This review assumes you’ve seen all three seasons of House Of Cards, meaning spoilers are within.
Two Seasons. 26 episodes. That’s all it took for Congressman Frank Underwood to elevate himself from Chief Whip to President of the United States. Manipulating, maneuvering and murdering his way to the most powerful position in the land. Those two seasons showed, gleefully at times, the corruption and machinations of the political system, a fascinating insight that (despite a few far fetched twists and turns) is probably more disturbing by how accurate its portrayal of Washington tactics really is. His ascent has been a perverse delight to watch. Is there anyone left who can oppose him? Having steamrolled so many, swatted them from his path, now wielding even more power than ever, is there anything that can truly threaten him? It turns out yes. Himself.
The promise of an all powerful President Underwood, swaggering into high office in spite of “no votes cast in his name” are dispelled immediately. His approval rating is lower than the recently impeached President, a fallout from granting pardons relating to that whole messy affair. He’s also dealing with an uncooperative Congress and Senate and even his own party leadership is trying to stop him running for a second term. His momentum is lost. The reality and even mundanity of governance has set in as with the truth that keeping power may be more difficult than acquiring it in the first place.
This is a different Frank Underwood. His usual tactics have to be reined in, no longer possible due to the trappings and visibility of his new office. In his own words he is a changed man, on the surface at least. “I have to do these sorts of things now” commenting on a publicized visit to his father’s grave, “you have to be a little human when you’re the president”. Granted this comes shortly after he urinates on the aforementioned tombstone but the sentiment of adopting this facade is a central theme this season. That act at the opening of the first episode is the peak of his transgressions this time around as we get a more focused and personal look at how the trappings of power can restrict, isolate and burden a man.
“Isolated” is perhaps the best word to describe President Underwood and it’s largely his own doing. Frustration at his lack of accomplishments and struggle to gain public approval means he seems to be losing control, lashing out at his wife, staff and Cabinet members. It is revealed that he doesn’t just want power, he wants a legacy. His idea, to quell the unrest and make his mark, is to implement a new program, “America Works”, a massive scheme on a par with the New Deal from FDR and a successor to Social Security. A guarantee of a job for every American funded by gutting entitlements. Such a radical idea jives with some in both the public sphere and political, but ostracizes his opponents further still.
Other plot strands introduce a fraught relationship with Russia concerning a UN mission in Israel as well as the return of Solicitor General Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel) in an anti-corruption candidate role (think Elizabeth Warren), running for the Democratic nomination for President against Underwood. The former perhaps introduces the only character this season on the same level as Underwood, Russian President Viktor Putin…I mean Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen). A conversation with him telling Underwood a tale of how he once killed a man with his bare hands is met with stony silence from Underwood…and a wry smile from the viewers.
Dunbar’s popular candidacy shows how tenuous his position is. The Russia/UN plot early on is geared to increasing tensions between Frank and Claire, who is appointed US Ambassador to the UN (we’ll get to that shortly) while the latter drives home the inequality that has formed in their relationship. And that is the real focus of the season.
The crux of the show is Frank and Claire. They, all along, have driven each other onwards to the top. The problem is that when they get there, there’s only one spot behind that desk in the Oval Office. Claire seeks to forge her own legacy, pursuing a position as Ambassador to the UN, something made more urgent by the ever growing idea that Frank may not even have the Democratic nomination for the next election let alone be able to beat a Republican challenger. While she eventually gets what she wants, the political dealings with Russia as well as a personal outburst on her part means she again must sacrifice what she has for the benefit of Frank. She is reduced to just being another asset and this realization comes to a head in a starting argument between the two. One may think a reconciliation is far from likely with the words “Without me, you are nothing” being uttered by Frank with such contempt while he has his hands around her throat. What’s perhaps even more surprising is Frank expecting Claire to take this and become subservient. We all know better than that and so should he.
Many of the problems Frank faces this season are of his own creation, stemming from his own stubbornness. He alienates his most powerful allies including his wife, Chief Of Staff Remy Danton (Mahershala Ali), President Petrov, Heather Dunbar and House Minority Whip Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker) who he uses as a cudgel to batter a political rival to her own detriment with the promise of a spot on the ticket for the election. The only one who comes through for him is perhaps the one treated worst of all, former Chief of Staff Doug Stamper. Clearly psychologically broken by Frank he goes to extreme lengths to prove his worth. One act in particular also acts as the final straw in proving to Claire her status is not as important as his own. Claire walking away at Season’s end is essentially a culmination of her lack of faith in him. Lack of support, lack of involvement, Stamper’s possession of the Doctor’s journal, failed ideas. We have had a season of Claire being politically castrated by a man with an inability to deliver. It’s pretty amusing that despite his elevation to the height of political power his potency is neutered by his position. This is a man used to working in the shadows, but now he’s right in the spotlight.
So we switch from seasons gone by showing how people use politics to instead how politics affects people. The Underwoods are a fascinating case study for this as they have played the game better than anyone. In a perverse way they seemed to understand the real nature of a marriage, the true way to use a partnership to succeed. Now it unravels because it stoops down into something more ordinary, something more uneven. All this serves as a tremendous showcase for the talents of Spacey and Wright. In fact there is not one performance within the season you can really fault. It’s one aspect of many that contributes to a very slick, entertaining and well produced piece of television. It’s a slower burn for sure, a more focused and inward looking addition to what has come before, but still satisfying; albeit in a different way.
The real issues with Season 3 stem from meandering plotlines and out of character choices, employed to push the aforementioned meandering plot along. After watching a politician as savvy as Frank Underwood exploit people and the system so expertly, the idea he would expose himself by pushing through his wife’s appointment as UN ambassador requires a suspension of belief far higher than is usually required for the show. Likewise, the appropriation of FEMA funds to get his jobs project off the ground coupled with the long term goals of gutting entitlements like Social Security (with nothing to replace it!) or pursuing the placement of UN Peacekeepers in the Jordan Valley. For a season that is more somber and realistic in tone, these are startling acts for any sitting member of the Democratic party let alone a President who is on rocky ground after his troubled ascent. The overt nature of these policies are out of character and actually seem merely designed to put him into conflict with members of his own party, staff and household. The main aim of these stupid decisions is to cause friction for the character, but since they are so out of character, some of his decisions frankly feel like lazy writing.
Back to the meandering plotlines, the main standout is perhaps Doug Stamper, Underwood’s former Chief of Staff. Presumed dead at the end of Season 2, we get a lengthy focus on his having been discarded, as well as his fragile mental and physical state as he recovers. The question of his true allegiance is effectively examined over the season but it perhaps gets more focus than it should, particularly in the opening episode. It does serve as an effective juxtaposition to the other relationships in Frank’s life, this is one person who continues to take a beating and remain loyal. That said, the writers do well to keep the viewer guessing as to his real allegience. By the end there is no doubting it and a particularly cold, brutal act seals his allegiance to his President and fixes him on a particularly dark path.
Likewise the introduction of Paul Sparks as Thomas Yates, a novelist employed by Underwood to write about “America Works” in a veiled propaganda piece is a curious addition and a pretty far fetched one at that, seeing as so few Americans actually read anymore. He serves largely as a sounding board for many of the President’s thoughts, a role usually given to the audience as Frank breaks the fourth wall. But his relationship with a fellow reporter and Underwood skeptic alludes to a more prominent role in a future season. This seeding for the future is obvious although its insertion here seems rather ungainly.
While the Season is largely engrossing, when people look back at the show they will ultimately point at this season as the one where things started to be stretched out too far. The original BBC series on which this is based, which in turn was based on the book by Michael Dobbs, was a far snappier affair. It only lasted three seasons, with each containing only four 55 minute episodes. The pace more akin to a stage production, hurtling along at breakneck pace. The US production takes more time to layer in the scheming and to its benefit, allows a deeper look at the relationship between the couple at the center of the tale, the strongest aspect of the show.
For a more grounded (comparatively) season, it really is a stretch to believe, making it into more of a political satire than anything else that has come before. The British version with its snappiness hardly gives you a moment to question the feasibility of the scenario whereas the US version allows far more time to question it. But take a step back and the UK version does allow further leeway. The political system in the UK doesn’t have a “branch structure” like the US, you don’t need to switch branches to get to the top of the food chain, the leader of the governing party is the Prime Minister so it is a more plausible path of progression. It also embraces the farcical elements, showing a rotten element of politics, the smattering of rodents in London being an on the nose opening shot. The US version seems intent on showing murkier waters, fairly decent people being caught up in the nefarious schemes of Underwood and Co. See Rachel the hooker with a heart of gold or last season’s weak but well intentioned President Walker. In an attempt to expand the show they perhaps have weakened its impact. Imagine the balls of the showrunners had they ended the show with that final scene at the end of season 2? It would have sealed the show’s place in TV history, as it stands, we’re probably going to have several more years before we can judge its overall contribution.
Overall, Season 3 takes its time to build up steam, the show initially reflecting the lethargy of the Underwood Presidency. But as the episodes progress it increases in quality and while it doesn’t reach the more entertainingly absurd heights of the previous two seasons what it does deliver is a greater insight into the emotional burden of the journey the Underwoods have taken together. Really, it’s a season designed to put them at odds with each other.
While I think I’m enjoying the prospect of Season 4 more than I did Season 3 itself, Season 3 remains a flawed but solid addition to this series, continuing the juicy blend of black comedy, over-the-top soapy drama and intense relationship study of one of the more perverse couples to ever grace our screens.