Everyone’s favorite North Carolina senator, Frank Underwood, and his wife, Claire, are back for season two of the Netflix original series “House of Cards.” The entire season was released for viewing on Friday. If fans thought season one brought the drama, they will be even more surprised with the second season.
For those who don’t like spoilers, do not read any further. Something so big happened in the first episode that it cannot be left alone. So, if you haven’t watched it and plan on doing so, do not read any further.
The episode opens up right where the last episode left off. Zoe Barnes and her reporter friends, Janine and Lucas, are convinced that the death of Peter Russo was not an accident and all believe that Frank Underwood had something to do with it.
While Underwood is trying to cover his tracks and make sure that Zoe doesn’t find out anything, he is getting ready to be sworn in as vice president. Claire Underwood is busy dealing with the lawsuit of Gillian Cole, one of her former employees.
The scene between Gillian and Claire is pretty intense as we find out that Claire cut off Gillian’s health insurance, which she needs to protect her unborn baby. As Claire essentially blackmails Gillian into doing what she wants, we’re reminded again as to why she’s married to the king of blackmail.
But the climax of the entire episode is at the subway station. Frank and Zoe schedule one of their second meetings, where he tells her to delete their entire conversation and his contact information from her phone.
When she starts to question him about what really happened with Russo, he turns and walks away and Zoe follows. And then, he pushes her in front of the oncoming subway. No doubt jaws dropped all across the country.
Zoe was really the only person who suspected Frank had any involvement with Russo’s death. And in typical Frank fashion, he got rid of what, or in this case who, was standing in his way.
The entire premiere was packed with drama. Those who felt the ending of season one was dragging a bit, the first episode of season two will make up for that.
While some critics complain that “House of Cards” is too unrealistic, the high intensity and action-packed politics are what make the show. Not to mention, Kevin Spacey’s unbelievably convincing portrayal of someone who is willing to do anything, including murder, to get to the top.
With Zoe now gone, it will be interesting to see who will take her place. It will most likely be her “semi-boyfriend,” Lucas.
Another interesting dynamic is the character development of Claire. While she had a big part in the first season, we never really saw her blackmail like Frank does. She helped him, but we never saw her carry anything out really. After her conversation with Gillian, Claire is definitely going to be someone to keep a very close eye on this season.
For anyone who has yet to see the season two premiere, set aside enough time to at least watch two or three episodes. Just watching the first episode is not going to be enough; it’s definitely a binge-watching season.
SAMMIE JANIK
