While the season premiered on February 27th, it is due to numerous school assignments and the fact that it is actually enjoyable to go outside that I'm now finally finishing the extremely average season.
The season starts with Frank Underwood, the newly appointed United States President, settling into his new role of power. As a die-hard fan of the show since its beginnings, I always thought that his rise to power happened way too quickly for a TV show only in its third lap.
The fact that he had already climbed Mount Everest by the end of Season 2 was a huge red flag signifying the quality of patience with the series. This had me thinking that the writers were raising the stakes because they were running out of ideas and Season 3 proved me right.
Episode after episode, we are led to believe in Season 3 that something is building. Though, as you begin to watch the next episode, you realize that the build up was for a little pay out, if even one at all.
Never had I seen a television show, with such complex story lines and insanely unique characters all revolving around each other like it did in Season 1. The first season had Zoe and her quest for journalism power, Frank and his quest for political power, and let us not forget the greatest plotline in the series so far, Peter Russo's quest to find internal power.
These plot lines woven together made for a highly exciting political thriller, taking and playing off the major topics and woes that hang over our nation's capitol. Season 2 furthered these plot lines. Granted, some characters were taken away from their story, but their impact lived on.
That unfortunately can't be said in Season 3. In the newest season, the only plot line you're truly invested in is Frank's, and Christ, is it boring. No one likes Frank for his stressed demeanor and biting tongue, we like him for his cool demeanor and witty tongue.
It's as if the writers awoke the bear that is Frank from a deep sleep and then demanded the character to do 100 things at once. Does this really sound like quality television or more so, writers forgetting the exact cause that made the show so powerful in the first place?
I say that because one of the truly cool things about the show was how Frank broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the viewer. Usually, it was for the greatest of reasons. Whenever a political discussion would take place in front of the us, the viewer, Frank would fill us in on what truly mattered out of the conversation, keeping us engaged and satisfied with the heavily confusing policies looming over our heads.
This gave us, the viewer, a sense of worth, almost to the point where the viewer is as important a character as anyone else we see onscreen. But, for the oddest of reasons, and when we truly needed it most, the writers decided to get rid of Frank addressing the viewer. Granted, he does it a handful of times, but that is it.
This makes us as the viewer become just like any no-name character, sitting in on conversations we have no stake in. It's sad to feel so alone in a room with Frank Underwood. Never would I have imagined it to be the case.
Without giving anything away, we are left at the end of the season with the same stressed out, running on low-fumes, Frank that we were stuck with in the beginning of the season. The only difference being that we are now just a little bit deeper down the rabbit hole of sh*t that is politics. And not even the steamy, sensual politics that dazzled in the first season involving affairs, thievery, and murder, but rather textbook-policy politics that would make even a political science major fall asleep.
Maybe to you, that is the reason for the show. Maybe to you, there are truly no winners in politics and the show is highlighting just that. But to that I add, then why even create a television show around it when one could just watch C-SPAN?
