Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The journey of Netflix original series House of Cards has certainly been a tumultuous one; after flooring us with a groundbreaking first season, continuing its streak with a second, disappointing with a third, and getting back to the good stuff in the fourth, things still felt a little off-kilter, just slightly off-balance.What began as an innovative, seemingly accurate portrayal of political corruption had devolved into something mildly gimmicky, and many of the show’s storylines no longer packed the punch they once had. As the fifth season’s premiere date approached and the departure of showrunner Beau Willimon loomed large, one couldn’t help but wonder if the show would be able to latch onto the qualities that had made it irresistible at the beginning. It didn’t – but what it did instead allowed it to find a whole new sense of self and give its viewers a helluva ride.
Season 5’s beginning did not leave us entirely optimistic, as we were not yet accustomed to the insanity that would ensue. The revelation that Frank had been holding (and apparently torturing) one of the extremists who murdered James Miller while he convinced the American people that they were actively hunting him down came as a pretty nauseating surprise, one that seemed insane even for our favorite murderous president. But once it was clear that the entire season was going to lean into this brand of bonkers, it all seemed to fit together a lot more effectively. Sure, he’d already killed two people and been responsible for the downfall for a slew of others, but this brand of power abuse was a whole new ballgame – and it was only the beginning.
By embracing its craziness, the fifth season of House of Cards becomes a delightfully demented joyride. We got a taste of what was to come at the end of Season 4 when Claire was finally allowed to take a long, intimidating look past the Fourth Wall, but we could never have anticipated what kind of total madness awaited us when the fifth season really found its footing. The impending doom of the election (that is inevitably turned on its head thanks to the manipulation of the savvy southern Macbeths) winds up being a small dent in the fifth season, and Will Conway’s demise is almost something of a relief – with him (and his issues) finally out of the picture, we are finally able to turn our attention back to our enchanting villains and the much more interesting conflict at hand between the two of them. The show senses that we may be tiring of Frank, so takes the most logical next step – putting Claire front and center, in the place that she has damn well earned by putting up with Francis’ deranged vaudeville act all these years.
The exciting turn of events that result in Claire finally being allowed to break the Fourth Wall gives the show an edge that it has been lacking for the last two seasons. It’s entirely too fun, and that’s in large part because she doesn’t ham it up the way Frank does. In “Chapter 63”, as she searches the residence for him, she walks through the shot, and suddenly stops and addresses us directly: “Just to be clear, it’s not that I haven’t always known you were there… It’s that I have mixed feelings about you. I question your intentions, and… I’m ambivalent about attention. But don’t take it personally – it’s how I feel about most everybody.” And then she’s gone. It’s a luscious, loaded moment – one that changes our minds about both Claire in Frank in one swift motion. Suddenly, he’s been reduced to an ostentatious, validation-desperate character, and she the all-knowing, patient secret weapon. The brains of the operation have been right here all along, and we are finally afforded a glimpse of this secret strand of the show’s DNA when they allow Claire to take center stage. If we thought Frank was ruthless, Claire makes his transgressions look like schoolyard bullying. She Gone Girls Tom’s ass mid-coitus without much visible remorse. She smiles when she’s called a cunt. She nonchalantly ignores the call of the man who arguably helped her get to where she is now. She plays the player, and there’s no stopping her now. “My turn,” she defiantly tells us. Damn straight, Claire. It’s about time you ran the show.
House of Cards‘ fifth season demonstrates that a show can reinvent itself effectively, even after five years and without its original boss in place. It’s not that the show is the best it’s ever been, but by fully leaning into its insanity and allowing Claire a shot to grab us by the throats, the series has elevated itself to an entirely new level of crazy that allows it to be more unpredictable and enjoyable again. The fifth season of House of Cards could have easily been a death sentence, but instead, it concludes with a thrilling twist that gets viewers hyped for the inevitable absurdity ahead.
