Has real-life American politics become too much like House of Cards! Here’s our review of House Of Cards season 5.
*We’ll try to avoid too many House of Cards season five spoilers where possible but if you are reading a review of the 5th season then it’s safe to say you should have watched the first four seasons.*
Gone are the heydeys of the stoic West Wing’s President Bartlet with the public now more familiar with the bumbling Veep’s President Meyer and House of Cards amoral lead Frank Underwood.
After the last 12 months, the biggest question everyone should have is who’d be want to be an American president these days? We’re not saying that real world politics has any correlation to what Netflix had envisioned when they commissioned House of Cards. But it’s safe to say that Kevin Spacey has a tough time making Frank Underwood seem any different to the current inhabitant of the White House.
After the “alleged” Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the seemingly ineffective president, and the sense that the world is one tweet away from a covfefe. What can House of Cards Season five do to truly stay relevant?
One Country Underwood
After the subpar fourth season of House of Cards, Spacey is back to his scene chewing best as the 46th President of the United States. Over the last four seasons, he’s done it all. He’s killed people, had numerous dalliances, become US President without getting elected, blackmailed people, and got his wife named vice president. But the thing is, we the viewing public actively cheer him on as he does this. In fact, his actions only seem to endear him to us even further.
If you’ve watched all four seasons of the show then the one thing that is abundantly clear is that Claire can be every bit as conniving as Frank. Her thirst for power, and all its trappings, sometimes outstrips his at times. Season five finds Frank and Claire (Robin Wright) trying to further cement their stranglehold over the American political system.
But unlike Frank, Claire doesn’t make decisions just to better her own position. The fact that she stuck with Frank could almost be seen as her playing the odds. She knows that there will come a time when he will become powerful and she can use that to her own objectives.
Robin Wright knocked it out of the park as Antiope in Wonder Woman and she’s once again superb here. Frank likes to think of himself as the cold, calculating brains of the operation but it’s clear that Claire is more than his match. Throughout season five we see potential cracks begin to appear in their “special relationship”.
As the show has progressed, Claire political aspirations have begun to put her at odds with Frank’s single-minded ideals. Even though she continues to stick by Frank’s side, it is clear this is now more of a strategic decision. Because while public opinion continues to turn against Frank her reputation soars.
Hangers On
House of Cards does a great job of filling out its cast with some great character actors and this season is no different. Previous seasons featured a number of household names. Mahershala Ali, Corey Stoll, Kate Mara, and Joel Kinnaman all had season-long arcs before their careers took off. Recent seasons, however, have tended to go with more established actors. Neve Campbell is back and she is joined by Campbell Scott and Patricia Clarkson. Both of whom bring a little bit of intrigue to their parts. Especially when it comes to their loyalty to the Underwoods.
As season five progresses, each member of Frank’s pre-established inner circle gets their chance to shine. None no more that old reliable Doug (Michael Kelly). Even when others see the writing on the wall regarding the president, Doug continues being loyal to Frank and Claire. With his loyalty being at the forefront of the latter part of the season.
Fake Politics
One of the most, how can I say this, frustrating elements of the show is how easy everyone is to corrupt on this show. Nearly every single person is compromised at some point. It’s almost a running joke how the Underwoods are able to get everyone just to go along with their bidding. With very few putting up much of a fight. And those that do seem to run into roadblocks at every turn. The only character to come out with even a modicum of a win is Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver), the editor of the Washington Herald, but even that is tinged with defeat.
House of Cards Season five is probably not on a par with season one or two but is back on track after the rocky season four. After the shocking events of the finale, there is no doubt that we’ll be getting a season six from Netflix.
This season did a great job of closing off some plot points from the previous seasons including some which stretch back to season two. The fifth season leaves us in a great place with a number of new avenues to explore in future seasons.
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