gillian. This has all kinds of potential, seeing as the spawn of Frank and Claire Underwood would surely bring about the apocalypse.
“Did You Think I’d Forgotten You?”
While Frank is preparing to assume the role of vice president, he’s selected Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker), a war veteran who Frank describes as “ruthlessly pragmatic.” I have a feeling that, though Frank assumes she’s in his pocket, Sharp has an agenda of her own. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in her future.
Now, I’ve been waiting the whole review to bring this up. If you’ve watched the episode, you know about the huge, tragic elephant in the room. If you haven’t, go watch it right now, because this next bit is too shocking not to experience on your own.
Zoe Barnes, being the ambitious reporter that she is, knows a bit too much about Russo’s “suicide.” When she meets up with Frank on a subway platform to gain some perspective on whether or not she was involved in a murder, Frank shoves her in front of an oncoming train. I cannot remember the last time a TV show rocked my world so spectacularly. I didn’t see this coming at all, and it’s a ballsy way to kick off the season.
A question that I have been puzzling over since re-watching the episode is this: Was Frank planning on killing Zoe the whole time? Or did he do it when he realized that she knew about Russo’s murder? It made me think of a conversation that Frank has with the proprietor of Freddy’s BBQ Joint about slaughtering pigs. When Freddy explains that the only humane way to slaughter a pig is to make it feel safe right before doing the deed, I swear there’s a glimmer of inspiration behind Frank’s eyes.
Despite the feelings of revulsion that are now associated with Frank Underwood (if they weren’t there already), the final scene showcases how perfect Kevin Spacey is for this role. Throughout the whole episode, Frank has avoided his signature conversations with the audience. During the last few minutes of the episode, as he’s looking at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes dart to the camera. “Did you think I had forgotten you? Perhaps you wish I had.” He continues his soliloquy about the attainment of power in a “hunt or be hunted” world, and the camera focuses on the cufflinks he has received as a gift. They’re his initials, which are of course F.U. He’s welcoming the audience back to his world and telling them to f**k off at the same time.
Brilliant.
Verdict:
The episode kicked off a lot of storylines that are destined to intertwine and get ugly, so there was a lot of skipping around to Frank, to the President, to Zoe and her team—all understandable and necessary, but it was a lot of information to take in. It had to be done at some point, and the fact that they’re lining up their potential material that quickly is a good sign—the dominos have to be set up before they come tumbling down.
And I can’t gush enough about the death of Zoe Barnes. In a lot of ways it sucks because I feel like she was on the path to redeeming herself from all the crummy things she did in the first season. However, it’s an explosive way to begin a new season, and I respect it when a show delivers a sucker punch like that.
The episode was also short on giving Christina Gallagher (Kristen Connolly) screen time. Of course, since she embodies everything that is good and pure in Washington D.C., it made sense that she didn’t have much to do in this episode. She’s destined to be the underdog that just might bring Frank Underwood’s reign toppling down, so here’s hoping they don’t throw her in front of a train too.
