Making, not submitting, to terror

Sometimes art (and that includes television drama) far better explains times of crisis and change than any lofty thought or journalism. The essence of today's politics, for example, is not easy to get one's head around, and I believe that House of Cards is an example of a series that helps a lot to better understand the world of politics since 9/11 and the financial crisis that began in 2007.

We have to keep in mind that TV shows are hyperbolic in many ways, and it is hard to imagine a politician doing the things that Francis Underwood is prepared to do in the different seasons of the series. However, these exaggerations can help us to understand the two key themes of the series and politics in the modern world: ambition and power at a cost.

These exaggerations appear above all in the plot, but they are also to be found in the art design of the large bleached and neutral scenery the actors move around. They can also be seen in the acting itself, in the portrayal of characters who go from absolute restraint to unbridled fury. House of Cards is a type of Richard III brought up to date, but also has something of Michael Corleone about it: a king that always has a card up his sleeve and who gets the horse to save his kingdom.

In the current season, Underwood finds himself more alone than ever, having lost the favour of Remy and Jackie Sharp. He is threatened by a journalistic investigation he knows nothing about, while the very ambitious Claire is calling for her share of power after years of providing him with unconditional support. What's more, the geopolitical situation does not help, thanks to ISIS, Russia and an oil crisis. And if that were not enough, he also has to face primaries, followed by an election against a charismatic Republican rival. All of these various bumps in the road makes Underwood feel that the power he craves so much is at risk. However, he is one of those people who always finds a solution for everything, and when he can't, he plays one of his hidden cards, which never fails: forcing a solution by terrorising people. He causes the problem and yet emerges appearing as the saviour.

So, the Underwoods are back, unleashed and prepared for everything because they possess a strange virtue: “We don't' submit to terror. We make the terror.” House of Cards is a sort of treatise on politics expressed through a hyperbolic thriller that manages to make itself seem real.