Now that it’s a critical darling, awards magnet, and one of the most watched series on its platform, it’s kind of amusing to remember just how much skepticism House of Cards received from the industry at large before its 2013 debut. After all, what did Netflix know about creating original programming? Turns out the streaming giant could teach a class on the subject, having gone on to more success with originals Orange Is the New Black, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the headline-grabbing documentary Making a Murderer. Netflix looks to continue their string of triumphs with the upcoming fourth season of House of Cards, and has released a brand new teaser for the next chapter in its flagship show.
America deserves Frank Underwood. #FU2016 https://t.co/yCP36Py2HL— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) January 11, 2016
For those uninitiated, House of Cards stars Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, an ambitious South Carolina politician who begins the series as the majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives. After being passed over for a key promotion, Frank embarks on a campaign of revenge, one that ultimately lands him the job of vice president. Of course, Frank wouldn’t be happy as simply second in command, and has since lied, cheated, and even murdered his way into being leader of the free world.
Going into House of Cards season 4, President Underwood is poised to embark on a heated campaign for reelection, complicated by the fact that he had previously promised publicly that he would not seek a second term. Appropriately, the teaser above plays like a campaign ad, albeit one spliced in with quick flashes of many of Frank’s evil and/or at least morally questionable deeds.
The message is also a backhanded compliment of sorts, suggesting that America gets the leaders it deserves, and America definitely deserves a man like Frank Underwood in its top leadership position. Considering that he once pushed a woman in front of a train, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the USA. Of course, one doesn’t need to look that deep to see what Frank thinks of his constituents. After all, his campaign website is FU2016.com. Sure, they’re his initials, but there’s no way that double meaning gets by a man of Frank’s intelligence.
With 2016 being a presidential election year in the U.S., House of Cards is likely to find itself being more relevant to the public discourse now than at any time in its run so far. Here’s hoping Netflix’s fictional election ends up being as captivating to the masses as its real life counterpart.
House of Cards season 4 premieres March 4th, 2016 on Netflix.
Source: Netflix
