‘House of Cards’
A
Season 3 of “House of Cards” begins less explosively than season 2, but it is richer.
It takes the risk of focusing on a supporting character, Douglas Stamper, after the main character, Frank Underwood, has achieved his goal of becoming president. It succeeds through good acting and good storytelling, and it sets up the season nicely.
When season 2 ended, Stamper seemed dead following a confrontation with former prostitute Rachel Posner. But, as the premiere reveals, he is alive. Several blows to the head with a brick have left him with severe health problems, which set in motion a chain of events that lead to a physical and emotional decline.
After the cold open, Underwood is only seen on television or talked about until halfway through the episode. It’s rare for a TV show to make the A-story revolve around a supporting character. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Justice League Unlimited” had similar episodes, but both aired at least a decade ago.
It’s a tricky idea that the cast and crew of “House Of Cards” pulled off beautifully.
Michael Kelly gives a great performance as Stamper, as he makes the viewer feel all of his pain and sadness. Stamper is far from a saint, but Kelly manages to evoke a great deal of sympathy in the viewer as he loses everything for which he has worked.
Underwood’s B-story does not suffer from having less screen time than Stamper’s fading fortunes, though. He’s facing opposition in Congress as he prepares for a visit from the president of Russia, all the while planning to run for re-election.
Kevin Spacey continues to give a fine performance as Underwood. The moments where he breaks the fourth wall are stronger than those in season 2.
His scenes with Robin Wright, who plays his wife, Claire, also improve in season 2. They now have a sense of conflict that looks promising. Wright does not have much screen time in this episode, but her campaign to become ambassador to the United Nations looks like it will be a very interesting story arc.
The supporting cast does not have much screen time, either. Molly Parker’s presence as Jackie Sharp is missed, but the story is already dense, and she will appear in future episodes. The rest of the supporting cast performs well with the material they have.
The writing continues to be strong. A lot has happened since the end of season 2, and creator Beau Willimon manages to update the viewer without any unnecessary confusion.
This episode manages to shine the spotlight on a supporting character and plant the seeds for an interesting season.
It has a slower pace than most episodes of “House of Cards,” but it makes up for it in emotion and intensity.
It makes the viewer want to binge on the 12 remaining episodes in breathless succession.
