House of Cards is extremely consistent about its episodic quality, at least in its first season, and the seventh chapter blends into that right away. The writers know how to push the story forward without spelling everything out loud in capital letters, the actors make the most out of usually not highly demanding scenes, and everything is shot beautifully – most of all the smoking, looking way too beautiful for something that unhealthy.
However, and even though this might be something that is actually planned to be this way, I'd like to point it out, the series is too positive in these 50 minutes. Frank, Stamper, Peter, Zoe, and all the others just do what they want to do and everything works out well, which is quite the exact opposite of what you hear from actual politics on an everyday basis. This not only gives the series a touch that is slightly above the ground of reality, but, considerably graver, makes House of Cards less entertaining.
Yet, that isn't the hugest of criticisms and I very much enjoyed the episode, especially the story part of Stamper and Rachel, giving more insight into their respective characters and showing that, while they're not the biggest do-gooders, they can be pretty nice.
Memoranda: Very well-made panning shot with the President and the VP encountering in the White House hallway by cinematographer Eigil Bryld! Zoe playing The XX at her home – plus ten sympathy points for her! Oh, and another ten for that heart-phallus drawing of hers on the window. I've never been to one myself, but I highly doubt you'll see that many smiling people at the beginning of an AA meeting. The White House on this series just has the most phenomenal set design; it's a pleasure seeing it in every single scene. Sebastian Arcelus is another amusing addition to the House of Cards actors who are really talented at playing their characters in a drunken state. Yes, Kevin Spacey was creepy in that last scene of this chapter, but once you've seen Se7en, this scene basically becomes the epitome of creepy. Best quote: everything coming out of the mouth of Kenneth Tigar as Walter Doyle, Frank's associate who dissects Peter's shady past as smoothly as possibly. It really would have been great to see more of him on this series.