It's no secret that Netflix was looking for a huge show to start them off when they were putting the groundwork out there for their big streaming platform. To do that, they needed a show that would get viewers to tune in, which meant a show that had huge stars attached to it and someone with a lot of pedigree behind them to start it up. That came with David Fincher and Kevin Spacey, who were developing a remake of the British show "House of Cards." It premiered in 2013 and was a huge success, largely due to a gripping and very fascinating opening episode.
They went out and hired Beau Willimon to be in charge of the show and he provided them with an excellent opening script that sets the stage for a show full of corruption, backstabbing, and aspiration. From the opening scene, Frank Underwood is put in a power position that signals his dramatic stage presence right off the bat, and shows you that this is a man to be feared. It's certainly very ambitious from the beginning and it asks its viewers - particularly those who are well-versed in American politics - to put reality aside and simply focus on the entertainment value, of which there is a lot. It's a heightened version of American politics and it works as such on a script level. In terms of the overall look, the production value is off the charts and if it was in their intention to make the viewers believe that this was shot inside of the White House, they succeeded. The halls of Congress probably don't even look this beautiful in real life. A lot of that is obviously due to David Fincher's excellent direction in this episode, capturing the visual beauty of the U. S. capital and the very core of national power. His direction also smoothly takes the audience through the more convoluted elements of the script, by offering up interesting visuals to counter. The stage has now been set, and the Underwoods' future seems like it's going to be filled with drama, and they will take us to dark places, which is totally fine.
"Chapter 1" sets the bar really high, setting up the important elements of the show and displaying a cunning politician with a vengeance at its center. It's a visually stunning show and the writing is tight and interesting, giving the actors - in particular the two leads - more than enough material to immediately bring iconic characters to life.
They went out and hired Beau Willimon to be in charge of the show and he provided them with an excellent opening script that sets the stage for a show full of corruption, backstabbing, and aspiration. From the opening scene, Frank Underwood is put in a power position that signals his dramatic stage presence right off the bat, and shows you that this is a man to be feared. It's certainly very ambitious from the beginning and it asks its viewers - particularly those who are well-versed in American politics - to put reality aside and simply focus on the entertainment value, of which there is a lot. It's a heightened version of American politics and it works as such on a script level. In terms of the overall look, the production value is off the charts and if it was in their intention to make the viewers believe that this was shot inside of the White House, they succeeded. The halls of Congress probably don't even look this beautiful in real life. A lot of that is obviously due to David Fincher's excellent direction in this episode, capturing the visual beauty of the U. S. capital and the very core of national power. His direction also smoothly takes the audience through the more convoluted elements of the script, by offering up interesting visuals to counter. The stage has now been set, and the Underwoods' future seems like it's going to be filled with drama, and they will take us to dark places, which is totally fine.
"Chapter 1" sets the bar really high, setting up the important elements of the show and displaying a cunning politician with a vengeance at its center. It's a visually stunning show and the writing is tight and interesting, giving the actors - in particular the two leads - more than enough material to immediately bring iconic characters to life.