House of Cards: Ruthless politicians, what a shock
Here’s Kevin Spacey saying “Chos.”
Watching House of Cards, the Netflix-produced drama starring Kevin Spacey as American politician Francis Underwood, is destroying my faith in humanity, not that there was a surplus of it to begin with. Adapted from the book by British Conservative Party deputy chair Lord Michael Dobbs and the BBC miniseries based upon it, House of Cards assembles a team of Hollywood heavyweights, including the David Fincher, to pander to our cynical, most basic assumptions about politicians: that they’re vicious and power-hungry.
What does it add to the discussion of political power in the 21st century? That politicians are stupid weaklings, as demonstrated in episode after episode of Underwood chewing up and spitting out every Washington player in his march to the White House. In this world, describing Underwood as “Machiavellian” is unnecessary, not just because his victims have apparently never heard of The Prince, but because it never even occurs to them to compare notes about him. Seriously, people, it wouldn’t hurt to share information and check his stories, maybe even consult your constituents. Oh, right, they have no constituents.
Read The Binge, our TV column at BusinessWorld.
Where we first saw Spacey: TV’s Wiseguy.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
March 2nd, 2015 at 06:00
I just finished season 3 at 630 this morning. The British original did make the wife his ultimate nemesis in the end and that’s the same direction I see season 4 going in.
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:38
Equally depressing, but at least funny, would be HBO’s Veep.
I actually think that Government is one part ruthless ambition like House of Cards and one part incompetent public policy like Veep.
March 2nd, 2015 at 18:45
Dr. Feelgood: that scene where Claire, in the midst of campaigning for the Iowa caucus, is told by a harassed mom breastfeeding her baby “you’re a good listener, I wish you were president” is a foreshadowing, don’t you think? Also that scene where Claire asks the biographer “did Francis really say I am his equal?” More than that, Frank reveals that at the start of their relationship he felt he didn’t deserve her.
Isn’t it interesting that by the end of Season 3, all three major female characters, in essence, declare war on Frank?
March 4th, 2015 at 07:13
Possibly, but only in fiction. For that, the writers would have to be extremely creative for the plot to remain believable. But in the reality of US politics, you can’t just go from president’s wife to presidential candidate with a flick of a finger. You have to establish a political machinery and donor back up first before you even consider it. And Claire has none outside of her marriage to Frank, even if she was more popular than him. Hillary had to remain married to Bill after the blue-dress scandal and run for senate 7 years before she ran for Dem nomination. Also, the Iowa caucus was already finished by the end of season 3 and so Claire would have to run against somebody other than Frank in 2019 even if he does win the 2016 general election (if his current half-term would be considered his 1st). Four years would be too much to cover for one season.
It’d be interesting to see if and how they incorporate the British ending, which would make the 4th season the last one assuming they do.
March 6th, 2015 at 08:10
Dr. Feelgood: Yes, Claire running for president would strain credulity. Although, as far as implausibilities go, House of Cards does take us to the very edge. I wasn’t really thinking of the presidency as the direction Claire could possibly be heading toward, but rather what looks like an impending collision with Frank precipitated by that epic confrontation in the Oval Office and her epiphany that their partnership, for all its appearance of equality, is essentially in furtherance of Frank’s ambition. But even after three seasons, Claire remains an enigmatic figure—what does she want really? Now that the prize is in her and Frank’s hands, she is suddenly overcome with a baffling mix of remorse for past sins and resentment over her uncertain political future. Clearly the ambassadorship is just a stepping stone, but at that juncture in their political lives, what more could Frank realistically do for her to advance her own ambitions?
Since I’m not familiar with the BBC House of Cards, I looked up the plot synopses— the ending (The Final Cut) seems more Scandal than House of Cards. It makes Claire seeking the presidency seem more plausible in comparison. How indeed will the creators make that the climactic end to the series?