At a certain point in any show’s run, it will play around with its format. Mad Men is especially famous for this; “The Crash” and “The Runaways” are two of the most WTF episodes of television I’ve ever seen. “Chapter 33” was House of Cards‘ attempt to do the same, and while it succeeded more than it failed, it was still an occasionally frustrating, confounding piece of work.
First off, I don’t think this show has ever fucked with its chronology the way it did here. It opened with Frank and Claire renewing their vows, but Claire’s hair was darker, leading me to believe that it was a flashback – but nope, it wasn’t, and we’ll get to that later. “Chapter 33” put politics on the back burner and focused primarily on the crumbling marriage of the Underwoods. It was successful near the end, but the buildup felt melodramatic and soapy, like something better suited to Scandal.
The framing device was weird, too – four Tibetan monks staying at the White House for a month. Did “Chapter 33” take place over the course of a month? It certainly didn’t seem like it. The monks had no significant interaction with any of the major players; they just committed themselves to painting a portrait in colored sand. The chanting they listened to swirled with Jeff Beal’s score, creating a discordant kaleidoscope of sound that wasn’t necessarily displeasing, but was jarring in its own way.
While I’m not sure where this book plot is heading – famous novelist hangs out with president, writes book about how great president’s idea is? – I like the dynamic between Frank Underwood and Thomas Gates. By underplaying Yates as a straight shooter, Paul Sparks is infinitely less annoying than he was on Boardwalk Empire, but that’s not saying much, because Mickey Doyle was the worst. I digress. Yates finally gets Frank to open up by admitting that he didn’t write the bulk of his first novel Scorpio, the one that made him famous. The moment lands, and once again I applaud House of Cards for getting its viewers invested in characters we know almost nothing about (see also: Kim Dickens’ Kate Baldwin).
Claire continues to strong-arm her fellow Ambassadors over the Jordan Valley resolution. Honestly, I’m glad that it gives Claire something to do, but I don’t really care about the Jordan Valley. It’s clearly important to her, but that importance hasn’t been effectively conveyed to the viewers. In great episodes like “Chapter 29” or “Chapter 32” this can be overlooked, but in a weird, unfocused episode like “Chapter 33” it can undermine the whole narrative. At least Frank is faring better. After his radio speech about America Works, he seems to be shoring up support in Congress, which is good for his inevitable run in 2016.
“Chapter 33” was all about the Underwoods, at its core. And not that that isn’t important – they are the show’s main characters, after all – but I can’t help but wondering if this was the right time for House of Cards to fuck with format. The time jumps were jarring, and subverted any emotional resonance that the episode might have earned. The best part was the end, where Claire decided to forgo her bed and sleep in Frank’s – that moment, wordless and intimate, was better than anything that came before it.
I will always support a show’s decision to play around with structure, because it’s so often worked in the past – look at Breaking Bad‘s “Fly,” Community‘s “G.I. Jeff,” or even all of the Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. But “Chapter 33” didn’t work for me because it tried to marry experimentation with cold reality. The two concepts are not irreconcilable, but they need a steadier hand than this.
A Few Thoughts
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Doug sleeps with this physical therapist. That guys says 20 words an episode and has more game than I do
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Gavin finds Rachel in Santa Fe. The fact that all the lies he’s told Lisa seem to actually upset him makes Gavin seem like an actual person. I like seeing him in this tortured, emasculated position, because it’s forcing him to discover what values he holds true as a human being
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This season has focused a lot more on the human angle. I guess with Frank being president we don’t need to see as much wheeling and dealing, although obviously there’s a ton of that. For all my complaints about “Chapter 33,” I liked that director John Dahl (Hannibal, The Bridge) tried to shine a spotlight on what makes the Underwoods tic
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Frank didn’t talk to us at all this episode, and he only talked to us once in “Chapter 32.” Either the show is abandoning its best gimmick, or it’s trying to become more cerebral
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