House of Cards, a new mini-series on Netflix, never falls apart. This adaptation of a British TV drama, based on the novel by Michael Dobbs, stars multi-talented actor Kevin Spacey as Francis “Frank” Underwood, an oily Democratic majority whip, and Robin Wright as his wife, Claire, an unscrupulous non-profit head. The series is humorous and at the same time, very disturbing.
The funny but soulless Frank, turning directly to viewers in asides, mercilessly skewers his fellow politicians. He sees life as a chess game in which he knows each move several stages in advance. And, like a cat, he toys with his victims before destroying them. He may believe in karma, but he does not believe in morality. If you mess with his plans, the result could be fatal.
Claire, a garden-variety manipulator, is suave, well mannered and good-looking, but if you get in her way, you’re so fired. More spider than cat, she is moral up to a point, as long as nobody pushes her. And although she loves her husband, she feels something is missing in their relationship.
In this first season, Frank has an affair with a young reporter, Zoe Barnes, played by Kate Mara, who is desperate, ambitious, and will give anything, including her body, for a great story. Frank gets from her the inside information he needs to advance his schemes and the ability to plant stories to further his career.
One of these schemes is to take a drunken, drug-using, whoring congressman, Peter Russo, played with both manic self-destructive energy and a desire to reform by Corey Stoll, and turn him into a candidate for governor. Frank uses his wife’s non-profit to advance these plans, but in one of his few lapses, fails to see that he’s pushing her too far.
Initially playing to its funny side as Frank speaks directly to us about his machinations, the series turns increasingly dark, leading to a murder that reveals the savageness under Frank’s pleasant, patronizing exterior. By the end of the first season, the series is more political thriller than satire as Frank’s enemies start to figure out his plans.
For those skeptical of politics and politicians, House of Cards will not only reinforce that skepticism, but it will also prove highly entertaining.