Elegantly directed and acted, ‘Chapter 2’ is the same smooth-talking, slick-looking show as the pilot – except its missing the key ingredient of dramatic tension. Everything that happens in the episode is not only carefully orchestrated, but meticulously carried out. And while its fun to watch the cast chew up scenery with long gazes and elegant phrases, it makes for television that’s too clean, too subtle to be effective.
‘Chapter 2’ is all about Frank hamming for the camera and arrogantly showing off his skills of manipulation – he turns his replacement candidate into a political joke after backing him into a corner with some gossip he funnels through Manic Kind Of Pixie Blogger Girl Zoe – who isn’t having sex with anyone to get her good scoops, by the way. Although they’re spearheading this attack, neither of them really runs into any real roadblocks on their mission – Zoe’s editors are quick to run with her information, and Frank merely has to hint at the possibility of some damning leverage on someone to get his wishes.
The same goes for Claire, who continues gutting her organization by having her loyal office manager Evelyn spend the day firing 18 people, only for her to fire Evelyn once she finished. Claire’s quiet, but just as ruthless as her husband – she’s willing to build something or tear it down on a moment’s notice, throwing whoever under the bus when necessary. We’ve been given plenty of reasons why Frank does it (hubris)… but what drives Claire to cut the legs off her own charity? She doesn’t really talk much, and its hard to read her character, or understand her, because of her restrained character. Should we care that the charity is getting shrunk? The only reason we have thus far to be interested is that its being shown to us, which means its one of the many threads at play in this big game of politics going on.
There are some hints thrown in ‘Chapter 2’ suggesting the limits of Frank’s power. An old associate and oil lobbyist corners him during lunch, and reminds him that “billions of dollars” are on the line. These are moments when the show becomes interesting – when Frank isn’t able to circumvent whatever frustrations are at hand, not when he’s orchestrating a silent master plan against his foes, with nothing but some smug glances at the camera, and sneers from Doug as he pays off prostitutes to keep Russo in his debt.
There’s plenty of time to introduce some conflict – but allowing Frank to insert Catherine in the Secretary of State seat without anyone catching wind of him is a bit suspect. If House of Cards is merely a methodical act of vengence against those that deceive him, it’s going to get boring quick.
Grade: B-
Other thoughts/observations:
– people “stack so well”… like cards, amirite?
– one aside I found hilarious: Frank will “handle the unions”. Organized labor? Merely an after thought.
– Russo seals the deal, proving his mettle to Kern’s former colleague by rolling a massive joint.
– Catherine Durant’s Secret Service nickname: The Meal.
(Note to readers: episode by episode reviews of House of Cards will appear every day through the next week and half, with final thoughts on the season to follow. To keep up to date on when new reviews publish, follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, or good old Facebook).