“House of Cards” Chapters 14-16 Review: Frank Underwood’s Initials aren’t ‘F. U.’ for Nothing
Marissa Tandon ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Short answer: absolutely.
Season two of House of Cards opens with that same constant high-stakes situation that got so many viewers addicted in season one. House of Cards made its name on harsh political maneuvers, and doesn’t back down with this season’s opener. Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has secured his position as vice president and is strategically backing Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker) for his replacement as Whip. Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) is still chasing evidence to expose Frank’s criminal actions. Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) continues to deal with the repercussions of her business arrangement last season.
In perhaps the most shocking twist of the series yet, Zoe’s choice to chase after Frank results in her murder. With one last meeting, Frank is able to make sure that all records of their communication are deleted and pushes her in front of an oncoming train. With Zoe’s cold-blooded murder occurring only a half an hour into the new season, the twist is certainly one that will shock viewers.
Zoe has been just as calculated, cold, and ruthless as Frank throughout the series. She was simply less successful at her attempts at rising through the ranks. Frank’s last words on his ex-lover’s murder are, “Don’t waste a breath mourning Miss Barnes. Every kitten grows up to be a cat. They seem so harmless at first, small, quiet, lapping up their saucers of milk. But once their claws get long enough, they draw blood, often from the hand that feeds them. For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted.”
Those closing lines of episode one masterfully demonstrate some of the series’ greatest strengths. It’s the first time Frank breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience, something that was such a stylistic marker for the show from the very beginning. The viewer gets inside Frank’s head and is reminded that he is ever logical, calm, and calculated. However, his actions themselves are the things that humanize Frank. Throughout his small closing speech, Frank is undressing, removing his new cuff links, a birthday gift from his personal secret-service agent Edward Meechum (Nathan Darrow). Throughout the episode it is made clear that Frank neither values nor accepts gifts from anyone—earlier in the episode we watch his secretary throw away all of the birthday cards he has received—and yet as he delivers this calculated speech about the murder he has just committed, he is shown not only keeping a birthday gift, but using it.
The cuff links, emblazoned with Frank’s initials (F. U.), have the added benefit of a closing shot that encompasses Frank’s way of living.
The real question is, what will Zoe’s death do to the players still left in motion? In episode two, Zoe’s boyfriend, Lucas Goodwin (Sebastian Arcelus), and her colleague, Janine Skorsky (Constance Zimmer) were in the loop on the mission to expose Frank before her death. The pair’s reactions to Zoe’s death are polarized: Janine runs, and Lucas pursues the story even harder, becoming somewhat manic in the process. Lucas’ desire to find the truth adds a satisfying amount of tension to the plot instead of sweeping the possibility of Frank’s exposure under the rug with one murder, as Frank may have preferred. Lucas begins a downward spiral as he becomes obsessed with Zoe’s murder, convinced that her death was by Frank’s hand as his claims continue to fall on deaf ears.
With Frank’s first public appearance as vice president, his wife Claire is forced to confront an old demon. It is revealed that one of the generals Frank is expected to pin stars on sexually assaulted Claire when they were dating in college. The encounter shakes Claire visibly, and when Frank rushes to her aide, there is an uncontrolled bout of rage from Frank, something that is not typically shown. The relationship between Claire and Frank is one of the pair’s only redeeming characteristics, as both of them are most frequently portrayed as cold, calculating, and vicious. In the reveal we see Claire as fearful and vulnerable, yet her biggest concern is for hers and Frank’s public image.
Trade negotiations with China are shaping up to become treacherous, and Frank uses other politicians as pawns for his own endgame as he is wont to do. These actions may sour the already tremulous relationship between Frank and the president’s closest advisor, Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney), and Lucas Goodwin discovers the “deep web” (a portion of the internet devoted solely to illegal activity) and puts out a request to hack the vice president’s phone records. The tension builds.
Some of that tension comes to a head in episode three. A government shutdown is imminent if Frank cannot convince the Senate to pass a bill concerning retirement ages. The fight continues to illustrate factors of our own government that the majority of U.S. citizens are tired of. Throughout the talks on the bill, Republicans continue to say “We need a win.” There is very little talk as to what the bill will do concerning the citizens they represent.
When the deals struck by Frank and his cohort fall through, Frank makes the decision to issue warrants for the arrest of all senators who are not present, strategically holding the vote after enough senators are carted into the building for a vote to be cast. His bill passes, and the shutdown is narrowly avoided. Frank picks up a victory and a few new enemies, though he can’t seem to get enough of the latter.
Season two of House of Cards opens strongly, setting the story up for a fast-paced ride. The third episode closes on Frank at the president’s right hand, something that is not lost on our protagonist. Frank makes sure to point out just how far he has risen. As Raymond Tusk watches the speech from home, Frank speaks directly to us: “As for me, I used to be on the edge of the frame. Now, I’m only three feet away.”
The point leaves us to question what, exactly, is Frank’s next move. The only possible step up is the presidency. As Frank points out in the opening of the third episode: “There are two types of vice presidents: door mats and matadors. Which do you think I intend to be?” Frank has made it clear that he intends to be the latter, but we have to wonder. Will Frank’s carefully constructed House of Cards hold steady, or will a strong gust of wind surprise our protagonist and cast him down before he can reach the top?