The House of Cards Season 2 Thread *SPOILERS*

[8281]

Part of the problem in translating the series is that the BBC version took advantage of the British class system in a way that doesn't really have a parallel in American life. The (British) Urquhart comes from an establishment family ("We were defenders of the English throne before your family was ever heard of" - speaking to the English King.) Frank Underwood, by way of contrast, seems to have arrived from nowhere out of the Carolina swamps - relying - if anything - on his wife's family money.

Haven't watched the British season, although now that I finished Season 2 already, I might have to. Very good point about classes structures, although I would offer that we do have class structures in the US. They aren't based on lineage, they are instead built and maintained through power and money. It's an ostensible meritocracy (Frank needed Claire's money and the POTUS and Frank needed Tusk), but as the show illustrates, the best men do not always win. To borrow a quote from Game of Thrones, all that matters is the climb.

Totally unrelated, but I'm curious about Claire's breakdown on the stairway toward the end of the season. She's just as calculating and cold as Frank, so I'm wondering if her crying has more to do with her frustration at not being able to control the situation (at least at that time) It works out, in the end...

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Another thing that threw me way off - what were the writers trying to accomplish during the scene where Claire and Meechum are drinking when Frank comes in and shortly after they all start kissing each other?

Sex to both Frank and Claire is about power, and little else. Sure, Claire had a relationship with the photographer, but sacrificed whatever feelings she may have had in the service of gaining more power and influence.

So I guess I read that scene as a sort of symbolic gesture to bring Meechum into the fold, so to speak. I've no idea if that makes sense...

 

[ben123456]

*MORE SPOILERS*

Yeah, that all happened really fast. It seemed like the whole "we should impeach the President" -> "Frank is President now" timeline happened too quickly to be believable, but then again it's hard to say how much time is actually lapsing in-between episodes, and it's probably just one of those things where you need to suspend disbelief since it's a TV show.

But yeah...episode #1, that was one of those moments where you jump off of your couch because you can't believe what just happened. That was ****** up.

Well in the last episode she mentioned it was almost his birthday and if I remember in the first episode of second season it was his birthday so almost a year passed during the season if I am correct
Edit: did not see that this was already said

 

[thatoneguy82]

In which episode does this happen?

Episode 11, Chapter 24 - towards the end.

 

[luckydcxx]

did anyone notice that this takes place in the future? i took a screen shot of the letter that Frank typed to the President and look at the date, 10/28/14.

 

[thatoneguy82]

did anyone notice that this takes place in the future? i took a screen shot of the letter that Frank typed to the President and look at the date, 10/28/14.

Yeah, I noticed. I even think the first episode occurred near/around 2/14/14 (the release of S2).

 

[Tsuchiya]

Anyone else get goosebumps at the end of the first episode? I was beginning to wonder when a monologue would come up then I hear "Did you think that I'd forgotten about you? Perhaps you hoped I had..."



What I haven't quite figured out yet is whether the show has an end game in mind. Are we counting down the episodes until everything Underwood did comes to light? Or is the body count just there to illustrate Franks path to the oval office?

If the later, then I can't see where the series will go from here.

 

[Krafty]

Episode 11, Chapter 24 - towards the end.

Image Image

They really pushed the bar with e01 and this one. I was not expecting either one (well, I did expect him to rid Zoey... I just didn't think it would be that quick but, he is a man of haste).

I feel as Doug's death is definitely going to stir some **** (mostly due to the motive behind it).

s03. Can't wait.

 

[PicnicTutorials]

great show! got me thinking so I googled.. "If a vice president becomes president does it count as a term served?"

The answer...

if Obama resigns *today* and Biden becomes Prez, then Biden can only run for election to one more full term. Because as of now, there is still more than two years to go before Obama's term ends. But if Obama resigns as of Feb. 1, and then Biden becomes Prez, then Biden can go on to run for two more full terms, because Biden will have served for less than two years.

A Veep who goes up to the Presidency and serves for two years or less can run for 2 terms, but a Veep who does so with more than two years can only run for 1 more term.

So Frank only has one more term then ya.

 

[mscriv]

My wife and I just finished the second season after watching season 1 last year. This show was highly recommended to us from various friends and I must say it has not disappointed. The early shockers in season 2 definitely set the tone right away for how things were going to be. I can understand people saying that they think season 2 moved faster than season 1, but I think it's more of the fact that there was so much more going on in season 2. In season 1 it felt like this slow and steady march toward the inevitable as Frank and Claire made all of the right moves. It's as if the outcome was never really in doubt because they were so prepared and so careful. I think this was deliberate as it was all a part of bringing the viewer into the world of the characters. This season didn't have that "inevitable" feeling as there were so many potential pitfalls and their enemies/allies were almost their equals in terms of power, influence, and cunning. This allowed the characters to develop more. We got to see how they respond to fear and stress as there were moments when it seemed the "House of Cards" would come crashing down.

My wife kept saying, "I know it's so wrong, but I can't help but want them to get away with it". It's a testament to the quality of the writing and acting that such charisma can translate through three screen to the audience. There is a part of you that truly admires their passionate focus and the fact that they will allow nothing to stand in the way of accomplishing their goals. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Frank is "at the top". Will the office be what he expects it to be?

They've left a lot of interesting stuff out there so who knows where they will go for season 3. I'm saddened by what happened with Stamper as I thought he was one of the most fascinating characters on the show. I must say that the subtle way they showed Frank's anxiety growing in his mannerisms with his class ring and the way they did the final scene of the season... absolutely brilliant! I had chills when he smacked the desk with authority using his habitual double tap.

 

[malman89]

What I haven't quite figured out yet is whether the show has an end game in mind. Are we counting down the episodes until everything Underwood did comes to light? Or is the body count just there to illustrate Franks path to the oval office?

If the later, then I can't see where the series will go from here.

I sort of put House of Cards out of my mind after cruising through it in under 48 hours (besides getting a few friends to start watching!), but this thread revival made me think of this as well.

Not only would someone be less likely to target President Underwood given his increased power, but I'd also wager it's no longer even feasible in that political climate to go for another impeachment if Underwood's dirty laundry was to be revealed. Everyone got off on getting President Walker out of the office.

Makes me wonder who can challenge him next. I doubt Season 3 will just settle for "look at Frank in power!" I guess he could have more foreign adversaries (heads of state, ambassadors, diplomats, etc.), but I think as an American show it needs a domestic 'enemy' as well. The Tusk storyline still need to unfold, but I think season 2 really squeezed all it can out of that one.

 

[Tsuchiya]

I sort of put House of Cards out of my mind after cruising through it in under 48 hours (besides getting a few friends to start watching!), but this thread revival made me think of this as well.

Not only would someone be less likely to target President Underwood given his increased power, but I'd also wager it's no longer even feasible in that political climate to go for another impeachment if Underwood's dirty laundry was to be revealed. Everyone got off on getting President Walker out of the office.

Makes me wonder who can challenge him next. I doubt Season 3 will just settle for "look at Frank in power!" I guess he could have more foreign adversaries (heads of state, ambassadors, diplomats, etc.), but I think as an American show it needs a domestic 'enemy' as well. The Tusk storyline still need to unfold, but I think season 2 really squeezed all it can out of that one.

Yeah, I think one review I read made a fairly interesting point. It said that Frank can't be the only one in Washington with that kind of ambition. Surely out there there must be someone who operates in a similar fashion.

 

[vrDrew]

HoC Wrap Up Thoughts: SPOILERS AHEAD

I'll give Netflix and Kevin Spacey credit for making a show like House of Cards. Its just a little disappointing they couldn't have made it just a bit better.

Because, truth be told, the storyline was leaden. Sure, they tossed in a few buzzwords like Rare Earths and SuperPacs. But for the most part the story moved at the pace of an arthritic snail - a Slugline, so to speak.

Speaking of which, the show has a strange relationship with Journalism. I see several real life journalists playing themselves on the show: Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, and Morley Safer (about the only thing those three will ever have in common..). And the show refers to the real world New York Times. But strangely, a totally fictitious Wall Street Chronicle plays a not very interesting or important part of the show.....

This is off topic, but if I were a managing editor, I'd put the kibosh on journalists playing themselves in fictional stories. It crosses some sort of line.

The story this season seemed not just contrived, but also needlessly so. We are left to wonder why Raymond Tusk (all $43 billion of him) would spend all that time, energy and money to accomplish.... exactly what? He was already friends with the President and vastly rich. What else did he want? He could have just coughed up a few hundred grand and become Ambassador to Britain.

Speaking of fuzzy motivations: Why was Stamper spending all that time stalking Rachel. And why, for Pete's sake, does she put up with it? If I were going to promise to keep schtum about my role in a former Congressman's murder - I'd expect more than being put up in a crappy one-room apartment.

There were moments when I sorta hoped that Julia Louis Dreyfuss (from the HBO show Veep) would somehow cross paths with the Underwoods. It would have injected a sorely needed does of realism and humor into the season. And certainly Selina Meyer's staff is streets ahead of the stumblebums in Frank Underwood's office when it comes to cunning and spite.

 

[thatoneguy82]

great show! got me thinking so I googled.. "If a vice president becomes president does it count as a term served?"

The answer...

if Obama resigns *today* and Biden becomes Prez, then Biden can only run for election to one more full term. Because as of now, there is still more than two years to go before Obama's term ends. But if Obama resigns as of Feb. 1, and then Biden becomes Prez, then Biden can go on to run for two more full terms, because Biden will have served for less than two years.

A Veep who goes up to the Presidency and serves for two years or less can run for 2 terms, but a Veep who does so with more than two years can only run for 1 more term.

So Frank only has one more term then ya.

I never actually thought about this, but your post piqued my curiosity regarding the timeline. I know that throughout the season, they kept worrying about the midterm elections, so I'm assuming that the former POTUS was approaching his 2nd year in office since being elected in Nov 2 years prior. They sort of show the date in the show and if I'm not mistaken, the first ep of season 2 was supposed to be around 2/14/2014. At the end, he writes a letter that clearly shows the date being 10/28/2014. In the finale, Claire mentions that his birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks - and as you can recall his birthday was during the first ep. So, roughly when was he sworn in? It seems like his presidency would be 2 years or less and would make him eligible for 2 more terms.

Not really sure about what I just said, just thinking out loud.

 

[SoAnyway]

I finally finished the season this past weekend and I have to say that I wasn't expecting to see "President Underwood" this season. I was thinking that they would wait until next season where Frank would end up being president but it worked this season.

At this point, I am thinking that everything Frank has done to get his way will start crashing down on him next season. Though, I really wish they extended the Frank/Zoe/Lucas/Janeane story arc because of how season 1 ended.

In the end, the only characters of the show that I truly felt sorry for was President Walker and his wife. To me they were the most genuine characters in the show.

 

[yg17]

I never actually thought about this, but your post piqued my curiosity regarding the timeline. I know that throughout the season, they kept worrying about the midterm elections, so I'm assuming that the former POTUS was approaching his 2nd year in office since being elected in Nov 2 years prior. They sort of show the date in the show and if I'm not mistaken, the first ep of season 2 was supposed to be around 2/14/2014. At the end, he writes a letter that clearly shows the date being 10/28/2014. In the finale, Claire mentions that his birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks - and as you can recall his birthday was during the first ep. So, roughly when was he sworn in? It seems like his presidency would be 2 years or less and would make him eligible for 2 more terms.

Not really sure about what I just said, just thinking out loud.

Walker won his first term in the 2012 election, which means he was been sworn in January 20, 2013. So that means, if Underwood was sworn in any time after January 20, 2015, he's eligible for two more terms since there's less than 2 years left in his current term.

We know his birthday is on or around February 14 (date from the first episode), and we know the last episode is a few weeks before his birthday in 2015. Now the question is, was that final episode before or after January 20? We know it's around then, but not exactly. My guess is the writers deliberately made that ambiguous to keep everyone pondering it over the next seasons.

 

[SoAnyway]

I've been thinking about a few things since finishing the show:


(Major Spoilers)


1) Did Frank lure Zoe to the subway to kill her or was it spontaneous as he always seems to be taking advantage of the moment?

2) Was Doug intending to kill Rachel or scare her to insure that she doesn't talk?

3) Who exactly does Remy ally with by the end of the season?

4) Can Seth ultimately be trusted?

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Walker won his first term in the 2012 election, which means he was been sworn in January 20, 2013. So that means, if Underwood was sworn in any time after January 20, 2015, he's eligible for two more terms since there's less than 2 years left in his current term.

We know his birthday is on or around February 14 (date from the first episode), and we know the last episode is a few weeks before his birthday in 2015. Now the question is, was that final episode before or after January 20? We know it's around then, but not exactly. My guess is the writers deliberately made that ambiguous to keep everyone pondering it over the next seasons.

Claire does say that it's only two weeks before his birthday in the final scene. So that means it's early February and comfortably past January 20.

On that note, there are two things that the show never made clear. 1) What were the results of the mid-term elections? 2) It seemed that a lot of time passed between the mid-terms and Walker resigning, how much time passed and how did Walker's unpopularity affect the mid-terms?

 

[thatoneguy82]

I've been thinking about a few things since finishing the show:


(Major Spoilers)


1) Did Frank lure Zoe to the subway to kill her or was it spontaneous as he always seems to be taking advantage of the moment?

I think it was both, especially since he wanted her to delete all information about him on her phone. It seemed like he knew that she was digging too deep and he wanted to take care of it himself.

2) Was Doug intending to kill Rachel or scare her to insure that she doesn't talk?

I don't think killing her was ever in his mind; he was a bit obsessed about her. Any threat that Rachel perceived was probably just his attempt to make sure she doesn't tell anyone what happened. She also probably misread the situation and thus acted swiftly.

3) Who exactly does Remy ally with by the end of the season?

I think he's pretty much by himself at that point. He burned bridges with both Tusk and Frank.

4) Can Seth ultimately be trusted?

I think so, but then again he seems a bit shifty. Ultimately, though, I think he's someone that can be trusted.

 

[The.316]

I've been thinking about a few things since finishing the show:


(Major Spoilers)


1) Did Frank lure Zoe to the subway to kill her or was it spontaneous as he always seems to be taking advantage of the moment?

After hearing the story from Freddy, on how the his friend illegally killed pigs in a sound proof room, I think the thought crossed Francis' mind, and figured out how to rid himself of a potentially major problem with Zoe.

2) Was Doug intending to kill Rachel or scare her to insure that she doesn't talk?

We might not ever know that, but my opinion, he was not going to kill her. I was waiting for him to do something with Rachel's GF.

3) Who exactly does Remy ally with by the end of the season?

I dont think we are going to see much of him, because he really has no one to go to.

4) Can Seth ultimately be trusted?

Seth is going to be the new Doug, and I trust him.

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[/COLOR]


Claire does say that it's only two weeks before his birthday in the final scene. So that means it's early February and comfortably past January 20.

On that note, there are two things that the show never made clear. 1) What were the results of the mid-term elections? 2) It seemed that a lot of time passed between the mid-terms and Walker resigning, how much time passed and how did Walker's unpopularity affect the mid-terms?

Was anyone else surprised how the last scene unfolded? I wasnt waiting for him to push the chair out of the way, and do his double knock on the desk. Loved the way it all unfolded, and wanted to see Francis succeed, because of how well he played them all!

 

[albertfallickwa]

Just finished watching season 1 of House of Cards and right now just started on episode 1 of season 2. Wow, I feel some major tension that Zoe Barnes is onto something and it's going to cost her her live. It reminds me of the movie The International.

 

[AustinIllini]

Just finished watching season 1 of House of Cards and right now just started on episode 1 of season 2. Wow, I feel some major tension that Zoe Barnes is onto something and it's going to cost her her live. It reminds me of the movie The International.

Don't read the previous posts. Just start season 2.

 

[albertfallickwa]

Already on episode 4. Poor Zoe is gone now and looks like Lucas has taken up the reins now.

I really like Jacqueline a lot as a character and it doesn't hurt that she is played by Molly Parker from Deadwood.