House of Cards Season 5 (2017) ★★★★☆

House of Cards Season 5 (2017) ★★★★☆
Channel: Netflix
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, Derek Cecil, Neve Campbell, Paul Sparks, Joel Kinnaman, Dominique McElligott, Boris McGiver, Korey Jackson.
Humpo Show Rating | 8.0

Claire is centre stage.

The President of the United States of America is at the centre of a scandal that potentially could end his presidency. His single-mindedness and power-drunk personality seem capable of bursting the Oval Office at its seams, he is a hated figure among his opponents, his own Party, and the public, yet he is an elected individual that holds the most powerful office on Earth. Sound familiar?

House of Cards began as the alternative reality, a fantastical what-if scenario, that could befall America amidst a strong and stable [Theresa May downs drink] Barack Obama presidency. But now with the [insert adjective] Donald Trump as the President, the Netflix hit TV show appears to mirror a reality that House of Cards warned against [or was it glorifying it?].

The latest installment begins with an Underwood-Underwood ticket trying to gain election, by any means necessary. Their adversaries are the Conways, which offer a glimpse to a younger and more modern presidential candidate – they are a picture perfect couple who regularly use social media to their advantage, as well as other innovative measures to appeal to the nation’s people. As the season progresses, the Underwoods face a different set of obstacles which make their disdainful and arrogant actions even more directed towards an accomplishment that only the Adams and Bush families have achieved – one the Clintons failed at doing recently.

Claire’s trajectory has seen her progress from wife, to First Lady, Vice President, and now she is centre stage of this epic drama. I was slightly disappointed by Frank’s “I planned it admission” as this detracted from Claire’s own manoeuvres, as well as the scandal of Frank’s presidency. I felt cheated somehow. It came across as deux ex machina.

Frank’s ascent to power in the early seasons were the most enthralling and exhilarating events in House of Cards history, but the dark, brooding intrigue that has to have shaped seasons since the Underwooods took residence in The White House has made the show a different animal altogether. It seems like a Claire Underwood presidency will follow that same path, as war beckons, in Syria and her marriage. 

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The Humpo Show | Richard