Review: House of Cards ‘Chapter 9’ – That’s What Happens To Cowards

On the surface, House of Cards has all the trappings of a top-tier cable drama. Great cast, massive budget, well-paced storytelling: it can certainly compete with any other show when it comes to aesthetics. However, things don’t quite play out that way on screen – although it’s a decent show with well-realized characters (for the most part), it suffers from a lack of thematic subtlety and ingenuity, flaws that are front and center in the political ploys being played in ‘Chapter 9’.

Front and center in ‘Chapter 9’ is a menopausal Claire, whose closing womb is surfacing her desire to have children, which in turn, is crumbling the foundation she built her marriage on with Frank. For a long time, it’s been Frank’s desires over Claire’s, and when she can’t get her water materials in from South Sudan through the government, their relationship takes a turn for the worst. This isn’t a surprising turn of events: from the beginning of the episode, every shot and bit of dialogue makes it clear that Claire is going to undermine Frank’s attempt to pass a bill through Congress – a bill that Russo is out on a bus tour promoting, along with a cranky VP Matthews.

The problem isn’t how those stories conclude: it’s how telegraphed they are from the beginning of the episode. If there’s one thing House of Cards has severely lacked, it’s an ability to surprise the viewer: every episode starts at point A destined to end up at point B, even if there’s a few arbitrary things in the way. Claire’s growing dissatisfaction with her marriage has been a long-form version of this, all boiling down to Frank not wanting to have children, something Claire clearly wants now, even when her body is deleting her ability to do so.

Terrific acting can only go so far to cover up a predictable plot – Robin Wright’s performance is a perfect example. In every scene, her ability to carry the weight of Claire’s emotions hidden under this thin veil of elegance and professionalism is the highlight of the show – however, it can’t hide the obviousness of every hormone-affected action she takes. The moment where the vote goes against Frank is supposed to be dramatic and surprising, but with how overtly Claire’s emotions have played through the episode, there’s no surprise when it happens.

But this tends to be the formula on House of Cards: characters come up against a personal or professional dilemma, and handle it in obvious fashion. We expect Claire to usurp Frank in the episode, which makes the moment when it happens much less powerful, despite the composition of Frank’s seething face and Claire holding back a smirk in the final shot.

The moment is also telegraphed in Russo’s back and forth with the Vice President: did anyone really think that would matter? Even as we see Peter struggle with the VP and crowds when the bus tour begins, we’ve already been told the bill passing is of higher importance (many characters point out how Peter has nothing without it). So spending a half hour trying to draw parallels between Peter and a man he’ll probably never have another scene with is simplistic and mostly pointless – we know the VP’s support doesn’t matter. He’s not a powerful man, and without the help of powerful people, it’s very clear that Peter Russo has absolutely no chance at being governor.

For all the connect-the-dots moments in ‘Chapter 9’, the events in the closing moments represent a turning point for the season. Frank and Claire’s marriage has all but been revealed to be a sham at this point, and Russo’s efforts to recruit the VP don’t matter, because the bill he’s running for governor on doesn’t pass through Congress, defeated by two liberals that Claire persuades. If there’s an opportunity for House of Cards to start thinking outside the box, it’s here, with Frank facing his first real professional failure since the pilot.

Grade: B-

Other thoughts/observations:

– so much talk about Russo being clean… I wonder if the events of ‘Chapter 9’ will change this.

– Frank Underwood is one of the most bitter characters on television – but the show’s never really dug into that bitterness beyond “i hate everyone because I didn’t get what I want.”

– As Frank gets more bitter, Claire gets more compassionate. The distance between two grow.

– I didn’t talk about Zoe at all, but she single-handedly lowered the grade of this episode: after a conversation with Janine, who basically tells Zoe it’s cool to fuck for information. It’s a terrible thing to suggest about female journalists, and even more troublesome how Zoe embraces it. She points out to Frank that she’s his whore, and she wants to get paid for it. Not only is it bothersome how it plays out, but how whole-heartedly Zoe embraces it, somehow making her a stronger character. It’s 2013, and females still have to willingly fuck to get to the top! Seriously?

– nerd thought: Kevin Spacey playing a first-person shooter is the most unbelievable thing on television. the guy is sitting on a couch, bashing the four shape-based buttons on a PS3 controller. Does he use the sticks or triggers that dominate a game of this kind? Absolutely not. I know this is the stupidest fucking criticism, but it sticks out for a show so concerned with its realism.

– Earlier, Remy propositions Claire personally- this week, she reciprocates it professionally. Ahh, government life.