Please note that the following contains minor spoilers. If you haven't watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards season three, you should probably stop reading now.
The full third season of House Of Cards is finally here, and while it might not bring the big surprises that season two gave us, it still packs an emotional punch that will make it near-impossible to stop binging on.
The first episode of the new season of House of Cards doesn't include Frank Underwood shoving someone in front of a subway train when they outlive their purpose. Instead, in the first episode we learn that someone we thought dead actually lives: Doug Stamper. This is important, because we see a lot more of him this season, although he's more down and out than ever before, not only struggling with the loss of Rachel, but also with his addiction to alcohol and his dismissal by Frank.
A Presidency Unraveling
Doug's story is important because it reflects what else is going on with other characters in the series, including Frank and Claire. Now that Frank is President of the United States, everything has gone downhill from there. Not only does Frank start realizing that he has less power as President than he had when he was Majority Whip, but the relationships with the people around him also start falling apart.
Frank wants to make his mark as President, and of course, first tells us that he won't seek a second term (we know better). He says that he wants to leave behind a legacy, particularly a program called America Works, which he hopes will provide employment for millions of Americans currently without jobs. Of course, this program is highly controversial, as Frank seeks to get funding for it by getting rid of entitlements, including social security.
This makes Frank one of the least liked presidents of modern times. But he believes in his program and counts on its success. Of course, like everything since Frank became president, all doesn't go according to plan.
And that's what season three of House of Cards is about: the decline of Frank Underwood. Where seasons one and two gave us a confident man who manipulated people until he reached the pinnacle of his success, season three is about how maybe that dream of Frank's wasn't everything he thought it would be.
A Different Side to Frank Underwood
This is where this season differs from previous seasons. Instead of a dark, but charming, tale of a man who will do anything to gain the White House, season three gives us a man who's reached his goal and now is completely failing at it. Gone are the snarky comments and monologues to the camera. Instead, we see a Frank Underwood who's quite literally starting to unravel at the seams.
We see this change immediately in the first episode of the third season: it's jarring to see a man we've silently (and guiltily) cheered for become this man who just can't seem to get anything done.
To make matters worse, Frank and Claire are beginning to have marital difficulties, especially when Claire feels that she's being left behind in the wake of Frank's political ambitions to remain in the White House.
This leads us to the end of the season, which doesn't pack the shock factor of previous seasons, but pulls a punch that's very close to the vest. We see it coming, but it's an emotional knockout all the same.
An Ensemble of Greatness
The acting, as expected, is as good as ever this season. Kevin Spacey takes Frank to all new low levels and shows us a little more of the man behind the mask. When he stares down the camera, it's more effective when he has no dialogue accompanying it.
Spacey, however, leads an equally great cast, particularly Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper, and we're grateful his character isn't really dead, because he has surprises of his own up his sleeve.
However, season three of House of Cards belongs to Robin Wright. We get our best look at the woman behind the new First Lady, and we see that she's starting to question everything she's done to get to where she is. When she starts questioning her relationship with Frank, we see the wheels spinning in Claire's head. Wright plays her final scene of season three understated, though, but it's effective in hitting us where it hurts most: the heart.
House of Cards season three isn't the same show it was in seasons one and two. But that's okay, because it's still the most compelling thing not on TV.
Overall
★★★★☆
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[Photo Credit: Netflix]
