House of Cards got itself seriously back on track in “Chapter 46.” I see now that Frank’s shooting was a necessary evil, a way to bifurcate the season. The first few episodes dealt with Frank’s difficulty campaigning; the rest of the season looks as though it will deal with Frank’s difficulty getting elected. There are good and bad elements to this plot, as there with most HoC plots, but overall “Chapter 46” was a breath of fresh air after “Chapter 45.”
As recently as my last review I was bitching that Governor William Conway wasn’t the big presence that he’d been made out to be, so I guess the show went out of its way to shut me up. “Chapter 46” introduces Conway in a big way, and he’s played nicely by Joel Kinnaman, late of The Killing and currently our ersatz RoboCop. Kinnaman brings a warmth and likability to the role, and that will likely be Frank’s undoing: the telegenic, friendly Conways are much more likable the cold, austere Underwoods. Hell, “Will and Hanna Conway” sounds like the name of a Norman Rockwell painting. It’s a shame that the writers saddled him with such platitudinous dialogue – one of his rousing speeches calls for “more freedom” – but Kinnaman is always fun to watch.
Naturally, this being House of Cards, Conway has a secret in the form of Pollyhop. (I gotta say, if HoC is going to make up a search engine, I’m glad they didn’t go the SVU route and call it Gaggle or some shit like that.) Frank thinks it’s his ace in the hole against Conway, even going so far as to investigate the possibility of using domestic surveillance, but Conway, in a stroke of genius, comes out ahead of the scandal, revealing that yes, he is working with Pollyhop. Then in a show of good faith he opens up his private data – pictures, texts – to the voting public. It’s a good thing that Conway is so savvy because Dunbar is officially out.
Which is a shame, because I’ve always liked Dunbar, and the human qualities that Elizabeth Marvel brought to the role. She was a good foil for Frank, but who knows? Maybe now she’ll end up the VP nominee. Haha, who am I kidding, it’s going to be Claire probably. Frank makes a big show out of wanting Donald Blythe to be his running mate, but even Blythe thinks that’s a bad idea, telling Frank, “You need someone who’s hungry for this.” Hmm, does that remind us of anyone?
And I guess that’s the problem with House of Cards, not just this season but as a whole. It will make a big show out of wanting to shake things up, but at the end of the day any setbacks are minor. No one has been introduced this season who could make a viable VP candidate – except, again, for Dunbar, who would never say yes – so it’s going to be Claire, a development I’m on record as being opposed to.
Still, credit where credit is due: this episode was a marked improvement over the last. Joel Kinnaman is an always-welcome presence who plays well off of Kevin Spacey, and based on Tom Hammerschmidt’s meeting with Jeanine Skorsky, the threat of Lucas’s discovery still looms in the wings. In spite of everything, this season still holds promise.
A Few Thoughts
- A few strange coincidences in this episode: there’s a Supreme Court vacancy, and Joel Kinnaman looks like a young John Kasich.
- My favorite moment: “We need our own rock star. Who did you have in mind, Mr. President?” “Donald Blythe.” Blank stares.
- “You guessed it: I still hate children.”
- Also, a shocking statistic that I guess is true: 1/10 presidents die from bullet wounds.
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