So, can Lars Mikkelsen as Viktor Petrov just be in every episode of House of Cards from now on? Not only does the show perk up every time he’s on screen, but Petrov’s involvement successfully puts the narrative on a global scale, the type of which this show hasn’t attempted before. It’s a triumph of casting, and House of Cards is demonstrably better for it.
“Chapter 32” was in many ways a spiritual cousin to “Chapter 29.” Not only because it centered around negotiations with Russia, but because of the way it was shot and structured. Like “Chapter 29,” “Chapter 32” was primarily built of small bottle episodes, ably handled by director James Foley, best known for directing Glengarry Glenn Ross, a movie of almost nothing but bottle episodes and dialogue.
“Chapter 32” brought the Underwoods to Moscow, both to hammer out the details of the Jordan Valley peacekeeping agreement and to secure the release of gay rights activist Michael Corrigan (played by Christian Camargo, aka the Ice Truck Killer from Dexter). Frank’s tete a tete with a surprisingly reasonable Petrov is going well; it’s Claire’s negotiations with Corrigan that are hitting a brick wall.
Corrigan won’t read the prepared statement that will secure his release, and who can blame him? It calls for him to apologize for exposing children to his “degeneracy,” and even worse, for him to thank Petrov for his clemency. Claire brings up a good point, though – from a political standpoint, reading the statement is a necessary evil, but Corrigan holds fast. He doesn’t even blink when Claire entreats him to think of his husband John; he dismisses John as “weak,” and admits that he’d leave John were it not for the harm it would do his activist career. In that way, House of Cards is sure to point out, Corrigan and Claire aren’t all that different. He doesn’t buy her claim that she loves Frank “more than ever,” and neither do we. Their scenes together are the most emotionally honest and raw of the entire episode, and probably of the season; House of Cards could never be mistaken for a sentimental show, as it prefers to wallow in its own muck, so it’s nice to see it wear its heart on its sleeve.
Of course, Claire can’t help being Claire, and when Corrigan is found dead in his cell – he hung himself with Claire’s scarf while she slept, a nice, ghastly touch – it’s clearly only a matter of time before she speaks out about it. She torpedoes Frank and Petrov’s press conference, which was meant to tout the agreement they’d come to about both Corrigan and the Jordan Valley. She denounces Russia’s barbaric, primitive anti-gay laws, before turning to Petrov and saying “Shame on you, Mr. President.” Robin Wright’s detached, matter-of-fact delivery – which has turned some viewers off of Claire in the past, as it makes her seem cold and unlikable – drives the point home better than histrionics or shouting could have hoped to. The Russian laws are wrong, plain and simple, and Claire wisely refuses to give in to uncontrollable emotion when stating a fact. If that sounds like the makings for an awkward trip home aboard Air Force One, that’s because it totally is.
Frank and Claire have an explosive scene on the plane that ends with him saying “I never should have made you Ambassador.” She hisses back, “I never should have made you President.” Kevin Spacy and Robin Wright are absolutely at home in these roles, and three seasons in, their familiarity with the characters makes these barbs really sting.
There was some stuff going on in the background – Doug seems to have a crush on his physical therapist, who looks like Rachel; Gavin is still undercover with Lisa, and pretends to have an STD to get her to open up to him; Thomas Gates tries to pry information from Frank for his book – but in the background is where it belongs. “Chapter 32” succeeds best when it slows down and lets its characters breathe, lets them exist, and for that reason it earns its place as a classic episode.
A Few Thoughts
- There was a nicely cynical undertone of the inherent selfishness of self-appointed martyrs. Thomas Gates foreshadowed Corrigan’s death when he described his friend’s suicide as “selfish,” and Frank really drives the point home when he says that killing yourself takes no courage. His adding “I’m glad he’s dead” just cements Frank’s standing as President DGAF.
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Say what you will about Claire’s qualifications as an Ambassador, she’s willing to spend the night in a fucking Russian prison to get what she wants
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It was nice to see a more human side of Petrov. It would have been easy for House of Cards to bring on a Putin analog just to make him act like a tyrannical lunatic, but Petrov, for all his faults, seems to abhor the anti-gay laws as much as he loves his country. That’s a remarkable amount of dimensionality for a character we’ve met all of twice
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No interaction between Frank and the audience this episode until the very end. His capper – “What are you looking at?” – was perfect
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Jeff Beal’s always reliable score was even better here, especially in the scenes with Claire and Corrigan
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