“One nation, Underwood.”
How do you make a political show like House of Cards relevant when the past two years of American politics has been stranger than fiction? You ramp up the sex, corruption and crime, as teased in the creepy new trailer for House of Cards season five.
Dropped, conveniently, as Trump passed , the trailer show lots of quick cuts of the power-hungry Underwoods (Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright) plotting their reign until 2026 – hello dictatorship!
Throw in an unhinged Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), the lethally efficient aide, a bloody guy behind glass who looks furious at Frank, and there’s a shot of people walking into a secure vault that serves as a reminder that David Fincher is the executive producer of this series.
In a time of political uncertainty, one thing is certain: House of Cards is dedicated to its dark portrayal of politics and it isn’t afraid to get crazy. For all the terrifying things – declaring his openness to reviving the nuclear arms race, defaming a civil-rights hero and signing an executive order to ban immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries – Underwood still manages to make Trump look like an amateur.
By the looks of season five, Underwood is making moves to destabilise American democracy by manipulating the chain of events set in motion across season four, and season five picks up right where it finished with America declaring war on a terrorist group. Frank loves power but hates the American people; it’s a fascinating dynamic that leans hard into the sinister side of Frank’s obsession with authority.
Frank and his minions aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and use serious smarts to cover their butts, which makes Frank a terrifying political figure as opposed to Trump who seems more like a puppet President who still makes in his Tweets. Frank is Machiavellian; Trump is a buffoon.
Still, it must be an intense time for the creators of House of Cards, waiting to see if what they’ve scripted becomes a reality or not between now and 30 May 2017 when season five hits Netflix.
