Jackson Ball reviews the season finale of House of Cards season 2….
We’ve finally reached the climax of Season 2, after hours of character investment and meticulously orchestrated narrative arcs. Frank (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) are agonisingly close to their coveted goal of ultimate power, but have they overlooked something in their vigorously scheming?
Spoilers Ahead – You have been warned!
Right from the beginning, this final episode is rife with dramatic tension. After a mid-season lull, the stakes have been rising nicely in the lead up to the finale, as has the pace of events. Things have moved very fast for Frank; in the space of Episode 12 he went from President Walker’s (Michael Gill) friend and confidant, to his untrustworthy enemy, to all-out presidency usurper. With the success of his elaborate plan hanging by thread, is there another shocking twist to come?
Well, in short, no… No there isn’t.
Anybody who has watch even the slightest amount of this show (or its promotional material) will have had a fairly good notion that Frank would make it to president, and House of Cards has promptly delivered. Do not get me wrong, it’s been insanely enjoyable to watch his rise to power, but the overall destination was always inevitable.
I mean, where else could they have gone? Sure, they could have had Frank slip up and maybe bide his time until the next season, but that would have only delayed this unavoidable outcome. Admittedly though, despite it being a forgone conclusion since day one, there is still an undeniable thrill in that final scene, in which Frank finally makes his way into the Oval Office. It may well have been a predictable ending, but it was the right one.
It also capped off one hell of a season. After the success of the first season, and its expert blend of clinical writing and raw performances, everyone stepped their game up for this year’s return. The writing was sharper; generating a complex but surprisingly streamlined plot with more than couple of mind-blowing shocks (the season 2 premiere has one of the greatest twist-moments in TV history). Incredibly, the performances have also somehow gotten even better, with almost every role being delivered just as it needed to be. Robin Wright in particular has shone throughout, surely bagging the Emmy along the way.
The real dilemma that remains is where the show goes from here. A third season is happening, but with the show reaching its natural conclusion with Frank as president, it really leaves things wide open. I suppose the logical guess would be that, if next year is the final season, we’ll finally see Frank get his comeuppance for some of his darker deeds (outside all the corruption, he has killed twice now!). As likely as that sounds, it’s probably what the show needs, as there is only so long we can watch him rise and rise, especially as he’s now the most powerful man on the planet.
One thing is for certain though, no matter what House of Cards’ destination is, the journey is always going to be thrilling.
Jackson Ball – follow me on Twitter
Originally published February 28, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
