Even though it aired only a year ago — and I watched it in two days over a weekend, only leaving my apartment to order tacos (twice) — the first season of “House of Cards” seems like it happened in another period of my life, a period before the end of “Breaking Bad,” before “Girls” turned into schmaltz and “Orange in the New Black” became the most overhyped show on the planet. Back in February 2013, people still thought “Homeland” was worth watching, if you can believe that. The first season of “House of Cards” feels like it happened (and it definitely happened— it was an event) so long ago that I forgot how totally ridiculous the show really is.
It didn’t take long for me to remember. Dropping a major twist in the first episode (which I won’t spoil for the few people who did not watch it) seems like a subversive move, leaving the viewer puzzled and confused. The only problem is, the show ends up killing one of its more interesting and major storylines in an attempt to start anew in season two — which is fine — but backtracks from its brazen move a few episodes into the season by essentially replicating that killed storyline, just with different characters.
It’s a weird move, just the first of many in a season that, unlike the first, seemed to drag. There’s an unnecessary and confusing narrative thread involving cyber-terrorism that seems ripped-from-the-headlines and cartoonish, and a sex scene involving three characters (I won’t say which ones) that literally comes out of nowhere and turns the show on its head. Part of the thrill of season one was that we didn’t know if the relentless plotting of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) would result in him moving up the Capitol Hill food chain. There was tension, and something was at stake. In season two, it’s assumed that Frank will succeed in bringing down everyone around him on his road to the top. There’s nothing that’s threatening his ascension.
The character of Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker) was a welcome addition, a power hungry politician who turns out to be a worthy accomplice to Frank’s scheming. As in the first season, the best thing about the show is Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), who has mastered the art of the polite but cruel takedown, the phoney niceness of the rich and powerful. She seems to have repressed all her anger and frustration from season one, and her turn from co-conspirator to equal, if not more ruthless partner, is chilling. The Underwoods are now a two-headed beast and nothing can stop them.
The ending of the season is inevitable, almost assumed. Frank keeps rising to the top. His powers of manipulation over two seasons have been miraculous — he has basically fooled everybody around him into clearing a path toward becoming the most powerful man in the country. But once he’s there, what happens? “House of Cards” is a difficult show to watch because the villain wins. But now that he’s won, there is nowhere left to go but down.
