Netflix: What’s in your queue? House of Cards: a sexed-up West Wing knockoff that features Claire and Francis “Frank” Underwood, a white bread couple living alone in their stainless steel-interior Washington D.C. brownstone. They’re childless, upper middle class and both in politics. Overall I’d say the show looks boring and hardly worth my while as I sift through the comparatively enticing gobs of sex and crime-riddled shows in my roommate’s Netflix queue. I only had an hour of free time to kill, but 22 hours later I’m 12 episodes into the first season of House of Cards and the Underwoods are my new favorite TV couple. Together Frank and Claire harbor an inexplicable vendetta against emotion and share a trajectory for world domination. In my professional, I-took-Intro-to-Psychology opinion, they’re both certified sociopaths. They act as a unit, destroying the careers, ambitions and lives of anyone who comes between them and their plan of controlling Capitol Hill. Frank jumps from one position to the other on the Hill, crushing his opponents at each turn while Claire heads a non-profit clean water lobbyist group. They feed each other donors and votes all the while maintaining an open marriage riddled with affairs. I have to say, nothing is more squirm-inducing than listening to Frank and Claire bluntly discuss their respective lovers. www.bcgavel.com
Speaking of these intrigues, enter Zooey Barnes. She’s a bright, young journalist with no morals. When I say no morals, I mean no morals in the most literal of terms. She is perfectly content to screw her way to the top of the food chain in D.C., as long as she gets a story out of the tryst. Zooey and Frank engage in a relationship which can only be described by the phrase “work hard, play hard.” The show owes its most graphic sex scenes to their violent affair, which is saying something considering the amount of prostitutes who make frequent visits to the congressmen in House of Cards. While their relationship eventually becomes sexual, Frank and Zooey are really involved so that they can use each other’s spheres of influence to their own advantage. In the end, personal gain is all that matters among the characters of House of Cards, and they have no qualms exploiting anyone and everyone in order to succeed. As he claws his way to the top, Frank leaks information to the press through Zooey in order to discredit his enemies. In return, Zooey builds a reputation as a groundbreaking journalist who always has the inside scoop on Capitol Hill. The evolving field of journalism is a focal point of the show. Zooey is torn between sticking with a traditional print media-based newspaper and a more progressive online political blog. As
By Emily Akin / Culture Editor Zooey switches jobs, the effects of social media on the spread of news becomes more central to the plotline. She is able to break stories with increasing speed, which forces her to rely more and more on Frank’s information. Which, of course, is just how he likes it. If anyone on TV will make you feel like a better person, it’s Frank Underwood. He is diabolical, manipulative and power-hungry. One of the best scenes of the season involves Frank walking into the chapel on Capitol Hill and lecturing God on His incompetence. At the end of the scene Franks looks into the camera and announces, “I pray to myself, for myself,” which sums up his role in the show quite nicely. Frank plays God in House of Cards. His biting asides to the camera show the audience how he’s a ruthless person to the core. And yet, I can’t help but root for his success. Frank Underwood is one of the most likeable, evil characters on Netflix right now. Sure, he’s a horrible person. He couldn’t care less about hurting people on his road to the top. But he’s smart and calculating. He can talk his way out of any situation, into any heart and around any obstacle. If I’m being completely honest, ultimately I want Frank Underwood to succeed because he makes me feel better about my own life decisions. Screenshot by Emily Akin/ Gavel Media
31