Building a 'House of Cards'

Beau Willimon delivered a scathing look at the political process with "Ides of March," a George Clooney film based on Willimon's stage play. The world of "Ides of March" depicted politics as it likely is today — brutal, dishonest, and cruel. People are used as pawns in a larger game, then discarded. Politicians thrive on back room deals while keeping their public persona pristine.

In fact, the world Willimon created had more in common with "Game of Thrones" than what we think of when we think of our political system, or what we'd like to imagine our political system is like. If "The West Wing" presented an idealized vision of what our political system could and should be, "Ides of March" offered a vision of how they really are.

So it makes sense that Willimon would be drawn to the TV adaptation of "House of Cards." The show centers on Majority Whip Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a veteran of Capitol Hill and a shrewd operator. The title, too, is fitting the narrative. Underwood — to get ahead — builds an elaborate house of cards to reach to the top. The tension is that if just one card is pulled, the whole thing will come crashing down.

At the end of 13 episodes — released all at once on Netflix —Underwood has never been higher, and his house of cards has never been in a more tenuous position. The winds of change are blowing, and it wouldn't take much for all his scheming to come crashing down.

There isn't much about "House of Cards" that's uplifting. Like his movie and stage play, Willimon creates a grimy world. Those in positions of power can, will, and do anything it takes to stay there. Underwood joins a long line of anti heroes in the protagonist role. He cuts corners, breaks laws, and is ruthless in pursuit of what he wants.

After being slighted and passed over for a good position in the pilot, Frank sets out on a 13-episode plot to improve his position, seek retribution, and get to where he thinks he belongs. Sometimes you loathe him, other times you can't help but root for him. And all the while you can't help but think this might be a fairly accurate representation of how bad things have really gotten in Washington, D.C.

But "House of Cards" not only succeeds in telling its original story, it succeeds in changing the delivery model for TV. "House of Cards" earned the first Emmy nominations ever for Netflix, and also became the first series to be honored with award nominations that didn't actually air on a TV network. With several more series coming from Netflix, Amazon, and the like, this is a trend that could continue for some time.