Opinion Piece- I'm finally going to talk about House of Cards Season 4 because it's been long enough
As I write this, I'm still trying to conceal spoilers from those around me as to the fates of Frank, Claire, Doug and the rest of the most lovably despicable humans ever to enter politics. But as you read this, Season 4 of House of Cards will have been out for over a month so I feel like everyone has had enough time to watch it. If you're behind on any of House of Cards, I highly recommend that you go away and watch all of it, preferably in as few sessions as possible. There will be MAJOR SPOILERS for all of the show so far, right up to the last shot of season 4. So has everyone gone who wants to? Good. Then lets get twisted.
I'll go through the important events chronologically. First, what the hell was the first scene? That was one hell of a cold open with an erotic story and a prisoner jacking off to it. Very weird. On that note, the real point I wanted to make in this was how effective the assassination attempt on Frank's life. It came from pretty much nowhere, even though we could feel something building up. The way that there was no build up was genius though, adding to the realism of the show. After all, real assassinations don't work like that. The assassination was also great in that it triggered two other huge events: poor Meechum's death (which I may never get over) and that weird dream sequence that brought back Zoe Barnes and Peter Russo. It was a shocking moment that will probably still have repercussions into next season and shocked me out of my seat.
The show also managed to highly effectively integrate the new character of Claire's mother. The actress (whose name I don't know) managed to bring depth to a character who initially seemed like a cranky old cow that would offer nothing. She was a sad and deeply tortured woman who just wanted what was best for her daughter, even if she'd never admit it. Seeing her relationship with Claire as compared to her brief relationship to Tom was also fascinating for her character development and it made her death all that more interesting. She asked Claire to kill her because she was in pain and then (added as an afterthought) she said that it would help Claire's campaign for VP. Only after that last point did Claire kill her mother and in fairness, it led to a phenomenal speech from her that sent chills down my spine. It was a moment that showed us the Underwood's dedication to winning.
Speaking of which, I loved this season's return to political backstabbery. The return of the whip board was nostalgic and I loved seeing how Frank was trying to beat Conway. To see these polar opposties face off, the old determined veteran and the relatable family man underdog, was exciting in ways I had forgotten existed. Credit to Joel Kinnaman for playing a character probably as complex as Frank Underwood himself and in many ways, just as despicable. It was also cool to see the return of the journalists who had been hiding out after the death of Zoe and the arrest of Lucas. Tom Hammerschmidt in particular was a welcome return and he is now probably going to play a huge part in the inevitable downfall of the Underwoods.
Finally, I need to talk about that last moment. Specifically, this shot:
This was the single moment in the show that confirmed for every single viewer that Frank Underwood is not an anti-hero: he's a villain. That chilling soliloquy told us that whatever happens next season is going to be messy as the Underwoods become the terror. They bring the pain, as shown by their butchering of the hostage. I loved so much that this season did and in my opinion, it's one of the strongest. I believe that House of Cards is at its strongest when it has nothing to prove. Season 1 had to prove Netflix could make TV and Season 3 had to prove that Frank as president made sense. On the other hand, Seasons 2 and 4 had nothing to prove and I believe they're the best of a great bunch. Just colour me excited for season 5 when Frank and Claire will bring the terror like never before.
I'll go through the important events chronologically. First, what the hell was the first scene? That was one hell of a cold open with an erotic story and a prisoner jacking off to it. Very weird. On that note, the real point I wanted to make in this was how effective the assassination attempt on Frank's life. It came from pretty much nowhere, even though we could feel something building up. The way that there was no build up was genius though, adding to the realism of the show. After all, real assassinations don't work like that. The assassination was also great in that it triggered two other huge events: poor Meechum's death (which I may never get over) and that weird dream sequence that brought back Zoe Barnes and Peter Russo. It was a shocking moment that will probably still have repercussions into next season and shocked me out of my seat.
The show also managed to highly effectively integrate the new character of Claire's mother. The actress (whose name I don't know) managed to bring depth to a character who initially seemed like a cranky old cow that would offer nothing. She was a sad and deeply tortured woman who just wanted what was best for her daughter, even if she'd never admit it. Seeing her relationship with Claire as compared to her brief relationship to Tom was also fascinating for her character development and it made her death all that more interesting. She asked Claire to kill her because she was in pain and then (added as an afterthought) she said that it would help Claire's campaign for VP. Only after that last point did Claire kill her mother and in fairness, it led to a phenomenal speech from her that sent chills down my spine. It was a moment that showed us the Underwood's dedication to winning.
Speaking of which, I loved this season's return to political backstabbery. The return of the whip board was nostalgic and I loved seeing how Frank was trying to beat Conway. To see these polar opposties face off, the old determined veteran and the relatable family man underdog, was exciting in ways I had forgotten existed. Credit to Joel Kinnaman for playing a character probably as complex as Frank Underwood himself and in many ways, just as despicable. It was also cool to see the return of the journalists who had been hiding out after the death of Zoe and the arrest of Lucas. Tom Hammerschmidt in particular was a welcome return and he is now probably going to play a huge part in the inevitable downfall of the Underwoods.
Finally, I need to talk about that last moment. Specifically, this shot:
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