House of Cards and the New Archetype Protagonist

I’d like to talk to you all about that new popular TV show. You know, the gritty drama with the middle-aged, male protagonist

Source: intramed.net

The guy that’s incredibly smart and cunning, but uses his guile for not entirely honorable purposes. He redefines the term “morally ambiguous”.

Source: spiritofcontraditions.eu

He truly is better than most everyone else and knows it. One of his many flaws is that he is overly blunt and rubs people the wrong way.

Source: static.bbci.co.uk

Despite his rough-around-the-edges characteristics and unorthodox methods, he is actually very successful and almost always achieves his goals in the end.

Source: sociopathworld.com

And through it all he’s able to hide who he really is from everyone except for those that are closest to him. 

Source: alphacoders.com

Oh, and he’s got a female in his life whose relationship status would best be described as “it’s complicated”.

Source: kenlevine.blogspot.com

Screw it; it’s the one about a U.S. politician.

Source: digitaltrends.com

The gentleman pictured above is U.S. Congressman Francis Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey in the Netflix original show House of Cards. House of Cards is the latest show to be produced by Netflix and is based off of a 1990 BBC series of the same name. In the first episode, Francis is passed over for a spot on the new President’s cabinet. The ruthless congressman and his equally callous wife, Claire, spend the rest of the season planning and enacting their revenge. 

As you many have surmised, House of Cards is set up with the exact same architecture as many of its similar predecessors from the past decade or so. The TV watching world has fallen in love with middle-aged, white (with the exception of the BBC’s Luther) guys who don’t give a shit about anything except themselves and successfully outwit and outplay the world around them. The old adage about Hollywood, “if 1 is good then 100 is great,” proves true yet again.

But here’s my twist: this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! House of Cards, and all of the other shows referenced above (House M.D., Breaking Bad, Sherlock, Lie to Me, Dexter, The Blacklist), are all fantastic… the last season of Dexter notwithstanding. When I had caught up on The Blacklist and asked around for suggestions on what I should watch next, I had three people recommend House of Cards to me. I poured through season 1 in a matter of days, and just in time for season 2 to be released on Netflix in one bulk. I binged my way through season 2 at an equal pace. Most of my life is now revolved around waiting for season 3 to come out. (Slight exaggeration).

People do like to criticize modern movies and television dramas for being unoriginal. And there is definitely some truth to that. Just look at the number of box office hits in the past decade that were not remakes, sequels, or reboots (spoiler: it’s a lot lower throughout in the 1900’s than in the 2000’s). However, it is still possible to give a unique take on a familiar plot. These shows are able to create a story that is compelling, relatable, and inspiring enough to keep the viewers coming back for more. 

Despite the field of gritty dramas that is becoming ever more crowded, House of Cards separates itself from the pack. A big part of that is the cast. Kevin Spacey has an already impressive portfolio that includes The Usual Suspects and Se7en, but his performance in ‘Cards may end up being his magnum opus when all is said and done. Other standouts include Kate Mara as young journalist Zoe Barnes, Robin Wright as Francis Underwood’s wife, Claire, and a soul-crushingly impassioned performance from Michael Kelly who plays Francis’s top aid Doug Stamper.

I was asked to include a rating system in my reviews. With that in mind, I’m going to give House of Cards 4 out of a possible 5 plates of Freddy’s Stick Saucy Ribs, because no one cooks them quite like Freddy!

Join me next time when we’ll talk about that new detective show with the two detectives that are tracking a killer in a small American town, but soon discover a dark and mysterious plot that includes a group of cultists and even a possible supernatural origin.

Source: thefilmtemple.blogspot.com

Dammit!