‘House of Cards’ returns to Netflix soon
By Liz Reichart, A&E Editor //
I
t’s dark, it’s twisted, it’s gripping, and it’s all political. “House of Cards” has grabbed the country by the arm and thrown it in front of a train, figuratively of course. The shock factor of this series makes it one that refuses to be ignored. Uniquely filmed and released a season at a time every February on Netflix, “House of Cards” is scheduled to release its third season to Netflix subscribers Feb. 27.
The series follows the political ladder climbing of Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey), the evil genius who we love to hate, and his wife Claire Underwood (played by Robin Wright), the equally devious accomplice to Frank’s murders, power plays, and general scheming. In season one, his own Democratic Party wrongs Frank when he is overlooked for the position of Secretary of State. This sets Frank and Claire on a fervent mission to seek revenge on all those who have crossed their paths. The Underwood’s’ ultimate goal? To secure the oval office for themselves. Underwood plans are set into action, and these are the events that take place during the first and second seasons. He begins a symbiotic relationship with an ambitious young reporter Zoe Barnes (played by Kate Mara), and takes a morally wayward congressman, Peter Russo (played by Corey Stoll), under his wing. Claire Underwood runs a powerful NGO and throughout the show uses her persuasive nature to move her pawns as she sees fit. Often breaking the fourth wall to directly address the audience, Frank’s pursuits are often perverse, always relentless, and are guaranteed to leave you unnerved. You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the show’s quick ascent to critical acclaim with its first two seasons. “House of Cards” was the first original online-only web television series to receive major Emmy nominations, nine of which it received for its first season and 13 for its second season. In 2015, Kevin Spacey won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series- Drama.
Just one episode in (and it’s clear as to why the accolades continue to roll in), every episode I shakily complete, I bewilderedly think to myself, “These writers are absolute geniuses.”
One of the reasons why this show works so well is that there are few to no holes in the plot. Actor Kevin Spacey confirms this continuity of plot was not just by chance, and it’s one of the reasons “House of Cards” decided to go with Netflix as their sponsor. Netflix was the only one willing to commit to the show for two seasons of production, so with that guarantee and far less risk, writers were able to develop a strong plot structure. “We know exactly where we are going,” Spacey says.
The excitement only builds for season three of the chilling series to be released on Netflix. Expect enthrallment, expect sin, and expect the Underwoods to expertly cover-up their wicked footprints, as they are known to do.