House of Cards - Season 2 (Discussion & Possible Spoilers)

[Agent Richard07]

I didn't expect to finish watching the season last night but I did. I won't spill any details but I'll tell you how I felt... Things got so riveting towards the end that I just couldn't hold off and go to bed. And what an ending it was, right up to that last shot. If the show had ended with Chapter 26, it would have been the perfect cap to the series. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions.

I would have hated to live on that street since he became VP.

Spoiler: the street.

Fortunately his neighbors won't have to worry about him anymore.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I wondered why the Underwoods didn't move into the Vice Presidential palace, but looking at pictures, I guess it wasn't in the show's budget.

Spoiler: End of the season

Combine that with the fact the producers knew the Underwoods would be moving to the White House by the end of season anyways, they figured there was no point spending money for such a lavish set that would only matter for one season when they had a great set already established.

I finished the season 2 because I have no self-control and binged. An incredible ride with a few twists turns along the way, especially

Spoiler: Episode 1

The death of Zoe Barnes.

I was sadden by the elimination of both Freddy and Adam from the storyline (mostly because I love both Reg E. Cathey and Ben Daniels) but that was the natural progression considering season 2's endgame (not there was much to do with Adam anyways beyond what they did do).

The final shot was brilliant

Spoiler: The End

I knew the moment he walked in to the Oval Office, Frank would create his own version of the classic Kennedy pose.

I can't wait for season 3.

 

[Agent Richard07]

^

Spoiler: the final shot.

I thought he would sit in the chair and savor the moment. What I saw was unexpected and better.

And good point about having the Underwoods stay in their townhouse. That occurred to me too, but with the show's bigger budget, I figured that maybe they could have done something more.

Spoiler: the season's ending.

Or you could say that Frank himself knew he wouldn't be there long.

Spoilers for those who've seen the ending...
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I'm undecided as to whether or not events in the last two episodes played out too perfectly but I enjoyed everything none the less. Frank doesn't seem very presidential but he's a compelling character and I can't wait to see how he does as President. If my understanding is correct, he can serve for the remainder of the current term plus two more, making it possible for him to stay in office for 10 years. And that's assuming he doesn't manipulate congress into changing the constitution. I don't know if he'll stick around that long though. Maybe he'll get his comeuppance. He has nowhere else to go but down. Or maybe he won't. He's Frank Underwood after all.

 

[Amaris]

^

Spoiler: House of Cards Season 2 and Finale

"Nowhere else to go but down" is what I'm wondering about next. He's reached the top, and now we get to see if the King is unseated from his throne, or whether he rides it out to total victory.

Like the others, I had to binge every episode, too. I have no willpower.

Now, on to some of the nitty gritties...

Spoiler: House of Cards Season 2 and Finale

To be honest, I don't know what to think about Frank. Part of me abhors such a person, yet there's part of me who wants him to succeed, if only to dominate his enemies.

When Zoe Barnes was killed, I was shocked. I mean, just *bam* and she was gone. It sucked, because I liked Zoe, and it was just crazy that Frank up and killed her like that. Granted, we've seen him have his hands involved in someone's death before, but this was just so...well... brutal.

By the way, I called it on Rachel and the other girl falling in love. I knew that was going to happen. It's some kind of spidey sense, but the night where Francis, Claire, and Edward Meechum decide to get it on? That blew my mind. Also, it may have been really hot. I'm just sayin' as, you know, an objective observer who doesn't find those kinds of things at all extremely hot.

I'm curious as to the disposition of Doug Stamper. Is he dead (I think so), and if so, what now? What does Rachel do? I hope she does go and find the really sweet church girl (I keep forgetting her name), and they get back together. More importantly, though, what is she going to do next regarding what she knows? I'm certain this will play into the future, so it will be interesting to see. Though I have to roll my eyes at Doug for:

A) Not locking the doors
B) Not paying attention to a very frightened girl who thinks he may kill her.
C) Don't walk into the dark woods calling out and talking, Doug. When you're talking, you're not listening, and brick to the head will happen.

So it all seems to have worked out for Frank. His Hail Mary pass was beautiful, and it worked. I think they did a fantastic job keeping people guessing. While I thought Frank would pull it off, a small part of me figured this may have been the end of him, since I don't know how many seasons this series will get.

I'm certainly hoping for more seasons. Sure, Frank has the best seat in the house, but will he keep it? We have to know!

 

[Venardhi]

Just finished watching a few minutes ago. Another fantastic season, with a few quibbles:

Doug really got slaughtered this season. He was one of my favorite characters of the first season and to see him just sniffing around like a puppy dog and fighting for "dad's" affection was a disservice to how compelling he was written last year.

My only other complaint is that I missed what Zoe's side of the story brought to the story even if I knew there was no way she was going to survive. Her unkempt white knight wasn't nearly as interesting and while this hacker fella is more-so, but not exactly a comparable protagonist.

Oh, and where was the catchphrase? I figured they were holding out for the biggest effect but then it never came.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Spoilers for the season in here, so be careful!

While strong overall, there are still elements that don't make sense and some moves that were way easier than they should have been. Walker's 11th-hour reconciliation with Frank rings pretty hollow. He even said that Frank's letter didn't rebuild trust, it just gave them a starting point and he only cared about "results." Well, what results did Frank get him? Jack and shit, from what I can tell. There's basically no reason for Walker to turn around and act like he and Frank are buddies again, except that, I suppose, everyone else has turned on him and Frank was literally his only friend. I'm also just not sure I buy this particular scandal as being nasty enough to bring down a President. Okay, so Chinese money was funneled through an energy magnate and an Indian casino into PACs which helped Democrats and..? That just doesn't strike me as shady enough for the general public to give a damn. Maybe it was intentional, but you never got a sense for how the public felt. The single-digit approval ratings are just numbers (and not very realistic, mind you.) I could see him going down into the 20s, maybe. But this scandal was just not "sexy" enough to be a career-ender, in my opinion. I also think a modern public would be more accepting of a President taking antidepressants (or whatever) and not have that be a huge deal.

I also could tell from Rachel's first meeting with the girl on the bus that there was gonna be "something" there. Just the way they played it. The way Rachel cut her out was heartbreaking.

Doug is obviously dead. That was his body they showed in the woods, eyes open and body cold. He's not coming back.

As for what this means for Rachel, isn't she the only person still alive (besides Frank) who knows what happened to Russo? Let's face it, the VP's Chief of Staff spending all this time keeping tabs on a prostitute, setting her up with a new life, just screams "cover-up." Once the details of that come out, people will start asking questions. Between her, the hacker, Lucas, Janine, the deaths of Zoe, Doug, and Russo, there's a lot of info to pile up once you start digging. The seeds of Frank's downfall have been sown, so I suspect next season will be all about him having to contend with that.

One thing I don't get is how Gavin has any hold over the guy he's answering to. Isn't he bound for federal prison if he doesn't play ball? No one gave a fuck what Lucas knew, so why should anyone give a fuck what a known government-hating anarchist says? Imagine some random dude from Anonymous claimed the newly-minted President was (essentially) a serial killer. No one's going to listen to that. Dude can be "disappeared" into the deepest pits of Gitmo or just a solitary cell in a remote prison. Frank is basically not a guy to fuck with now, which gives me some concern about how they could orchestrate his fall. Sure, he could get careless and sloppy, but that's a cheap way out. I want him to be beaten by people who are less powerful but smarter and more determined. I don't think Frank is actually that smart. I think he's very charismatic and he knows how to read people, but not a man of unusually high intelligence. Gavin, for instance, is probably much smarter. Actually, I suspect Claire outclasses frank in terms of raw intelligence, he's just more ruthless.

I'd like to talk more about Claire's arc in this season but I'll save it for a future post.

 

[Venardhi]

During the entrapment operation with Lucas, he had managed to install a back door into phone databases that he and presumably others now had access to willy nilly. Presumably, especially in the world before our recent cyber-scandals, this is a bit of an issue for all parties involved.

 

[DarthTom]

Spoilers for the season in here, so be careful!

spoilers as well
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One of the biggest suprises outside of Zoe's death this season was Frank and Claire's 3-way with Beechum. That Frances is also bi-sexual adds even more intrigue to his character and more of a potential for problems in the future.

 

[Roshi]

Francis...

 

[Harvey]

I wonder why the kept the character of Christina Gallagher around this season? She had almost nothing to do and was let go between episodes.

The ending was inevitable, although I think this season did a better job than season one at not depicting Frank as all-knowing and invincible (even if he got everything he wanted in the end, there was a lot more desperate maneuvering this year).

 

[InklingStar]

I wonder why the kept the character of Christina Gallagher around this season? She had almost nothing to do and was let go between episodes.

She was a catalyst for the president's marital problems, though any pretty young woman could have filled the same role.

 

[Venardhi]

I liked that she didn't entirely disappear straight away. She was a fairly notable supporting character in the first season. I could have done with a lot more of her and a lot less of the lonely hooker.

 

[Roshi]

I liked that she didn't entirely disappear straight away. She was a fairly notable supporting character in the first season. I could have done with a lot more of her and a lot less of the lonely lesbo hooker.

FTFY

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I liked that she didn't entirely disappear straight away. She was a fairly notable supporting character in the first season. I could have done with a lot more of her and a lot less of the lonely lesbo hooker.

FTFY

Why was that remotely necessary?

 

[Harvey]

The whole Doug-Rachel thing really went nowhere fast. It was a waste of his character, and seemed to move at a snail's pace so that she could be in play next season.

I just thought it was odd that Christina was given a nothing part, which, like you said, could have been filled by anybody -- and then on top of that, was fired off screen! It felt like I had missed an episode when the President told Frank she had been sacked.

Both just go to show how little the series cares about anyone not named "Underwood."

 

[Roshi]

I liked that she didn't entirely disappear straight away. She was a fairly notable supporting character in the first season. I could have done with a lot more of her and a lot less of the lonely lesbo hooker.

FTFY

Why was that remotely necessary?

I think you've mistaken my FTFY post. Turning her into a lesbian was not necessary to the plot.

 

[bigdaddy]

FTFY

Why was that remotely necessary?

I think you've mistaken my FTFY post. Turning her into a lesbian was not necessary to the plot.

People don't turn into lesbians.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I actually detected some sexual tension in their very first scene, so it's not like it came out of nowhere. I had a feeling that's where it would end up from the moment they met on the bus. To me, that's some good acting.

 

[Roshi]

Why was that remotely necessary?

I think you've mistaken my FTFY post. Turning her into a lesbian was not necessary to the plot.

People don't turn into lesbians.

Really??? Post proof or retract!

I actually detected some sexual tension in their very first scene, so it's not like it came out of nowhere. I had a feeling that's where it would end up from the moment they met on the bus. To me, that's some good acting.

Ok, I get what you mean but making her a lesbian, was it detrimental to the Doug plot?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I think you've mistaken my FTFY post. Turning her into a lesbian was not necessary to the plot.

People don't turn into lesbians.

Really??? Post proof or retract!

I actually detected some sexual tension in their very first scene, so it's not like it came out of nowhere. I had a feeling that's where it would end up from the moment they met on the bus. To me, that's some good acting.

Ok, I get what you mean but making her a lesbian, was it detrimental to the Doug plot?

She's obviously not a lesbian since she is apparently attracted to men, too.

Anyway, I don't think it was detrimental. I think it's interesting that she was used to being with men and those men inevitably used and mistreated her. So, when it came to being with a woman, she was more in control, and she felt much better about it--she apparently felt loved, for the first time in maybe ever. I think it was necessary to the story so she could realize just how creepy Doug's obsession with her was. She had a taste of a functional, healthy relationship, and what she had with Doug was anything but.