House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 7, 2015

This season, Frank Underwood (Golden Globe winner Kevin Spacey) finds his political gamesmanship at a severe disadvantage. Thrust into the light of the highest office in the land, the newly anointed President of the United States discovers how difficult it is to maneuver in the shadows when those shadows have been stripped away. The change is jarring, both for Frank and the House of Cards audience. It also borders on revelatory, with showrunner Beau Willimon boldly embracing the creative freedom Netflix and executive producer David Fincher have granted him. Gone is the guilty pleasure of watching Underwood gain the upper hand over anyone and everyone who dares get in his way. Frank has been rendered all but impotent; losing far more battles than he wins, squandering opportunities, and slowly coming to the realization that ultimate power has robbed him of any real power. Constant media scrutiny limits his movements. Voters are restless. Eyes are everywhere. Wolves begin to circle. International pressures mount. Domestic troubles grow. His authority is challenged as his autonomy dwindles. House of Cards, meanwhile, remains a riveting, sharply written, masterfully performed drama, even when Willimon risks the people's good will and refuses to give them what they've come to expect.

There's an argument to be made that things have come a bit too easily to Frank in past seasons. A little murder here, a little scandal there, sprinkle in some psychological wrangling, and boom... welcome to the Oval Office, Mr. President. And while that's made for some truly delicious, supremely entertaining edge-of-your-seat dark satire, it also indulged a level of high political fantasy that has, at times, threatened to become dangerously repetitive. (Key word: threatened.) Season Three has been labeled divisive -- is divisive -- but it at least can't be accused of being more of the same. With Frank desperately struggling, and often failing, to manipulate his allies and rivals, House of Cards takes what is perhaps its first hard look at the realities and stagnancy of modern American politics. Decisions can no longer be made away from the public eye. The next election season begins the moment a politician is elected. Compromise is a rarity. Power is absolute and, at the same time, absolutely worthless. The president has far less power than the masses believe, while the masses are more adept at soap-boxing than inspiring change. (Much like those who we vote for and against.)

It's in these occasionally frustrating, intentionally nebulous regions of the third season that we see what Frank is really made of, and it isn't much thicker than his sheep's clothing. He looks old. Tired. Sad. Overwhelmed. Disillusioned. Past his prime. Even growing a conscience midway through the season proves exhausting, and only puts him at more of a disadvantage. Spacey takes his time, thankfully, bolstering Frank's waning confidence with stubbornness and arrogance, allowing just enough self-doubt, insecurity and fear to bleed through to make the once untouchable monster unnervingly human. It's no longer fun to watch Underwood work a mark when his cons so frequently fall apart in front of his face. It isn't as thrilling to see the tables so quickly turned. It isn't as exciting to watch Frank be out-Franked by his enemies.

That's the point, though. Many fans have criticized Season Three for neutering Underwood. But exactly how far do we want this lying, murdering antihero to climb? How bullet-proof do we want him to be? How long do we want Willimon to shield him from consequence? And would House of Cards be a better show if Frank was still so deftly in control of his fate? Of course not. The latest thirteen episodes may strike some as disappointing the first time through, but second and third viewings validate Willimon's instincts, highlight the method in the madness, and demonstrate how smartly conceived this glaring departure from previous seasons really is.

Elsewhere in the White House, Claire (Robin Wright) grows resentful. Bitter. Restless. Not a good combination. What was once a bizarrely healthy marriage of like minds erodes into a marriage of convenience that, for Claire, is becoming less and less convenient. Wright subsequently does a lot of the heavy lifting this season and is more than up to the task, unearthing emotional complexity that further rids Claire of two-dimensionality and transforms the scheming politico into an even more fascinating co-lead. Spacey turns in another fine performance but his scenes are more reactionary by design, with Wright and the always excellent House of Cards supporting cast -- which includes Molly Parker, Lars Mikkelsen, Mahershala Ali, Derek Cecil, Nathan Darrow, Paul Sparks, Elizabeth Marvel, Kim Dickens and Rachel Brosnahan -- stealing the season. Spoiler returns for all thirteen episodes as well, and it's here that Season Three lays much of its narrative groundwork and builds most of its dramatic momentum. It's here, away from the Underwoods, that the series' most unpredictable arc twists and turns in wonderfully surprising, unbearably suspenseful ways, pitting loyalty against honor in a storyline that's as riveting a nail-biter as it is compelling a character study.

The Blu-ray release of The Complete Third Season includes thirteen episodes spread across four BD-50 discs:

• Chapter 27: While Frank is concerned with his plummeting approval ratings, Claire sets her sights on being Ambassador to the U.N. and a former colleague tries to deal with his injuries.
• Chapter 28: Frank goes on television in a bid to avoid being de-selected as the Presidential nomination. Claire's Congressional confirmation hearing for the U.N. job doesn't go smoothly.
• Chapter 29: Frank's powers of persuasion over Russian President Viktor Petrov seem lacking when it comes to his Middle East peace plan. Meanwhile, Gavin Orsay is forced to locate a missing person.
• Chapter 30: Frank attempts to neutralize a potential threat to his nomination.
• Chapter 31: With members of Congress unwilling to fund his America Works program, President Underwood has no choice but to branch out in new directions and look for money elsewhere.
• Chapter 32: When Frank and Claire visit Moscow, not everything goes entirely to plan.
• Chapter 33: In an attempt to fix the cracks growing in their relationship, Frank and Claire renew their vows.
• Chapter 34: Having plundered the federal disaster relief budget to fund America Works, a hurricane heading for the Eastern Seaboard causes multiple headaches for Frank.
• Chapter 35: Claire's peace plan is in shatters after a group of Russian soldiers are apparently killed in an explosion. Meanwhile, Rachel is reported as deceased, which causes a former lover to hit the bottle.
• Chapter 36: Frank makes a deal with Petrov, but Claire is the casualty.
• Chapter 37: Things turn ugly when Frank, Jackie and Heather square off during an intense and confrontational opening debate. Tom joins Claire on the campaign trail, attempting to learn more but finding Claire more difficult than ever.
• Chapter 38: Heather Dunbar finally goes for the jugular, which forces Claire to confront her worst fears and Frank to play his best cards. Meanwhile, the rift between Frank and Claire widens.
• Chapter 39: Frank and Claire face hard truths about one another during the Iowa caucuses.

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of House of Cards: The Complete Third Season features another first-rate 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation, that could only be bested by a 4K edition. The series' palette is even stormier and more desaturated than before, yet never entirely devoid of color. Primaries pierce when called upon, skintones are lovely (pale as they often are), contrast is striking throughout, and black levels are deep and satisfying. Detail brushes perfection as well. Edges are crisp and clean, fine textures are naturally resolved, and delineation is excellent, without anything in the way of artifacting, banding, ringing or errant noise to report. All told, the latest release of House of Cards is as impressive as its predecessors. Fans of the show will find their money has been well spent.

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like previous seasons, The Complete Third Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is as slick and deceptive as the Underwoods on their best day, lulling listeners into a false sense of security before pouncing with all the fury and might at its disposal. Dialogue is clean, intelligible and impeccably prioritized, without any mishaps that might impede the experience. LFE output is restrained on the whole but strong when called upon, much like the rear speakers, which deliver a nuanced soundfield brimming with oh so convincing ambient effects, acoustic prowess, directional sleight of hand and immersive know-how. And while the mix only grows aggressive and bears its teeth on a few heart-stopping occasions, it never goes for anything but the jugular when it attacks, and does so without hesitation or mercy. Sony delivers once again.

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Backstage Politics: On the Set of House of Cards (HD, 25 minutes): Go behind the scenes of Season Three in this excellent production documentary. Tracing the organic development of several key plotlines, "Backstage Politics" actually begins with the elevation of Corey Stoll's role in Season One and examines how that decision affected the subplot surrounding Rachel, which in turn affected the trajectory of Doug Stamper, which in turn altered the entire series. From there, showrunner Beau Willimon and his directors discuss the building blocks of numerous episodes, offering glimpses into the creative process, the cast's contributions, embracing happy accidents, and more.
• *Spoiler* in New Mexico (HD, 17 minutes): The grueling will-he-or-won't-he dilemma of the season finale is explored in full, digging into the characters involved, the performances, filming in the desert, and other elements crucial to the sequence.

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

House of Cards' third season isn't as viscerally satisfying as its first two seasons, but holds up nicely all the same, particularly on repeat viewings. The series' writing and performances are outstanding, and the story goes in interesting new directions, with a killer finale that, love it or hate it, is sure to leave fans dying to see Season Four. Sony's Blu-ray release is terrific too, and only disappoints when it comes to its small selection of special features. A strong AV presentation more than makes up for the lack of extensive supplemental content, though, making The Complete Third Season an easy release to recommend.