House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 11-13

Season 2, Episode 11: 9.0

Teeheehee.  I knew something was going to happen with Meechum, I just didnt know what.  Frank and Claire were getting overly friendly with him in the last couple of episodes, offering him beer and toasting to him.  I speculated that it might be some kind of plot to get him to do something evil.  Maybe have him kill someone or to get him involved with some kind of political scandal?  Nope!  It turns out, they wanted him for a threesome, mostly for Frank I believe.  Some sexual healing.  Things got weird.  Deliciously weird.

-Some other stuff happened this episode.
-During questioning, Frank makes a Kim Kardashian jokes and gets everyone to laugh, except the main prosecutor.
-Stamper's addiction is Rachel.  She reminds him of booze.
-Frank fidgets when hes nervous.
-Tusk has a team of 8 attorneys.
-Remy protects Jackie when questioned by Tusk.  Love is complicated.
-Stamper looks confused and devastated when he sees Rachel with Lisa.
-Meechum is bad at cleaning up broken glass.
-Bow chicka bow wow.

Season 2, Episode 12: 8.0

The episode where Frank's endgame finally reveals itself.  He wants to incriminate the President by linking him to Tusk and Feng's illegal political schemes; thus making him eligible for impeachment.  Claire's job was to encourage marriage counseling, so that when the President is investigated, his marital issues and medication will destroy his public image.  Not bad of a strategy this time around, especially compared to the confusing mess that was Frank's plan with Russo in Season 1.  I like that the plan ultimately comes down to President Walker, Frank and Tusk and how they will incriminate each other.

-President Walker's marriage counselor is a G, would rather face contempt of court than to talk.
-President Walker admires Mayweather's tactics, precision, speed and counterpunch.
-Game on, for the first time ever, the President actually appears smart for once.
-Stamper goes into serial killer mode, popping up out of nowhere to help Lisa with her battery.  Suspicious much?
-Megan is bad at answering questions, good at getting flustered and caraazyyy.
-Major power reversal between the hacker and the FBI guy.  Also, dude's wife is cheating on him.
-Rachel and Lisa's break up scene was sad, hopefully they get back together.

Season 2, Episode 13: 8.5

A strong episode to end a great season.  Frank's manipulation pays off, with him successfully getting Tusk and President Walker to turn on each other.  My only issue with this episode extends more to the series in general.  Frank has had no worthy adversary; all of his gambles seem to pay off in his favor.  If President Walker went through with the letter, everything Frank had worked for would have been in vain.  Yet, I also understand the delicious appeal of the show is watching Frank manipulate and crush his adversaries.  At the end of the episode, Frank has finally done what he set out to do in Season 1, Episode 1.  The last scene in this episode was his victory lap, ending his relationship with President Walker on good terms and becoming the President of the United States.

-"I serve this nation, and this President.  Not myself"- Frank.  The antithesis of the show.
-President Walker is shown strategizing with Linda Vasquez, followed by scenes of Frank strategizing with Stamper and Grayson.  I'd take Team Frank/Stamper/Grayson any day, they're crazier and darker.  Much darker.  Even the lighting is darker in their strategy scenes.
-40 hours to make it happen.
-Jackie Sharp, impeachment crusader.  Getting points for not being Frank.
-Claire breaks down and cries from all the evil she's done.
-Dramatically, Frank and Tusk meet at an opera.
-Hacker guy is now the boss.
-Frank's letter, what is this?  The Notebook?
-Poor President Walker, he seemed like a good man.  Too oblivious and manipulated though.
-Was Stamper going to kill Rachel?
-Death by Rachel, we all saw it coming in some way or another.  R.I.P Stamper.
-Xander Feng is going to die.  His weird sex stuff went nowhere this season.  I guess every character on this show just has to have some weird sex thing.
-*knock knock*
-Thanks for reading everyone.  It's been fun, see you in Season 3!

House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 9-10

Season 2, Episode 9: 8.5

House of Cards takes time to focus on two underdeveloped characters, with good results.  The episode takes a much needed break from Washington politics to deal with scandal.  The first one involves Claire and Adam, and brings back some of residue from their relationship in Season 1.  Claire destroys any feelings they might have had with each other by ruining Adam’s life to cover her story.  The other scandal involves Freddy, and his troubled background/ family.  Frank offers to help him, but at a distance.  Freddy refuses pridefully. 

The episode highlights two unintentional casualties in Frank and Claire’s lives.  Freddy and Adam are just victims of a war between Frank and Raymond Tusk.  When Freddy closes his restaurant and walks away, we get the worldview of a down on his luck ordinary man, a type of character we never see in House of Cards. 

-Directed by Jodie Foster.

-Episode starts off with Freddy killing a bug, hittin them weights, then burning the newspaper looking like a badass.

-Freddy gets some plot development besides being Frank’s chef?

-Claire did Adam wrong, she could’ve at least told him about their plan.

-“I’m the ceiling”, Stamper claiming his territory.

-Freddy goes out broke and in trouble, but like a G.

- "Do you think I’m a hypocrite? Well, you should”.  Frank sad and regretful, for once.

-Claire and Adam’s fallout is messy and nasty. 

-Tusk kills a bird, he’s terrible.

-Claire requests suffering.

Season 2, Episode 10: 8.0

This will be known as the episode where Meechum walks in on Frank watching porn.   Pretty random right?  Or is it… Maybe Frank planned that, he apparently can predict and plan everything.  Anyways, what else happened.  Claire and Jackie have a face off.  Stamper’s weird relationship with Rachel gets deeper; affecting his work.  A money trail with the casinos and China connects everybody, endangering everybody.  Things are heating up.  Bring on the final 3!

-Stamper spends time listening to Rachel read, then gets in trouble with Frank for slacking off.

-The previous episode reminded me of The Wire; so far this episode (pre-credits) reminds me of Die Hard.

-Meechum works overtime, as long as necessary.

-“You think you can just get me wet and I’ll spill everything?” Uhh, phrasing.

-Frank loathes sleep.

-This show goes through a lot of reporters.

-Stamper needs a bed time story, he’s distraught.

House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 7-8

Season 2, Episode 7: 8.0

An interesting episode, in that it sees the professional relationship between Frank and President Walker becoming more personal.  I usually like to watch Frank take apart and slowly destroy his enemies, but I feel bad seeing Frank and Claire manipulate the Walkers.  President Walker seems like a good, honest man that happens to be easily manipulated (his wife is even more susceptible to this).  Seeing the Walkers open up and accept the Underwoods as friends when they clearly have a hidden agenda feels…dirty. 

-That political ad was pretty spot on.

-Frank got chewed out.

-“Maybe, mostly it’s the fucking ribs though.”

-That punching bag, Frank is a troll.

-Stamper, the ladies man.

-Grayson is a wildcard.

-The President sure looks like he enjoys playing with action figures.

-The First Lady is so easy manipulated.

-Connor is Joan’s ex husband on Mad Men.

-Retail BBQ Sauce?!

-“You know what I like about money?  I can stack it.”

-This show makes jogging look really dramatic.

Season 2, Episode 8: 7.5

The last couple of episodes have been pretty heavy on the political drama, with team journalism (Lucas and Co.) put out of commission.  The romantic subplot between Remy and Jackie is a poor non-Frank subplot and has started to get boring.  Luckily for this episode, things heat up at the end.  Rachel and Amy finally consummate their love; Feng ends his relationship with Tusk; and the Adam affair from last season is finally revealed.   

-That Native American guy sure didn’t like that picture of Andrew Jackson.

-Rachel makes coffee in her bra.

-The lady that Claire let go was impressed by Starbucks coffee.

-Uh oh, Remy and Jackie are about to go steady.

-The First Lady thinks Claire is her #bff.

-“The tip of your iceberg is melting Frank”, said smugly by Tusk.

-“Dogs are so predictable aren’t they?”

-Ribs on the flight back.

-Stamper smells Rachel’s sheets, creepily.

-The fight with Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez has been brewing since episode 1.

-Rachel <3 Amy? Yes, indeed.

House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 5-6

Season 2, Episode 3: 7.0

Another business episode, where the main focus is the political battle between Frank and Raymond Tusk.  Their fight for power over the President doesn’t particularly interest me, as I find the politics themselves somewhat boring (something about causing inflation?).  How the characters go about their business is where House of Cards excels.  Frank dramatically meeting Feng in the forest and intimidating each other with war knowledge is the stuff I watch the show for; as well as the smaller moments like Frank’s interactions with the war reenactor.  Lucas’s story got dark; with his hacker guy facing torture and being metaphorically and literally reduced to a barking dog.  Where Lucas’s story goes next should be more interesting than his capture, because we all saw that coming.

-This episode is written by Kenneth Lin, a prominent Asian American playwright.

-Odd, no pre-credits scene.

-What the crazy is this Chinese diplomat guy into?

-Frank gives a look of boredom during the Civil War reenactment.

-Rape happened in college, abortion happened 5 years later.  Big timeline discrepancy.

-Xander Feng billions> Raymond Tusk billions.

-That war reenactor that played Augustus Underwood is a good actor.

-Threatening a man’s pet = dirty.

-Stamper knocking away that old fashioned was kinda scary.

-This new PR guy is sneaky and suspicious.

-Lucas, caught red handed.  Got him coach!

-Cool looking last shot, with Frank at the reenactment burying his college ring.

Season 2, Episode 6: 8.0

Things heat up for everybody, literally.  During the heat wave, Frank and Tusk play a dangerous power game that leads to both men declaring their hatred for another.  Remy and Jackie get together after a drunken night.  Lucas gives in and accepts the plea bargain.  The most surprising turn is between Stamper and Rachel.  What is going on in their relationship?  Something is clearly wrong with Stamper, to the point where he apologizes to Frank for disappointing him, probably for the first time.  A tense episode that raises the stakes for all of the main players, except maybe Claire.

-First Lady has an old fashioned First Lady look to her.

-Remy’s got some bling on his neck.

-“Stubbornness is a lot more costly than obedience.”

-Frank to Meechum after a bad throw: “Don’t tell Claire”.

-Stamper in abusive boyfriend mode again.

-That depiction of a prison was pretty exaggerated; with the blood being spit in Lucas’s face.

-Remy the baller; big tipping.

-Remy and Jackie, uh ohhhhh.  It was her voice, it does something to the man.

-Meechum seems scared by Freddy the rib chef.

-Fun fact: the actress that plays Christina played the main character in The Cabin in the Woods.

-Tusk was smart enough to figure out Frank’s revenge plan.

-Frank at the baseball game started off like a scene from a comedy sitcom.

-“It makes me look crazy!”  “It’s the toned down version..”

-Stamper and Rachel, think with your head  Stamper!  Don’t do it!

House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 3-4

Season 2, Episode 3:  8.0

An episode that deals heavily with Washington politics.  Those that watch House of Cards for political intrigue will find a lot to like in this episode.  Personally, I’m more drawn into the trashy stuff, but there was some of that here too.  Stamper continues to have an abusive relationship with Rachel, he’s like an overbearing boyfriend.  Lucas continues to does shady things in his quest for information.  He momentarily steals a dude’s iPhone.  A plot filled episode that delves more into the political logistics side of House of Cards. 

Frank’s sketch of a matador was pretty good.  Its also more challenging to draw than a door mat.

Frank and Tusk are having a power struggle over the President. 

Lucas would be more believable if he didn’t look like a drugged out bum. 

“You sound hot, are you hot?  Somewhat hot?  A great deal hot?”  Creepy caller.

Rachel’s mom will come back into play.

Frank says “muchos gracias” to the Hispanic politician.

What a waste of an iPad.  If Lucas was going to have to destroy it, they should have gotten a cheaper tablet.

Lucas just slides the dude’s phone on the floor haha.

Stamper:  “What is this?  You let me know if ANYONE contacts you”.

Jackie gets tattoos of thorned roses everytime she feels like she needs to morally punished?

At first, its like Lucas walked into an amateur internet porn video.

Season 2, Episode 4: 9.0

So who knew that the tensest moments of House of Cards so far would consist of Claire being interviewed?  The episode set up everything perfectly to isolate her from Frank’s help.  When Claire admitted she had an abortion, it seemed like it would destroy her public image and Frank’s career.  Then the bombshell, she cleverly found a way to turn it around while also taking revenge on the General who had raped her.  With an additional stroke of luck (the caller who revealed her identity), Claire made a great strategic move.  She deserved that cigarette at the end, along with Frank’s serenade.

Sucks to be that girl who opened that envelope.

Remy knows how to eat, the best caviar in DC!

“I should’ve thought of this before, appeal to the heart, not the brain.”

Come on zombie outbreak…

Claire’s most vivid memory: visiting where Kennedy was shot.  Truth or strategy?

I could watch a show about the adventures of Remy and Jackie.

That interviewer was leading and speculative.

Frank looks more nervous that he’s ever watching Claire interview.

Next to the General’s tv, pictures of his wife and kids.  Nice touch.

Frank serenades Claire.  Who new Kevin Spacey could sing?

House of Cards: Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2

Season 2, Episode 1:  9.5

The first episode of Season 2 is the best episode of House of Cards yet, and might be the best episode of the entire series.  For a season premiere episode, I was surprised at how much plot developments there were in the first hour. 

Things go right back into action, with Frank scheming his rise to Vice Presidency, Stamper cleaning up loose ends, and Zoe and her crew continuing their search for the truth.  Oh Zoe, poor Zoe…I did not see that coming.  It was a bold move by the showrunners, one that I hope pays off as I found her character one of the highlights of the show.  From the first episode, she was presented as a main character.  Killing her off was a risky move, but one I respect if the writers believed we couldn’t get much more out of her character.  My only worry is that her story will be taken up by Lucas and Janine, two characters I’m not particularly fond of. 

Worries aside, this was an exciting and shocking episode.  We see sides of Frank, Claire and Stamper that are darker than we’ve ever seen before.  I like that this season already feels different; the show has developed from Season 1.  Can the show maintain this kind of pace and edge?  I don’t know, but if any future episode surpasses this one, I will be pleasantly surprised. 

Notes:

-Season 2 picks up literally where last season left off, with Frank and Claire jogging.

-“Are you finished? I’m good”.  Looks like Zoe isn’t as into Lucas as she was into Frank.

-Deputy Jackie is very attractive for her age.

-Frank’s computer desktop is just four files with people’s names on it and an icon for a scanner.

-Claire’s work story slows the pace of the show down.

“-Use a condom the next time you fuck someone’s husband”.  Who’s this woman again?

-Stamper is cold.

-Secret service guy got owned.

-Zoe and Lucas text with correct capitalization and punctuation.  If it was me, it would be like “dude was found on passenger side of his car wahhhhhhhh lol”.

-Did Zoe just die?!  What the crazy.

-Frank is cold.  Was he planning that? 

-That was unexpected.  I always took her as a main character.  R.I.P.

-“Did you think I’ve forgotten you?”  Frank’s monologue to us at the end is pretty great.

Season 2, Episode 2: 8.0

The second episode follows up the season premiere shocker with a more typical narrative about where the plot is heading.  Frank is up to some serious scheming, this time involving the president himself. 

The theme of this episode seems to be revenge and knowing when to take it or to not take it.  Frank’s two candidates for replacement start off the episode arguing and then agreeing to shake hands and work together.  Later, they let their rivalry get in the way of progress.  Claire advises Frank to pin a medal on a man who raped her in college.  Lucas delves deeper into his investigation/revenge, risking his job and mental health. 

All the plots come together thematically, making a solid table setting episode.  Although less of an exciting episode than the season premiere, the second episode finds the show getting back into its familiar rhythms of manipulation and deceit. 

Notes:

-Dark and stormy opening scene, set to images of saws and the security ramp up of Frank’s place.

-Of course Frank would stop to monologue us in the middle of the swearing in.

-Zoe’s death footage looks pretty brutal, especially in “frame by frame” mode.

-Jackie is pretty cunning; she made that guy think funding her campaign was his idea.

-Ha, a framed pic of Frank and Bill Clinton looking bored on their phones.

-Frank is on dat vape though.

-The return of Tom the editor, he looks miserable. 

-Theme about shaking hands, pinning medals, standing down.  Revenge; equity.

-Why does Frank need the internet to play God of War?  It’s a single player game…

-Lucas’s employee looks like he might be into some weird internet stuff.

The House of the Devil

Rating: 9.0

“Talk on the phone.  Finish your homework.  Watch TV.  Die.”

Ti West’s homage to 1980’s babysitter in peril horror films is one of the best genre films of the last decade.  What sets it apart from other horror films today is the tone and the pacing.  The film engages you with its atmosphere and slow burn lead up.  Jocelyn Donahue plays the title character with a natural sympathy; you care about her and her situation as the film progresses.  When the film takes a turn for the shocking, it is well earned and hard to forget.  Notes  below:

-Love the freeze frame that goes into the opening title, followed by the great 80’s music.

-The bulletin board has the important “Baby$itter Needed” flyer, as well as flyers for “Eclipse Viewing with the Astronomy Society” and “Lost Cat”.

-Samantha’s roommate’s boyfriend gives her a very satisfied/smug smile.

-Greta Gerwig!  Officially makes this movie “mumblegore”.

-Pizza portrayed as being from the 1980’s somehow looks a lot tastier than pizza today. 

-Tom Noonan is great; his voice is soft and alluring. 

-Samantha drives a hard bargain, $400 a night!

-Megan’s lighter scene is amazing, one of the best shocks of recent memory.

-Samantha is reminded three times that there’s a number for pizza on the refrigerator.

-Pizza guy on the phone: “Extra anchovies?” 

-Walkman music + pool = cool and badass.

-The Volvo is still there…

-Where did he actually get the pizza from?  It must be cold.

-Not a great time to watch “Night of the Living Dead”.

-Closet show reminds me of “Halloween”.

-One creepy family.

-Tom Noonan looks like he’s sexually climaxing.

-Get em Samantha.

-Friend revenge #bff.

-Both of you…