Stop Making Excuses and Just Do It
You’ve probably seen it re-blogged on Tumblr, re-tweeted on Twitter, or highly regarded in a recent article on Thought Catalog. No matter the actual medium of exposure though, it’s likely that you’ve been exposed to it, unless of course you’re living under a rock or have decided to be the one friend who’s “just like so over social media.” Whatever your circumstance or excuse, it’s time to put it aside and give in to the new trend that is House of Cards.
To fill you in, in the case that you’re actually “that friend” as described above, House of Cards is an American political thriller/drama that is the first Netflix original TV program. I feel like I probably may have lost some of you at political thriller but then maybe wrangled you back in with the mentioning of Netflix? Yep, you heard me correctly. House of Cards exclusively premiered on Netflix and will stay exclusively on Netflix. That means that even after you pull a double all-nighter watching House of Cards in a marathon fashion, season two (which is already in development) will soon be available on Netflix too. My final point, and perhaps the most important, is that House of Cards gives you full eligibility to be a TV snob. Why? Because House of Cards denied both HBO and Showtime when choosing their networks. I don’t know about you, but HBO is like the holy grail in my mind when it comes to grade A TV; so when I know that they considered running the series, I know that it should be well worth my time. AND IT IS.
What else makes it ah-mazing? Oh I don’t know, maybe just the fact that it bleeds cinematographic excellence! House of Cards was produced and directed by David Fincher. The same David Fincher known for directing some small movies like Fight Club, The Social Network, Panic Room, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, to name a few. It’s fine, you’ve probably never heard of them anyways. JKLOL, if you haven’t heard of these, there is something seriously wrong with you! Moving on, Fincher chose Kevin Spacey to play the main character of Francis Underwood, a Democratic congressman and House Majority Whip who uses just about every dirty tactic in the world of politics to get revenge on the President Elect for breaking his promise to elect Underwood as Secretary of State. Spacey kills this role. I swear the man was born to play it, making sabotage look so glamorous yet casual. What adds to the brilliance of this show and also the thrill of his master plan is the way that Spacey speaks to directly to the camera, giving the viewer full disclosure on just about everything.
Lastly, this show is actually relatable, ladies and gents. And not in the way that Girls is sometimes right about basic feminine behavior, but in an authentic way that any young person looking to establish a career for themselves can identify with. This is established in Kate Mara’s character Zoe Barnes. Zoe is, in the words of Thought Catalog’s Gaby Dunn, “an arrogant little shit,” albeit an integral one in Underwood’s political scheme. Zoe is a young reporter working for a major paper, of which she has zero power until Underwood involves her in his master plan. Zoe Barnes is relatable because she epitomizes the young college graduate trying to earn her stripes in the working world. She has so much to contribute to the world of mass media and politics if only the elder superiors would loosen her muzzle. If any of you have had an internship or job, you can probably sympathize.
I get it though. Some people hate politics and couldn’t care less about our government, much less some fictional government made up for entertainment purposes. If you’re one of those people, and politics don’t interest you at all, at least do me the favor of watching House of Cards for the cinematography. The filming is genuinely beautiful and captures everything from elegance to the nitty gritty. Have I made my point yet? Have you already logged into Netflix as a result of my charming persuasion? Come on, just do it. Watch House of Cards. I promise you won’t regret it!