TV Series: House of Cards

I remember following this political TV drama as it was first released on Netflix in the winter of 2013 and I instantly enjoyed everything about it. First there was Kevin Spacey, who brilliantly played the lead role of Francis Underwood, the scheming senator on a power trip. Then was his equally ruthless wife, Claire Underwood, played by the confident Robin Wright. And finally was the ingenious production from the setting, the characters, and to the writing that was full of juicy drama and plot twists.

This show was created by Beau Willimon and produced by David Fincher as an adaptation of the British miniseries. Throughout it's 6 seasons it garnished numerous Golden Globe and Emmy awards. The story gave an insightful glimpse into Washington political dealings unlike any I'd ever seen before. And while the ending was not as good as the first 5 seasons, it will still go down as one of my top favorite TV series of all time.


The Final Season

So unfortunately the series was forced by real life events, when after the 5th season Kevin Spacey was charged with sexual misconduct. He was thus released from the show and his lead character was written out of the story. For me this instantly meant a dip in quality as the character of Francis Underwood was the driving force of this great show. The first 5 seasons he was brilliant, and although Spacey's actions cannot be condoned, the show as a whole rested on his performance. I will say from the onset here that the first 5 seasons were twice as good as this final season.

The final sixth season was recently released on Netflix with Robin Wright playing the lead role as president Claire Underwood. The story killed off Francis Underwood, however we do not find out how until the end. This transition actually worked out quite well, because Claire was president at the end of the 5th season and in a major rift with her husband Francis. So his sudden death at the beginning of the sixth season seemed quite reasonable. And to be fair the character of Claire was just as interesting, powerful, and complicated as that of Francis. Given the circumstances, Robin Wright did a great job in leading the final season to a close.

Her character was vicious from the onset of season 6, flat out unlikable, as she often would condescend the viewers. However one could make the case that Francis also had this villainous appeal with the audience, that was merely driven by their hunger for power. Claire offered a feminist agenda to her lead role and had countless enemies in this final season. From Francis' loyal confidant, Doug Stamper, to the president of Russia, powerful business conglomerates, and obsessive journalists. The final twist came at the end when we discovered that it was actually Doug, not Claire, who killed the unraveling Francis, in an effort to protect his legacy. At which point Claire kills Doug to bring closure to many of his demons and secrets he carries about the Underwood's corrupt rise to power.

This ending was ultimately open-ended and somewhat disappointing for various reasons. First it would have been more gratifying to see the character of Francis Underwood brought to justice for all his crimes and corruption on his rise to the presidency. Similarly it would have been good to see Claire brought to justice, who was undeniably on her own twisted rise to power at all costs. The show ends with a lot of questions regarding Claire's tension with the influential steel conglomerate, journalists eager to expose the Underwood's corruption, oh and the small matter of nuclear war with Russia. I suppose as a viewer we can only conclude that this is just the never-ending trials and tribulations of Washington politics. And that justice does not always prevail over the powerful.


Characters:

Francis Underwood: (played by Kevin Spacey) He begins the story as the Democratic House Majority Whip from South Carolina on the verge of landing a position for the newly elected president's cabinet. However after the president renege's on his guarantee, Francis begins a ruthless campaign of vengeance and complete power at all costs. He is extremely charismatic and likable yet also very devious behind the curtains. He is aided by his equally intelligent wife, Claire, and the two make a very dangerous team together.

Throughout the series Francis is able to scheme his way to the presidency through corruption, deception, treachery, and murder. He is able to cover up all his crimes thru the dirty work of his loyal confidant, Douglas Stamper. His relationship with his wife, Claire, is a complicated one, rooted by their mutual ambition for success and power. He is without question the driving force of this show, a likable character yet ultimately a criminal who deserved the fate he received.

Claire Underwood: (played by Robin Wright) Throughout the first few seasons she is the ambitious supportive wife to Francis. However from the get-go she is not your typical first lady, yet rather a leader herself. At first her complex character is engulfed by a necessity to support the schemes of her husband so that she to may rise to the top. Eventually she is able to rise above him and take on the torch as the alpha in the relationship. Her motives are feminist driven perhaps as a result of her long complicated relationship with Francis. She leads with strength and confidence yet also a similar ruthlessness and desire for power as her husband had. .

Douglas Stamper: (played by Michael Kelly) He is Francis' confidant, consultant, and unwavering soldier. He does the Underwood's dirty work, killing off journalists, politicians, and whoever poses a threat to their agenda. He is an extremely intelligent person, a recovering alcoholic, who sweats total allegiance to Francis. He eventually becomes chief of staff however gets engulfed in scandals of his own. He eventually takes his obsessive loyalty so far that he kills that man he is most loyal to only to protect his legacy. 

Zoe Barnes: (played by Kate Mara) She is the ambitious young journalist for the Washington Herald who goes as far as sleeping with Francis Underwood to get inside information. However she eventually digs to deep and begins to expose Francis which causes her shocking murder at the start of season 2.

Congressman Peter Russo: (played by Corey Stoll) He is an up-and-coming democratic congressmen and labor-union advocate, who becomes a puppet of Underwood. He works with Francis to pass a bill that betrays his labor-union constituency and causes Peter to return to his alcoholic ways. Francis eventually has Peter murdered in order to cause any further unraveling.

President Garret Walker: (played by Michel Gill) He is elected as the 45th president at the start of season 1, a very smart and charismatic leader. He trusts Francis Underwood as a consultant, however he reneges on his offer to make him secretary of state and thus the relationship is broken. Francis is eventually able to devise a plot to bury Walker in scandals which leads to his resignation and Francis succeeded him as the 46th president.

Sakina Jaffrey: (played by Linda Vasquez) She is the loyal confidant to President Walker and the Chief of Staff in season 1 and 2. She is an extremely sharp and cunning character not intimidated by Francis' persona.

Remy Danton: (played by Mahershala Ali) He is the smooth talking lawyer and lobbyist for a major natural gas company and later a political consultant. He works with and against Francis Underwood, always following what's in his best interests. He also has a love affair with Congresswoman Jackie Sharp.

Congresswoman Jackie Sharp: (played by Molly Parker) She is an ambitious young and attractive congresswoman who replaces Francis Underwood as the democratic Majority Whip. In season 3 she runs against Francis Underwood in the presidential primaries and has a love affair with Remy Danton.

Tom Hammerschmidt: (Played by Boris McGiver) He is the ever grumpy editor-in-chief of the Washington Herald. Following mysterious deaths of several of his young journalists he begins an investigation of his own into the Underwoods. This ultimately ends in his own murder at the orders of Claire.

Constance Zimmer: (Played by Janine Skorsky) She is yet another young ambitious journalist for the Washington Herald investigating the Underwoods. She is the last journalist standing at the end of the series, and one can only assume she will continue the investigations on Claire. 

Lucas Goodwin: (Played by Sebastian Arcelus) He is an editor for the Washington Herald and boyfriend to Zoe. Following her mysterious death at the start of season 2, he begins an obsessive search for who murdered her which only drives him into a dark madness. Unable to prove Francis' guilt, he unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate Francis, and later commits suicide. 

President Viktor Petrov: (played by Lars Mikkelsen) He is the suave president of Russia, charismatic, intelligent, and very smart. At several social occasions he does not back down from confrontations with Francis and Claire.

Raymond Tusk: (played by Gerald McRaney) He is a billionaire businessman with strong connections and influence who comes at odds against Francis following the resignation of President Walker. Raymond's character is an interesting glimpse of a very wealthy and powerful donor who impacts politicians. He lives a modest lifestyle yet controls the dealings of much of the direction in Washington.

Secretary Cathy Durant: (played by Jayne Atkinson) She is a tough Democratic southern senator from Louisiana who later becomes Francis' Secretary of State. She comes to odds with him during some Russian tensions and later begins to expose some of the Underwood's scandals. However she is also murdered ath e orders of Claire.

Heather Dunbar: (played by Elizabeth Marvel) She is an extremely confident lawyer and cabinet member of Walker's presidency who runs against Francis Underwood in the primaries. She poses great opposition and is not intimidated however is eventually defeated thru blackmail.

Thomas Yates: (played by Paul Sparks) He is a renown author who is hired by Francis in season 3 to follow him and write his biography. However he becomes somewhat engulfed by both Francis and Claire, and eventually a love affair brews between him and Claire. His book is eventually rejected by Francis however he hangs on for a while as the Underwood's speech writer.

Seth Grayson: (played by Derek Cecil) He is the president's press secretary in season 2, who becomes one of the Underwood's top consultants alongside Doug Stamper.

LeAnn Harvey: (played by Neve Campbell) She is a political consultant and becomes Claire's campaign manager as she runs for congress in season 4. She also becomes Francis' presidential campaign manager in season 5.

Mark Usher: (played by Campbell Scott) He is the campaign manager of Will Conway and a very dry-cold-hearted character. His focus is undeniable however, and following the election results he switches to the Underwood camp to become an adviser. He later switches against Claire in season 6 giving aid to the Shepherd family.

Will Conway: (played by Joel Kinnaman) He is the young, charismatic, and strong Republican presidential nominee who runs against Francis and loses in season 5.

Jane Davis: (played by Patricia Clarkson) She is an experienced consultant and Commerce Secretary for the Underwood's cabinet. Her connections and back-room deals make her a viable ally for both Francis and Claire.

Annette Shepherd: (played by Diane Lane) She becomes Claire's arch-nemesis in season 6 as a billionaire conglomerate business owner who is set against Claire's presidential agenda. She has a very enticing style and a confident strength to match Claire.

Bill Shepherd: (played by Greg Kinnear) He is the brother of Annette and co-owner of the Shepherd steel industry. He is perhaps the brains of their business and lets his charismatic sister, Annette, handle the public dealings.



Insight Into the Political-Sphere

I use to follow politics a lot more during the Obama years, and especially enjoyed the tactical campaign side of things. It's a constant popularity game, balancing the approval of the general public (the voters), the wealthy donors, Congress (both Republican and Democrats), the media, and foreign and domestic affairs. It's extremely interesting stuff if you keep up with the day-to-day news, and follow the elections (something I did a lot more during my time in Chicago and listening to NPR as a courier) What's most interesting however is what happens behind closed doors and the back-room deals that are not always covered by the news. I believe you would have to be quite naive to think these back-room illegal actions are not happening on a regular basis. 

This is what I enjoyed most about House of Cards. It was a modern political setting that took us on an inside journey of a politician's corrupt quest to become president. Sure this was an extremely dramatic account of a couple's ruthlessness, however the details are not so unrealistic. For example a journalists obsession to dig for a story, or the influence lobbyists and business owners have on politicians, and the back-room deals, alliances, and grudges that emerge throughout Washington. To me it's just all a complex game, with multiple factions and multiple players all trying to spin things differently to pass their agenda. In the case of this show, two people (Francis and Claire), have mastered this political game, and were simply on a course to win at all costs.