Chapter 1 (House of Cards)

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"Chapter 1"
House of Cards episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byDavid Fincher
Written byBeau Willimon
Produced by
  • Karyn McCarthy
  • Keith Huff
Featured musicJeff Beal
Cinematography byEigil Bryld
Editing byKirk Baxter
Production codeHOC-101
Original release dateFebruary 1, 2013 (2013-02-01)
Running time56 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Chapter 2"
House of Cards (season 1)
List of episodes

"Chapter 1" is the pilot episode of the American political thriller drama television series House of Cards and is the first episode of the first season. It premiered on February 1, 2013, when it was released along with the rest of the first season on the American streaming service Netflix. This episode became the first streaming television webisode to earn Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations. "Chapter 1" was written by series developer Beau Willimon and directed by executive producer David Fincher. The episode also earned 3 other Emmy nominations as well as Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama and Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series nominations.

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is an ambitious Democratic congressman and the House Majority Whip. Underwood helped ensure the election of President Garrett Walker (Michel Gill), who promised to appoint Underwood as Secretary of State. However, before Walker is sworn in, Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey) announces that the president will not honor the agreement and will instead nominate Senator Michael Kern. Furious at Walker's betrayal, Underwood and his wife Claire (Robin Wright), an environmental activist, make a pact to destroy Kern. When Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) makes her resources available, she becomes one of their pawns.

The episode was well received by most television critics. They praised the production values of the series as well as the performances of the lead actors.

Plot[edit]

Frank Underwood, confronted by the broken promise from the president, begins laying down track to run over those who wronged him. Zoe Barnes, frustrated by her lowly status at the newspaper, seeks to form alliances that will allow her to prosper professionally.

 – Episode 1 synopsis from The New York Times[1]

Francis "Frank" Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a U.S. congressman and Democratic Majority Whip, leaves his Washington, D.C. residence after hearing his neighbors’ dog get hit by a car. As he comforts the mortally wounded animal, he addresses the audience before calmly strangling it, introducing his cold and pragmatic nature. Frank and his wife, Claire (Robin Wright), go on to attend a New Year's Eve party in honor of President-elect Garrett Walker (Michel Gill). Frank confesses to the viewer that he does not like Walker but has ingratiated himself to him in the hopes of being nominated as Walker's Secretary of State.

Frank meets with Walker's Chief of Staff, Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey), and is initially incensed to learn that she and Walker have decided to go back on their promise of nominating Frank so that he can aid the President-elect's education agenda in Congress. Despite his assurances to Linda that he will remain Walker's ally, Frank feels personally betrayed and, with help from Claire and Chief of Staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), formulates a plot for revenge. Meanwhile, Claire is forced to downsize her nonprofit organization, the Clean Water Initiative, which had been promised a large donation upon her husband's confirmation, without which the organization is forced to substantially curtail its budget.

After receiving a picture of Frank leering at her backside, The Washington Herald reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) pays a late-night visit to Frank at his home. She offers to be Frank's undercover mouthpiece in the press in exchange for the elevated profile that she would gain from breaking substantive stories. Meanwhile, Peter Russo (Corey Stoll), a young and inexperienced congressman from Philadelphia, is arrested for drunk driving with a prostitute named Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan). Stamper finds out about the arrest and immediately contacts the D.C. police commissioner, offering Underwood's support for his mayoral campaign in exchange for releasing Russo. Russo is picked up from jail by his secretary and romantic partner, Christina Gallagher (Kristen Connolly), and falsely tells her that he was alone when he was arrested.

Frank meets with Donald Blythe (Reed Birney), a progressive congressman with whom the Walker Administration wants to work on an education bill. Frank dismisses his proposal as too ambitious and asks Blythe to rewrite it, but secretly passes a copy to Zoe. He then meets with Senator Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson) and suggests that she ought to consider seeking the nomination for Secretary of State. Frank also privately confronts Russo about his arrest and demands his loyalty in exchange for making the incident disappear. Zoe takes the draft of Blythe's bill to the Herald’s political editor, Lucas Goodwin (Sebastian Arcelus), and its chief editor, Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver), who gives her the lead on the story over chief political correspondent Janine Skorsky (Constance Zimmer). The episode ends the morning after Walker's inauguration, with Frank visiting his favorite restaurant, Freddy's BBQ Joint, for breakfast. On the front page of the Herald is Zoe's story about Blythe's "far left" education plan.

Production[edit]

The episode was directed by David Fincher[2] and was written by Beau Willimon,[3] who has served as an aide to Charles Schumer, Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton.[1] Independent studio Media Rights Capital purchased the rights to House of Cards, with the intent on creating a series.[3] Netflix agreed to contribute an undisclosed fixed fee to production costs in March 2011.[4] As he was completing his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fincher was introduced to the original miniseries by his agent and sought to develop a series with Eric Roth.[3] House of Cards was pitched to several cable networks, including HBO, AMC and Showtime. Netflix, interested in launching their own original programming, outbid the networks, picking the series up for 26 episodes, totaling two seasons.[5] Netflix was the only bidder that was interested in purchasing the rights without seeing a completed pilot. Thus, the show was not forced into manipulating story arcs introduced in the pilot to create artificial cliffhangers.[6]

Casting[edit]

"I was lucky to get into film at a time that was very interesting for drama. But if you look now, the focus is not on the same kind of films that were made in the 90s. When I look now, the most interesting plots, the most interesting characters, they are on TV."

 – Kevin Spacey[7]

Fincher stated that every main cast member was their first choice.[8] In the first read through, he said "I want everybody here to know that you represent our first choice – each actor here represents our first choice for these characters. So do not fuck this up."[8] Spacey, whose last regular television role was in the series Wiseguy, responded positively to the script. He then played Richard III, which Fincher said was "great training".[8] Spacey supported the decision to release all of the episodes at once, believing that this type of release pattern will be increasingly common with television shows. He said, "When I ask my friends what they did with their weekend, they say, 'Oh, I stayed in and watched three seasons of Breaking Bad' or it's two seasons of Game of Thrones".[9] He was officially cast on March 18, 2011.[10] Robin Wright was approached by Fincher to star in the series when they worked together in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.[8] She was cast as Claire Underwood in June 2011.[11] Kate Mara was cast as Zoe Barnes in early February 2012.[12] Mara's sister, Rooney Mara, worked with Fincher in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and when Kate Mara read the part of Zoe, she "fell in love with the character" and asked her sister to "put in a word for me with Fincher". The next month, she got a call for an audition.[13]

Cast[edit]

In order billed in the episode opening credits:

Filming[edit]

While Netflix had ventured into original programming by greenlighting foreign shows that were new to United States audiences with shows such as Lilyhammer, House of Cards represented the first show made for Netflix.[3] Filming for the first season began in January 2012[14] in Harford County, Maryland.[15]

"Chapter 1" sets the tone for the environs of the series. According to David Carr the political environs have such "marbleness" that it belies the clandestine nature of political activities, including those of Underwood who says he is there to "clear the pipes and keep the sludge moving". The fictional newspaper, The Washington Herald, is set with "brutal" lighting and drab furniture, in part because it was filmed at the real life offices of The Baltimore Sun. Carr uses several pejorative adjectives to describe Barnes' apartment including sad, grubby, dirty, dreary and humble but note that this implies that the digital revolution is dominated by people "on laptops who have no furniture". Similarly, Underwood and his associates are nattily clad, Barnes shows a lack of fashion recognition.[1]

Release[edit]

The episode was broadcast online by Netflix on February 1, 2013, as part of the simultaneous release of all 13 episodes of season 1 of the series.[16] The debut date was a weekend when there was little competition on television other than Super Bowl XLVII and a new episode of Downton Abbey on PBS.[17] Netflix broadcast "Chapter 1" and "Chapter 2" to critics several days in advance of the release.[18]

Reception[edit]

Reviews[edit]

David Fincher was praised for his direction of the pilot episode, receiving a Primetime Emmy Award for his work.

The episode received positive reviews from critics.[19][20] Elements of the opening scene were lauded. Matt Roush of TV Guide praised Spacey's self introduction as a Machiavellian politician in which he says "I have no patience for useless things."[21] The Boston Globe's Matthew Gilbert noted that "the first two episodes were expertly directed by David Fincher" and Spacey's harmonious cadence such as those used in the first scene of this episode "makes even his character's mercy killing of an injured dog – which he does by hand – seem a little less brutal."[22] Not only is Underwood described as Machiavellian, one critic from The New York Times notes that his belief in the omnipresence of dirt expressed as "Nobody's a Boy Scout, not even a Boy Scout" harkens back to Willie Stark in All the King's Men who said "There's always something".[1]

Time television critic James Poniewozik, notes that by the end of the first episode Frank establishes that his metaphor of choice is meat because both literally and figuratively it is his preference. He may begin a day with a celebratory rack of ribs, because "I'm feelin' hungry today!", but also he describes life with meat metaphors: he describes the White House Chief of Staff with grudging admiration: "She's as tough as a two-dollar steak."; he plans to destroy an enemy the way "you devour a whale. One bite at a time"; and he endures a tedious weekly meeting with House leaders, he tells us, by "[imagining] their lightly salted faces frying in a skillet."[23] Poniewozik notes that all of this comes from a character whose name, Underwood is a reference to the hallmark deviled ham of the William Underwood Company.[23]

Roush also notes that the first two weeks show how Claire "runs a charity with a brutally iron fist".[21] While Frank is Machiavellian, Claire presents a woman urging on her husband's assertion of power in the image of Lady Macbeth.[24][25] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post describes her as an ice-queen wife.[26] She encourages his vices while noting her disapproval of his weakness saying "My husband doesn't apologize...even to me."[25] Nancy deWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal describes what she sees of their relationship in the first two episodes as pivotal to the show's success: "Benign though they may seem – and their harmless air is what makes the Underwoods so effective as political plotters – this is a power couple with the same malignant chemistry as pairs of serial killers, where each needs the other in order to become lethal".[27]

Gilbert also notes that Mara's surprising naivete is a welcome respite against a backdrop of a "terminally jaded" cast.[22] As the show begins, aspiring journalist Zoe Barnes is desperate to rise from covering the "Fairfax County Council" beat to covering "'what's behind the veil' of power in the Capitol hallways."[26] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times notes that by the end of the first episode, Mara's Barnes is among the cadre of Frank's accomplices. After she pleads for a relationship with him by promising to earn his trust and not "ask any questions", Frank uses her fiendishly.[25] However, Ashley Parker of The New York Times considers her unfathomably aggressive and too overt, transactional and sexual. Parker points out that Barnes' statement "I protect your identity, I print what you tell me, and I'll never ask any questions" almost discredits itself.[1]

The Washington Post's Stuever has many complaints about the show including the fact that it is about Washington, DC, but filmed in Baltimore.[26] He also complains about its entrance into the television landscape littered with "more fictitious administrations than anyone can keep track of". He says that perspective will affect your perception of the show. Those not already inundated with "Type A personalities inside the Beltway" in their daily lives may be drawn to the show. However, it is not likely a show that will serve well those who spend a lot of time with the issues that the show deals with.[26] After viewing the first two episodes, Stuever also finds fault with the use of breaking the fourth wall, describing it as "the show's unwise narrative trope".[26] The Wall Street Journal's Smith defends the fourth wall as an "artifice that generally works well here to loosen our bearings".[27]

Ryan McGee of The A.V. Club notes Russo seems to employ vices without restraint, which is a respite from the other exacting characters in the episode and a makes him a sort of metaphor for the show.[28] McGee also notes that the episode includes "establishing shots within Zoe's apartment that offer up almost everything you need to know about her current position in life".[28]

Accolades[edit]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by House of Cards

On July 18, 2013, House of Cards (along with Netflix's other web series' Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove) earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online only streaming television for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013.[2] Among House of Cards' nine nominations, "Chapter 1" received four nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards and 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards becoming the first webisode (online-only episode) of a television series to receive a major Primetime Emmy Award nomination: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for David Fincher. This episode also received several Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic).[2][29] "Chapter 1" was also Spacey's pick to support his nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.[30]

On September 15, at the Creative Arts Emmy Award presentation, "Chapter 1" and Eigil Bryld earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, making "Chapter 1" the first ever Emmy-awarded webisode.[31][32] Then on September 22, David Fincher won Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing the pilot episode "Chapter 1", bringing the series to a total of three wins and marking the first ever win for a webisode at the Primetime Emmy award ceremony.[33] None of the Emmy awards were considered to be in major categories, however.[34]

Award Year Category Recipient Result
Primetime Emmy Award
2013 Primetime
 Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
David Fincher
 Won[33][34]
2013 Primetime Creative Arts
 Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
Eigil Bryld
 Won[31][32]
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Kirk Baxter
 Nominated
[35][36]
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Jeff Beal
 Nominated[35][36]
Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Awards 2013
 Television: Episodic Drama
Beau Willimon
 Nominated[37]
Directors Guild of America Award
2014 Directors Guild of America Awards
 Drama Series
David Fincher
 Nominated[38]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Carr, David and Ashley Parker (February 22, 2013). "Debating 'House of Cards': What the Show Gets Right and Wrong About Journalism". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Stelter, Brian (July 18, 2013). "Netflix Does Well in 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d Stelter, Brian (January 18, 2013). "A Drama's Streaming Premiere". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Takahashi, Dean (March 21, 2011). "Netflix confirms deal to launch Kevin Spacey series via video streaming". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 15, 2011). "Netflix To Enter Original Programming With Mega Deal For David Fincher-Kevin Spacey Series 'House of Cards'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  6. ^ Itskoff, Dave (July 18, 2013). "Emmy Nominees: Kevin Spacey of 'House of Cards'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  7. ^ Roxborough, Scott (October 10, 2012). "MIPCOM 2012: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright: Why Netflix's 'House of Cards' Is the Future of TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d Sepinwall, Alan (January 29, 2013). "'House of Cards' director David Fincher on making 13 hours for Netflix". HitFix. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  9. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (January 27, 2013). "Kevin Spacey 'House of Cards' Q&A: 'My role is diabolical, delicious'". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2011). "Kevin Spacey Set To Star in David Fincher's Drama Series For MRC 'House of Cards'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  11. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 9, 2011). "Robin Wright in Talks to Star in Netflix's 'House of Cards' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 1, 2012). "Jennifer Finnigan Joins David E. Kelley TNT Pilot, Kate Mara in Netflix 'House of Cards'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  13. ^ Hughes, Sarah (January 20, 2013). "Why we're watching... Kate Mara". The Guardian. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  14. ^ Zurawik, David (January 5, 2012). "Netflix to produce $100 million 'House of Cards' in Baltimore – Kevin Spacey, David Fincher to produce political thriller". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  15. ^ Goodman, Brian (January 9, 2012). "Political Thriller House of Cards to Film in Harford County". The Dagger. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  16. ^ Hayden, Erik (November 16, 2012). "Netflix's 'House of Cards' Trailer: Betrayal and Beltway Intrigue (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  17. ^ "'House of Cards' is all aces". USA Today. February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  18. ^ Goodman, Tim (January 26, 2013). "House of Cards: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  19. ^ "House of Cards (2013): Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  20. ^ "Netflix's 'House of Cards' Earns Rave Reviews, CEO Reed Hastings Promises Hollywood Takeover". International Business Times. February 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  21. ^ a b Roush, Matt (February 1, 2013). "The Weekend Playlist: Cards Sharks on Netflix, Super Bowl Weekend". TV Guide. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Gilbert, Matthew (January 31, 2013). "'House of Cards' with Kevin Spacey: Netflix ascending". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  23. ^ a b Poniewozik, James (January 31, 2013). "Review: House of Cards Sinks Its Sharp Teeth into Washington". Time. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  24. ^ "Ostrow: Kevin Spacey shines in "House of Cards" political drama on Netflix". The Denver Post. January 30, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  25. ^ a b c Stanley, Alessandra (January 31, 2013). "Political Animals That Slither: 'House of Cards' on Netflix Stars Kevin Spacey". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  26. ^ a b c d e Stuever, Hank (January 31, 2013). "'House of Cards': Power corrupts (plus other non-breaking news)". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  27. ^ a b deWolf Smith, Nancy (January 31, 2013). "Fantasies About Evil, Redux". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  28. ^ a b McGee, Ryan (February 1, 2013). "House of Cards: "Chapter 1"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  29. ^ "House of Cards". Emmys.com. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  30. ^ Riley, Jenelle (August 26, 2013). "Emmy Episode Submissions: Lead Actor in a Drama". Backstage. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  31. ^ a b "Netflix Makes History With Two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards". NJ.com. PR Newswire. September 15, 2013. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  32. ^ a b House of Cards (September 15, 2013). "@HouseofCards status update". Twitter. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  33. ^ a b Sharma, Amol and Alexandra Cheney (September 23, 2013). "Netflix Makes Some History With Showing at Emmys". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Netflix Wins Three Emmys, 'House of Cards' Shut Out of Major Categories". The Huffington Post. September 23, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  35. ^ a b "The 65th Annual Primetime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York City: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. July 18, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  36. ^ a b "Emmy nominations 2013: "House of Cards" makes history, "American Horror Story" leads". Cbsnews.com. July 18, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  37. ^ "'House of Cards', 'Orange Is The New Black' Among Writers Guild's TV Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  38. ^ "DGA Awards TV Nominations Unveiled". Deadline Hollywood. January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.

External links[edit]

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