(I was supposed to be part of this conversation, but then I had a childcare snafu and am a few episodes from being done, so you have to do this without me, and I’ll come hang out when I finish, this is a rolling thread we can eventually all participate in.)
Guidelines:
If you don’t like House of Cards, get the hell out of this post.
I mean, it’s okay if you like it in a “I do not think this is a good show, but love it” or “it troubles me a bit, but I love it” sort of way.
It’s also okay if you are one of those “BUT THE ORIGINALLLLLLLLLL is so much better” types, but I’ll be watching you. This population includes my dad, who’s usually right.
No, if you don’t like it, you can talk about it, I’m not the boss of you.
Okay, and….go.
***
Sidebar: If anyone here was not rooting actively for Frank and Claire to get whatever they wanted, I find that fascinating and may want to interview you about it.
Tags: all of it, beauty, house of cards, television
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Augh, I’m also 5 episodes away from the end, and cannot stand it, and am just butting in as one of the first commenters to say that I have been absolutely loving it and will return to this thread in a few days.
Hahaha I’m in the same place as you, but I figure nothing could be more shocking than the first episode so I’m all spoilt now WHATEVER COME BACK SOON.
I really liked S2, especially how we became increasingly aware of how critical Claire is to Frank’s success. What I can’t really imagine is what they are going to do in season 3. Will Frank become, like, Emperor?
Yeah, a friend of mine was saying she doesn’t see it going past Season 3, because – how much further can he go?
GUYS HE’ S GOING TO GET RID OF TWO TERM LIMITS
[I really have no idea.]
Or maybe this is when he gets outdone by someone smarter and savvier, like Jackie Sharp?
That’s.. I mean, he can’t pull that off, right? But that is the next step, you’re right.
All through S2 my bf kept saying “he’s going to kill the President!!” and I’m like, ok there are limits though. It doesn’t often seem like Frank has limits, but there are.
Like Queen of Bythinia suggested last week during a Link Roundup, he could’ve pushed the President in front of a metro train on the red line and no one would’ve noticed…
Oh, so *that’s* why the red line has been so terrible lately? Political assassinations? This is a profoundly disturbing explanation, of course, but almost seems more plausible than the sheer number of unrelated things completely falling apart on the red line lately. 🙂
Well according to the internet it is loosely based on Richard III so I’m guessing the 2016 election will be our Battle of Bosworth Field?
yeah now that he’s president, there is definitely going to be some sort of Fall where he pays for his sins or whatever
My boyfriend (who refuses to watch the show but still floats in and out and asks questions unless I turn it off as soon as he gets home) said, “I think it’s really nice how they really do love and support each other, in a non-conventional way.” I said, “Yeah, it’s great how they support each other unconditionally in ruining the lives of everyone around them in pursuit of power. Super romantic.”
IT IS THOUGH
I want him to be stymied and thwarted by Putin.
Shirtless Putin.
Chopping wood. With BEARS!
Putin will be played by a resurrected Corey Stoll.
I think s3 is going to be about Frank’s fall and paying for his sins, which is awesome as he’s truly gone from still kinda gray area immoral to oh wow you just fucking murdered someone.
It may be because my sophomores are reading Macbeth (which, hello HOC/Macbeth parallels), but it feels like we’re moving towards his unraveling. I’m thinking one or two more seasons at the most in which Frank and Claire completely fall apart.
That’s what I’m thinking, though I was imagining it more in Don Draper terms than Macbeth. Couple seasons of sexy antihero, then fall, then… redemption? But Don Draper has some humanity in him to redeem, and I don’t think Frank does.
Lots of Macbeth parallels, esp wrt Claire, but I thought this was firmly in Richard III territory. Absolutely Shakespearean though in the best way, though it is much more anxiety producing (for me, at least) to see the ruthlessness and fragility of elected leaders than monarchs.
YES I’ve always thought of Frank as Richard III! Drowning Russo in a barrel of wine, HelLO
Seriously! I kept waiting for something to *not* go Frank’s way, and was surprised that it never happened. He managed to silence all of the first set of journalists, then SOMEHOW managed to spin the whole China-money-super PAC to his benefit. I was disappointed/bored to see him win all the time, and of course it made me wonder what in the world season 3 is going to be about.
I think the hacker is going to find Rachel Posner and blow the whole story open, causing Frank’s downfall. Or temporary downfall, at least, until he rises from the ashes to take over the world.
I JUST FINISHED THIS WEEKEND. I feel like the last two episodes are the beginning of finally tipping audience loyalties away from Frank, because that was the first time I wasn’t really rooting for them anymore. I feel like season 3 has to make the viewers want to have Frank start losing, at least for a little while.
Also, sweet Meechum may now be my favorite character.
Let’s all talk about how far in advance they started hinting at the Meechum thing, and whether anyone besides me was watching that scene between their fingers.
As soon as Claire said, “You’ve never called him Edward!” I was like, ok that’s code for “I want to do sex with him.”
Do you think Frank & Claire were at all having sex before that happened? And thoughts on the scene with Frank watching porn? Intentional?
We definitely see Frank/Claire doing it in season 1, at least once, but it did seem like maybe their sex life had waned due to all the changes that had taken place in season 2; the show seemed to set up that they somehow NEEDED this threesome as a release/rejuvenation. And after the threesome happened, I totally thought, “Oh, the porn was Underwood GROOMING him! Like a predator does!”
I imagined that their threesome was just the two of them alternating with Meechum.
Nothing Frank does is EVER unintentional, in my opinion.
Honestly, as soon as Meechum ever so shyly presented Frank with the cufflinks and Frank accepted the gift like he had a schoolboy crush I thought “well”. And then when they were baseball-sex-metaphoring it up in the backyard I emailed several friends to say: “I jus want it to be on the record that I predicted them having sex in episode 6.”
The beer and PDA on the back patio was when I turned to my husband and said, “Are Claire and Frank acting like middle-aged swingers, or is that just me? They’re testing his comfort levels, right?” His response was that I seemed to know a lot more about middle-aged swingers than he did.
I’m so late because I just finished the season tonight but, YES. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one watching with my hands over my eyes. I don’t even know why I couldn’t deal, other than the ridiculous awkwardness that is Meechum.
MEACHAM 4 LYFE
I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS TOPIC but first I would like to make a very, very shameful confession: I find Doug Stamper very super uncomfortably attractive (I mean, not now that he’s dead, in the woods [GO RACHEL {I hope you work things out with your weird church girlfriend}]).
why why why did she take his car thoughhhh, doesn’t she know anything about DNA?
Or license plates?
in my headcanon she took off for the west coast, and will dump the car at one of those junk yards where they (a) cut up cars for parts or (b) smash them into tiny boxes of metal.
Ideally the smashing into a tiny box of metal will be done by Weevil, of Veronica Mars fame (because crossing over those two shows would be the best thing to happen to me, ever, maybe).
I am currently watching VM for the first time, and took a quick break to watch all of S2 of HoC, so my mind is really into both worlds right now and this is really appealing to me.
Yeah, that was not a great move. You know what was? HITTING HIM IN THE HEAD WITH A BRICK
What do we think are the implications of Doug’s death for hacker/guinea pig enthusiast Gavin?
Season 3: Jeanine, Rachel, Gavin, Cashew and Adam form a ragtag band and take down the Underwoods.
No, I’m not sure–I think either he’ll be involved in a journalism plotline in season 3, or he won’t appear at all.
put me in a sandwich between remy danton and doug stamper.
All day, erry day.
I would.
Yes! Me too! So glad I’m not alone in this shame.
I am actively rooting for Frank and Claire to be exposed for the horrible people they are in front of the entire world, and I have a House-of-Cards based nightmare every 2-3 episodes. Also, I love the shit out of it and am partnered with a gentleman who refuses to watch it because “it’s too stressful.”* This means I only watch it when he’s working late, and because I turn it off as soon as he gets home there is a weird, subterfugey effect that really adds to the experience. Also I would like Claire’s haircut.
My parents refuse to watch it b/c they dabbled in state politics for but a moment and the first episode of the first season gave my dad flashbacks. As a result, I now basically view it as a documentary.
I want to read a series which is your parents watching House of Cards and commenting on the most and least realistic parts of each episode.
Oh, man, it would be amazing, let me tell you! I wish it were possible!
I desperately wish I could pull off Claire’s season 1 hair.
Yeah, I was just talking to a friend from DC who says he gets too angry to enjoy watching it. The idea that HOC could be “too real” for some people is seriously unsettling!
I have the OPPOSITE reaction, as a DC Hill-lurker person. Now, Veep… Veep is what has me covering my eyes in shameful denial.
Thoughts:
-what the hell is going on with Christina? She is just going to.. float on in the background? or not? this is what happens when I don’t rewatch the first season to prepare for season 2.
-so I knew that Zoe was going to die because I got slightly spoilered when reading the BBC original (and stopped when I got to that point) but I didn’t realize it was going to take place during the first episode.
-Frank/Claire/Meechum!! So telegraphed but still..
-JACKIE SHARP. I am looking forward to how her character evolves next season.
-For some reason (again, I haven’t seen the BBC version or read the book, please don’t tell me unless they’re radically different at this point) I thought the show might end with season 2 and that Frank wasn’t going to get what he wanted so the actual ending was a huge surprise.
-Baltimore! Baltimore EVERYWHERE. (not the point, but I got really excited anyway)
Do you think Jackie Sharp will become the Frank Underwood to Frank’s Garrett Walker?
Do you think she’s willing to work with him that closely? Or she’ll just manipulate the hell out of him?
I think it will occur to her that she can play Frank’s game (since he essentially schooled her in exactly how to do so) and I think she’s young enough that she’s brasher than he is (or was, when he was her age). Plus if she and Remy team up, they together have enough inside knowledge to eff a lot of people’s ish.
I definitely think it will occur to Jackie to play Frank’s game but I think they’re setting her up to forge a New Path to Power that is more…respectable? honest? in keeping with American Values? Jackie reads to me as some kind of Joan of Arc/Nancy Pelosi/Queen Margaret* figure. Great tactics, not quite a martyr, painful redemption something something. Just a thought.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_Anjou
I want Jackie/Remy to be the new Frank/Claire.
Yesssss although Jackie has pretty effectively pushed Remy away. I feel bad for him as a boyfriend.
I want that to happen, but in this show no one is as saavy as Frank, not even billionaires, so I don’t know how likely it is. That being said, KayTay is onto something about Jackie/Remy potentially being the next Frank/Claire.
Didn’t Frank specifically say he has no respect for Jackie near the end, so that’s the new fight right there.
haha yes to Baltimore everywhere! Watching scenes filmed in my neighborhood and I’m like “oh, yeah, remember that day I could barely get to my house, that was fun.”
So re: Christina – I liked her, and am sad to see her go, but I think she’s done. she got transferred out due to Claire’s putting bad ideas into Trisha’s head, and I don’t think we’ll be seeing her again.
I’ve managed to avoid all of their filmings somehow, although one of them did happen to delay an imprompty dinner date at Gertrude’s. Not sure if that was House of Cards or VEEP though.
I guess I’m still a little confused at the show.. will minor characters crop up again or will they just disappear into the background like in real life? I feel like on this show it’s been a little bit of one and a little bit of the other.
I think Christina is going to end up working with Jeanine for the takedown/fall arc in season 3?
I don’t think Jeanine would come back. I really bought how freaked out she was by the whole thing // she might be the only smart person on the show.
Yep. Girlfriend nopetopused the fuck out of the DC Metro area.
Jeanine is the only person on the show who acts exactly how I would.
Christina’s hair this season is so great.
My biggest issue with this show is that I can’t figure out why Frank wants power. Power for power’s sake just seems so dull, and I just don’t find that to be believable motivation for all the insane things that Frank has done so far in this show. Okay, you’re president. Now what??? He doesn’t care about money, he isn’t trying to make the world a better place, what does he actually want?
I think he just likes messing with people’s minds and making them believe what he wants them to believe. He’s addicted to manipulation.
YES–I think that was the big weakness of season 2. None of the show “makes sense,” but s1 was tight enough, and had enough momentum that I, at least, never went “Wait a minute…”
For Season 1, I could buy that he wanted vengeance against the President who had reneged on his promise to make Frank Secretary of State. But I don’t think that’s what motivated him in Season 2.
yes; my two big questions were: 1. why is Frank so determined to become President? and 2. why are they protecting Rachel? Why not just kill her, as well as Zoe (obviously, Doug’s obsessed with her, so there you go with that, but that didn’t turn out so well for him…)?
also, KEVIN SPACEY’S ACCENT. no one from Gaffney, South Carolina sounds like that. no one.
I am willing to accept their handwave about the accents (that both Frank and Claire spent a lot of time trying to get rid of them).
UGH the accent! Thousand percent agree. I think they’ve done a good job of characterizing Frank as perpetually unsatisfied. And it is true, everyone in Congress thinks they can become/should be president because you are so close to it, you realize the president is just a guy, and you are obviously a better guy (Frank definitely thinks a lot of himself) so You should be the president.
Frank wants to be president because he lusts for power, and he views the Presidency as the most powerful position in the world. It’ll also give him some kind of immortality in history. Ultimately I think what Frank fears most is to be insignificant, and the most un-insignificant thing you can do is be President.
I think there was a point where Doug pulled a Frank and told Frank to let Rachel be his entire responsibility, and not worry about her ever. So for all Frank knows Doug had her killed. Frank didn’t know that Doug still visited Rachel. If Frank knew, he’d probably have Rachel killed, with all the talk about loose ends and blind spots. And Doug probably knew that, so he was actually protecting Rachel from Frank.
With the comment about how Claire changed her accent early in the campaign, I wonder if Frank manufactured his a bit to supplement his Southern Gentleman persona he’s got going for him.
Exactly, I was wondering this myself. At first I thought it was to try to push through the changes he wants to make the country better, but that’s clearly not so. Maybe power is addictive?
Was anyone disappointed by Raymond Tusk’s outburst in the hearing? I mean, he’s this billionaire guy who has always overcome every obstacle but we’re supposed to believe he finally just loses his cool at the precise moment that will fuck him over the most? It just seemed so cliche. I guess you could argue that Frank has been slowly chipping away at him for so long that he finally lost it, but Tusk didn’t seem to be wavering at any point until that moment in front of Congress.
It reminded me of other super-rich people I’ve met who live in a bubble of their money’s making and have basically forgotten what it is like not to be feared and given in to at all times by other people. That, and they made a lot of money but have forgotten there are people as/more smart than them who live in other niches of our society and are motivated by things other than money, hence are less predictable than they themselves are. The super-rich can get very, very insulated – especially businessmen.
I thought it was purposeful, in hopes that Frank would pardon him if he implicated the president?
Actively rooting against Frank. Not Claire, partly b/c she reminds me of an alternate universe Robyn. (I am also obsessed with ALL of her dresses).
I did not like S2 simply because there was very little suspense to FU getting what he wanted. By the end it was clear everything was going his way and no wrenches were thrown into the mix. I also think this season lacked a Peter Russo type anchor to 1) captivate the audience (COREY STOLLLL), and 2) break your heart at the end. I guess 1) was supposed to be Jackie Sharp, and she was fantastic, but not relatable enough I guess? I felt like another layer could have been revealed for her, and the romantic subplot was not enough (but dayum, Remy). And 2) could have been Stamper, but that shit was a little weird.
But maybe Meechum will play the Russo role in S3.
Also, I think that this season revealed Claire as both Frank’s strength and weakness. I’m really rooting for her to take it all, but I’m afraid she’ll be an easy target for the writers in S3. What would hurt Frank more than losing Claire? Alternately, what would show his depravity more than betraying / not caring about Claire?
I miss Peter Russo so much. RIP you sexy beast.
RIP BALD HEAD AND SEXY ARMS
Claire as alternate universe Robyn! YES
I LOVE Frank and Claire’s marriage. They are ruthless and terrible people but I think they’re one of the few examples on TV of a modern marriage of equals. They support each other, they work together to achieve each other’s goals, they have a (mostly) functioning open relationship. I admire them as an example of a fulfilled child-free couple & thought it was great when that horrible interviewer grilled Claire on kids. I.e., a woman is not allowed to choose a child-free life without explaining herself. And how amazing was it when Frank walked into the oval office for the first time and told Claire she should come with him? Feels!
I was kind of disappointed by Claire’s transition to professional political wife: very Separate Spheres. I know, first (/second) ladies have a lot of clout and can be very effective advocates/activists, but…still.
That said, still holding out for an Underwood kind of love.
I didn’t understand why she had to/wanted to give up her Clean Water Initiative. I get that she wanted to use her new even more political power in other ways, but it seemed like an odd move for someone so independent.
Yeah, I didn’t get that either! But I do think that ultimately First Lady >>> Head of a Nonprofit in terms of power, so I guess that’s where her priorities went?
I think she saw it as the quickest and cleanest (ha ha) way to get rid of the impending lawsuit. She knew that the lawsuit would probably ruin the delicate balancing act Frank needed to do to pull off his stunt, and she probably figured that she’d have way more clout as future First Lady. Better to cut it quickly and start working on the next thing than cling to a sinking ship.
In a similar vein, I think this season showed how Claire has sacrificed an awful lot for the Underwood agenda, particularly for Frank’s. We’ve seen Frank drop everything precisely once to help Claire, and even if we assume that was a common occurrence in the past, he certainly has only asked sacrifice from her ever since. It’s no wonder she had a bunch of doubts before Peter died (I don’t think she knows Frank killed him), and continued to question her desires. Claire was the one who really sealed the deal on Frank’s presidency, and I think if she doesn’t start getting real support from Frank again soon, there are going to be problems.
That’s where Season 3 can go. Now that the Underwoods have defeated everyone else, they turn on each other, carefully crafting each other’s downfall by day while still lovingly smoking cigarettes together in the evening. And playing bizarre mind games with their pet policeman, who is entirely unaware that they’re using him to destroy each other.
Totally agree with all of this, especially re: the child-free couple.
Agree. They’re also almost totally honest with each other. I really admire their frank back and forth about “Is this important?” “I’m doing this because [strategy]” “You need to work out” “Stop doing that because I don’t like it” “Get your shit together” etc.
Oh hello self, I didn’t know you had an alter ego. But honestly, I’ve taken to Twitter to declare this exact same thing. Their marriage is a functioning partnership of equals. Neither one is the “weaker” partner and they both support one another…IN EVIL. PURE EVIL. But I don’t even care. I love them. And I find it frustrating that this is the best marriage on a show, bar none.
Ok. I really like Rachel as a character, but in a season with too many superfluous storylines; I really do not understand that whole deal at all. Why did she need to stay in a safe house? Once Zoe died, no one at all cared about her anymore. She could have just gone home. I get that Doug was obsessed with her, but I just don’t understand why it mattered to the story that any of that happened.
I think it was kind of overkill largely motivated by Doug’s unhealthy obsession with her, but Jeanine still knows the name/potential of Rachel Posner, so I guess they wanted to keep her hidden based on that remote possibility?
I mean, sure, but the show pretty much drops any any minor character’s storyline the second it isn’t directly impacting Frank or Claire (Freddy, the pregnant lady who was suing Claire, Zoe’s jailed boyfriend, Janine…) so it’s weird to me that we spent so much time with Rachel when no one was even looking for her and Frank seemed to have forgotten about her entirely. I like her, it just seemed like an odd choice to me.
I loved when she totally called Doug out on his weirdness.
Oh, Doug. Such a creeper, yet I felt bad for him.
There were clearly some childhood issues going on there, and I would’ve liked to have seen them explored more before his demise.
I had a horrified realization while watching this and started yelling at my roommate “this is self-care gone wrong! This is what happens when people are like ‘have something you do for you’ but there are no parameters on what that means!” And then we had to introspect a lot about our own stress relief. Fortunately, neither of us stalk and terrorize anyone.
Also, Freddy deserves an Emmy this year.
You are so right.
i miss Freddy the most. i was far more shocked by his end of run with the show than i was Zoe’s.
There is something wrong with me: I don’t want everything to come crashing down. I want them to get everything they want. I don’t want there to be any consequences. I do not want the next twist to involve any trouble in their evil beautiful marriage. I just want to keep watching them screw everyone over.
Now that that’s out of the way:
1. Who else feels the overwhelming urge to narrate dramatic asides to the camera in that fantastic accent whenever people are being intolerable?
2. I posit that: Kevin Spacey.
3. Furthermore, I argue: Robin Wright.
4. Additionally Freddy was clearly the best character on that show and deserves his own spin-off and I have never wanted anything more than I want Freddy’s ribs to be real.
5. Obama watches this show, discuss here whether you think he is now terrified of Joe and whether the smiley, nice exterior is all an act.
6. “Let me know if this hurts.” Seriously, their marriage.
7. “Seduce him. Give him your heart. Cut it out and put it in his fucking hands.” Seriously, Claire this season and the interview and….ugh
8. The “Did you think I’d forgotten you?” moment of episode one was one of the most thrilling moments of television ever.
Huge yes to #1 & 8. I think because FU is so so so conceited and full of himself, that’s what makes those asides work. Otherwise they would seem gimmicky (like early Sex and the City episodes when Carrie does it). But with him, I could definitely see him just wanting to show off how conniving he is and documenting his own insanity.
Oh man, yes this. I also just love when he doesn’t even do an aside, but just makes eye contact with the camera that’s essentially an elaborate eye-roll at everyone else in the room. Kevin Spacey is an evil genius.
5. !!! I think it actually makes him feel better for passing on HRC as VP.
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?
He wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night:
“She’s out to get me Michelle. Remember when she invited us to her house for dinner last week? All a part of her elaborate plan.”
“You…you haven’t been well recently, Barack. You’ve…you’ve been paranoid. You’ve been staring at that one flag painting a lot and sometimes you narrate things out loud. Is this about that show you watch again? Is this what this is about?”
“Show? Haha. No. I’m the President of the US of A. I don’t base my opinions on shows…did you see the way she smiled at me the other day? SHE IS OUT TO GET ME.”
Ahhhhhh I totally can imagine that and it is hilarious. But my true BHO + HRC headcanon (thanks to Mallory) is that they have friendship bracelets: http://the-toast.net/2013/07/30/friendship-on-the…
You are not alone. I think all of these things. ALL OF THEM. I don’t want the world of Underworld to end. And I’m hungry for Frank’s always.
I got literal shivers at the “Did you think I’d forgotten you?” moment. So good!
How do you think Seth (do we like Seth???) found the doctor’s wife, do you think it was Remy, but how did Remy know, was it because he used to work with them and just had prior knowledge? And then lastly how realistic is it that a doctor would keep that detailed of a journal and not tell his wife to lock it away or burn it or something?
We do NOT like Seth, Seth has a really weird face.
I saw Seth referred to as “Weasel-Face McTreacherous” (or something like that) somewhere and I’m sticking with it.
Yes! And Doug did not trust Seth. Even if Doug has weird personal issues, I take his instincts seriously.
Yeah, and while I am not a doctor performing secret abortions, I cannot imagine a world in which I would write all the details of the secret abortions out in a diary. I mean, if I just had to put all my thoughts down, I’d use a code! Or fake initials. Or something.
I do NOT like Seth but then again the only characters I like on the show tend to be ineffectual and weak and are invariably eaten alive by their shark-like peers.
My Secret Abortion Diary
Seth is a wicked awful weaselly scumbag. I hope Frank rips him to shreds next season.
Remyyyyyyyyyyyy. Remy! How did I not notice in S1 what a stone cold fox he is? But also I’m still confused about Remy/Seth/Tusk, who is selling secrets to who and really what for, and I’m too into True Detective now to go back and figure this out.
Agreed! S1 I didnt really care about Remy but now…..Remmmyyyyy!
Remy shirtless tho REMY
I got very excited about shirtless, one-woman-man Remy.
Wouldn’t the entire secret service team have seen the threesome on the cameras they installed in the house after Frank became VP?
I was going to say “and so what?” but then remembered that he is one of those Secret Service guys and oohhh boy yeah, there are so many problems with that – not least of which is how that guy is sworn to protect their lives, so I’m not sure how much free will there is in that situation. And you’re right, since the scene started in a common area….
Yeah, I would like some clarification as to (a) how much of that threesome the Secret Service witnessed and (b) how weird they feel around Meacham now (because you know now everybody’s side-eyeing him even more than before).
Yeah, but they aren’t going to say anything, and I saw it as partly the stereotypical sex scene before the hero goes into battle and partly as a parallel to the Zoe nude pics scene from season one – insurance that there’s no way in heck Meacham will betray the Underwoods because he’s got skin in the game too.
CASHEW
Cashew!
I was so upset when Secret Service guy threatened Cashew! NOT CASHEW!!!
UGH the first time we saw Cashew I got this horrible feeling in my stomach that poor Cashew was in danger, and I haven’t stopped worrying about him since.
Like, what if Jackel Onassis goes to prison? Who will take care of Cashew??
This show needs more sex! I’ve decided. Rachel & the Christian gf are the only couple we see getting it on, the two kisses preceding a threesome do not count.
Well, I did realllllly like the Remy & Jackie scene, where he manipulated (hur hur see what I did there) his way around her ladyparts. It actually gave me weak knees…
Yes but even there, MORE please!
i was so disappointed when we saw them start kissing and IMMEDIATELY CUT TO LESBIANS. come on netflix, let’s see some dude on dude threesome action!
Even before I start reading…OMG SO HAPPY. I have needed this so badly…
All I really want to say is: ERMAGERD HE PUSHED HER UNDER A TRAIN. ERMAGERD THREESOME.
And that eventhough he was a dick too, I dó feel sorry for Doug Stamper. So unfulfilled & not-fun having…
OK, thank you, I can let loose! Does any one else agree with me that a lot of the response to The Meechum Menage has been totally homophobic, even from progressive and hip pop culture types? There’s a lot of “ew!” and comments about how smart Meechum was to know that he if he wanted to get with Claire he had to get with Frank, etc etc. Why is there the assumption that his real interest is Claire? Even when he was on her “detail” he told Frank that he thought of it the same as protecting Frank, etc. Maybe Frank is his real interest, not Claire? Is it so unbelievable? I just think there is so much “ew gross!” coverage about the threesome which bums me about bc (1) I think it was pretty hot and (2) I think a lot of it comes from a place of discomfort with queer sex. They are all adults! They were all consenting! It was an awesome OMG moment. OK. Phew.
I am going to bring up a point that I already mentioned elsewhere in this thread, that he is sworn to protect them so consent here is iffy.
But – I do agree with you about the rest of the points. I actually haven’t had the chance yet to ravenously consume recaps and analyses, so I haven’t seen these “ew!”s that you speak of, but I do believe that his interest could have been in Frank, or in both of them.
Yeah, I haven’t seen those ew’s. I didn’t like it, but it was because I thought it was so cartoonish and insane. Just the like the rest of the show.
I have to say that watching Liam McPoyle stroke his pet guinea pig (CASHEW!!!) while listening to heavy metal and plotting his evil hacker revenge or whatever was kind of the highlight for me. There were about a million times when I screamed “WHAT THIS SHOW IS SO STUPID I CAN’T EVEN” but it’s fine, I love it anyway. Claire Underwood is my role model, and I don’t know what that says about me as a person, but also I think I’m sexually attracted to Doug Stamper, which is actually much more disturbing.
Whenever I see Stamper all I see are his hair plugs so……go you?
God, I know, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Like, am I just into alcoholic stalkers, or…? I definitely need to engage in some deep self-exploration. Or not, I mean, he’s dead, so this will probably never come up again.
I kept giggling whenever the McPoyle brother made it on screen. Except when he was doting on Cashew, that was just adorable.
I know, right? I believe Liam McPoyle can drink vast quantities of milk and even take people hostage as long as they are inept alcoholics, but it seems like a stretch to believe he knows what a computer is/how to use one to mine cell phone data…
yes to ALL of these things. whenever you figure out your trauma, let me know!
Um Cashew, I could not stop laughing. I had to stop the show and get ahold of my self. THE GUINEA PIG WAS UNDER HIS FOOT! All of the lolz.
I know, I’m a monster.
CAN WE DISCUSS CLAIRE UNDERWOOD’S STYLE
~~~~she woke up lyke this.
(I am shallow, but y’all killin’ it up there in the comments with smart stuff I just have to squeal over Claire for a while)
It is so good. There was a scene where she was picking out a dress in the Underwood closets and I said out loud, “Wow, all their hangers match.” That’s a new level of aspirational on-your-shitness.
But I love how effortless she is– stylish but low-maintenance haircut, piles of perfectly tailored dresses & tasteful heels. I bet she can always be out the door in 30 minutes.
Right? It’s like, when your clothes kill it that much, there’s not a lot of time required to get ready. I wish I had that facial structure because I would have that haircut in a heartbeat.
Also, I love that she repeats clothes/handbags – it makes her seem like a real person.
I’m with you. The cuts, the simple colors, everything. There was a dress Jackie wore in one scene with a neckline identical to Claire’s from a previous episode, and I loved how the dresses were used as signals about character.
Woman knows a THING OR TWO about necklines. Woof.
She and Alicia from The Good Wife share a dress. Which leads me to believe that all badass ladies are eventually granted access to a secret vault of impeccably designed black and gray dresses.
Still waiting for a magazine to tell us where to get this blue buttondown</a href>, this white wrap shirt</a href>, and the coat</a href> she wears as he’s sworn in.
Is this a safe space to admit that I’m still in the middle of season 1 because Frank and Kate Mara’s relationship makes me so uncomfortable I have to take breaks after each episode.
I was significantly angrier at Jackie Sharp for fighting te sexual assault bill than Frank for killing Zoe, or anything else horrible he did, honestly.
Also, Remy: http://media.tumblr.com/79c3a7a47aeeecbfb3e538f80…
Now I’m just looking for Remy gifs. Goodbye, productivity.
YES! And she never really explained her reasons! But I also think that probably makes her a better character. She has ethics, but not the ones we WANT her to have?
I think I have to watch both seasons again from the beginning so I can try to take it all in, for real.
1. As soon as she started walking towards that weird construction area in the subway, I knew she was going in with 75% certainty, and Underwood-dressed-as-Martin-Balsam-from-Pelham-1-2-3 kicked that up to 99.8% certain.
2. I think this show would be too overwrought for me to deal with if it weren’t for the breaking of the 4th wall. More theatrical, and therefore I can accept it? Dunno.
3.How many people do you think Frank has murdered directly over the years?
4. Can we just acknowledge that Claire and Frank Underwood are what some people think the Clintons are?
Re: 1: never going near construction areas on public transit again, nope, no thank you, FU could be back there in a bad hat.
Re: 4: Wow, agreed, except I think the right thinks the Clintons are dumber, and Hillary’s “uglier.” Bluh.
Um… Rachel is SO important! She alone holds the power to undoing Frank Underwood. She knows not only about the DUI but she was the key player in bringing down Peter. She is the one I am vying for to win all of this. So much sexual tension b/w her and Doug but holy crap *she* killed *him*. Go now, sweet child, and bring down the president.
Also, Claire’s wardrobe. And knocking on desks.
THAT KNOCK!!!!
Retelling of blue peter/the creepy german fairy tale with women vivisected in vats of blood where frank is the reclusive/murderous nobleman and Rachel is the girl that catches on?
Also, power. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Look at the wake the Underwoods have left behind, how their decisions have invaded lives so deeply and personally. Death or ruin has come to all in their way. Loved Remy’s quote “Power is better than money, as long as it lasts. But it never lasts.” Foreshadowing much?
I thought Rachel kissing her new girlfriend was maybe the best moment of New Gay Kissing I’d ever seen on film. It gave me ALL THE FUCKING FEELS. Episode 11 is the absolute best.
So, we are all agreed that Robin Wright is the best thing, right?
Unrelated to House of Cards, but very related to the sexy amazing Ms.Wright, there is a movie on Netflix called ‘Adore’. It is lurid and ridiculous and parts of it made me profoundly uncomfortable about watching them in a theatre with a friend.
But! It is very pretty, and Robin Wright and Naomi Watts are two middle aged ladies who refuse to let anything damage their lifelong friendship. ANYTHING.
Watch it.
I want to be Meechum. Meacham? Irrelevant, i want to be the filling in that sandwich.
That is a really ruthless sandwich
In my wildest dreams Claire is playing the deepest Deep Game and will eventually put Frank on a rocket and shoot it into the sun after which she’ll assume authority over the Earth/maybe finally accept my girlfriend application.
Two DC complaints —
As I was running through Rock Creek Park last week, all I could think was that I would have no idea where to go if someone asked me to meet them in Rock Creek Park. It is a huge swath of park!!
In the opening credits, did they just decide to roll down North Cap, take a swing around the Capitol and go up behind Union Station to shoot those railyards? Yo, guys, I could have done that on my walk to work.
There are so. many. repeated shots in that opening theme. That’s the same statue what, five times? And it’s extra-obvious when the shots are side-by-side. Like the “let’s point the camera at the ground, then point it across the river from five feet to the right” shots.
It all has me wondering if they shot all of those in an actual single day.
You’re so right about Rock Creek Park.
I think I would go to the picnic area by Beach Road, but I really don’t think that’s where Frank would choose to go.
I love this stupid, weird show, but what I am primarily obsessed with is why other people like it and its place in thinking about politics.
1. It is totally awesome that so many characters lack back story. In western and particularly American writing, it’s how we excuse so much behavior (usually white dudes’) instead of pointing to straight up evil. (Theater nerds: someone on the writing staff is carrying out both Brecht and Wellman’s good work, amirite?)
2. Do I like watching this because a kind of mythological sized evil proposes a possible mythological good? Is the reason a nice version of this show doesn’t exist because it would be insufferable? I am of the belief that a lot of bad comes from in effectiveness and stupidity, which is why the comdey shows about Washington make me way more uncomfortable than watching this.
3. The show has a totally weird relationship with reality, right? Like there are ripped from the headlines stories, but everyone is in world is straight or bisexual (they are laying it on thick with the dangerous bisexual trope this year), plenty of men of color but no women of color. I think the show wants us to think this the real Washington, but it’s a small town soap instead? There’s no real ramifications of power. Whose getting hurt because of what the characters do?
4. Frank is like….not that bad? I mean he’s a murderer and a sociopath, but he’s also not a racist and a homophobe or like poisoning states worth of drinking water. Or at least the show is telling us that? Is this the nasty version of the Gilmore Girls?
5. I pray to myself for myself is the best line ever. Also the very clever polar opposite of President Bartlett shouting at god, which is also the best episode of the West Wing.
6. Jesus, couldn’t they leave Freddy out of this?
There is at least one woman of color who plays an important role (although of course as a foil to the Underwoods): Linda Vasquez! And the woman who works for/then fights with Claire at the CWI in season1 (I can’t remember her name) didn’t read as white to me. And what about Alya Sayyad? Not to excuse anything, but I definitely feel they are a big part of the story. And their “othering” by the white characters (Linda by Frank, Claire towards the activist, Tusk to Sayyad) was clear.
No but seriously, Joe Biden as Frank Underwood. Joe Biden in a threesome (with Meacham) AAAAHHHHHHHH!
Also, is it so wrong for Claire Underwood to displace drunk Diana Barry and Elizabeth Bennet as my new personal role model? Yeah, didn’t think so.
And another thing. I need a goddamn direct line to the costumers on this show so I know where to get Claire’s dresses and coats. Ditto for Jackie’s asymmetrical neckline dress. I want to be the most powerfully dressed brewer on the block.
I’m laughing at the thought of icy Claire adapting to the “warm” First Lady role. Can you just imagine the image consultants begging her to grow out her hair just a teeny bit, or add some color to her wardrobe, and getting silenced with one of her looks?
So I’ve only been able to start marathoning S2 this past weekend (due mostly to visiting in-laws, The Cold That Would Not Die, and additional inexcusable nonsense), but I just want to SQUEEEEEEEEE! about the unbelievably deeeelicious ruthlessness of too many characters.
WHEN I GROW UP I WANNA BE FRANK UNDERWOOD BUT ALSO MAYBE HAVE CLAIRE’S HAIR/CHEEKBONES.
<sigh.>
I love Claire Underwood. She is perfect. Except, her wardrobe concerns me. She wears these otherwise perfect dresses that have fucking bows on them. BOWS? Around the waist? Is she a 5th grader? It feels like misdirection on her part. Like look at my bow while I make you bend to my will!!
But bows.
Also, when they go into the Oval Office did anyone else hear this song in their head? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UKot0qIFb4
Tagging this under ‘Beauty’ is great. Just great.
I have the hugest crush on Jackie Sharp (problematic stance on military sexual assault aside; my love is strong enough to help me deny that ever happened). I also want to be her when I grow up. And own all her clothes. /queergirlproblems
Okay, but SHAKESPEARE. This is a show that has never hidden the fact that it wants to be one part Macbeth, two parts Richard III, right? I mean, there’s a sign that Buttercup walks past that says “You have blood on your hands”.
So, the saga starts when Richard soliloquoys about intentionally being the villain. Then we kinda root for Macbeth in a bloody, macabre way as he rises to power and kills Duncan. Then Macduff/Richmond comes riding up on a literal white horse and the real good guys slaughter our too-bloody despot. I mean, the show’s own title promises what the end of the final act will be.
My only complaint with season two was how many threats to the tyrant came from sources that were even more evil. No one wants to see Richard ultimately defeated by Iago, and no catharsis can be found from Tusk using hired guns and mud-rucking to defeat our charismatic anti-hero. So those plots felt like just so much stalling for time, as we wait for the actual Champion of Good to appear.
Was Tusk that evil, though? Apart from wringing the bird’s neck about 2/3 of the way through (which was awful!!), I don’t remember anything actually evil he did – corrupt, yeah, but he didn’t murder anyone, or ruin anyone without justification. Except for Freddy, but Freddy lost my sympathy once he told Frank about the slow-bled hogs. I can handle (fictional) human murder, but I find animal cruelty unbearable. (Although, apparently I have more sympathy for pigs than I do for birds.)
He was too evil/self-interested to be The Good Guy, is my main point. His backstory is: super-rich businessman who has influence with the Oval/throne and is capable of playing dirty politics at Frank’s level. He’s no True Champion of the People… or even Wronged Innocent Gets Revenge, the way I’m starting to suspect Rachel might become our house-toppler
I think I would go to the picnic area by Beach Road, but I really don't think that's where Frank would choose to go.
Ahhh, I’m late to this thread, but can we talk about who Frank will appoint as his VP and his chief of staff? What will happen to Jackie Sharp, Catherine Durant, and Christina?
i was so irrationally angry at zoe barnes that i took a break after the first 5 episodes for half a year until i was finally convinced by my boyfriend to restart it. so, i feel you.