South Carolina Congressman Frank Underwood, the Democratic Majority Whip, leaves his house in Washington, D.C. after hearing his neighbors’ dog get hit by a car. As he comforts the mortally-wounded dog, he looks into the camera and says “Moments like this require someone who will act, who will do the unpleasant thing, the necessary thing,” before calmly proceeding to strangle it. This introduces both his habit of breaking the fourth wall to narrate, and his cold and vicious nature. Frank and his wife, Claire, go on to attend a New Year’s Eve party in honor of the new President-elect, Garrett Walker, a fellow Democrat and winner of the 2012 election. Frank confesses to the viewer that he does not like Walker, but saw his political potential early on and ingratiated himself to him, putting himself in line to be nominated as Walker’s Secretary of State after 22 years in Congress.

Frank meets with Walker's Chief of Staff, Linda Vasquez, whom Frank recommended for the job. She reveals that she and Walker have decided to rescind their promise to nominate him as Secretary of State because they want him to remain in Congress and use his political expertise to get the President-elect’s education reform agenda passed. Frank is initially incensed, but when Linda asks if he will continue to be an ally to the future President he says that he will. Linda reveals that Senator Michael Kern has been chosen for the position instead. Despite his statement to the contrary, Frank feels personally betrayed and, with Claire’s encouragement, begins to formulate a plot for revenge, which he shares with his Chief of Staff, Doug Stamper. Mrs. Underwood, meanwhile, is forced to downsize the non-profit organization she manages, the Clean Water Initiative, which had been promised a large donation upon her husband’s confirmation as Secretary, without which the organization is forced to substantially curtail its budget.

On a whim, Zoe Barnes, a young reporter for the Washington Herald who is stuck covering trivial “human interest” stories, 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, a young, inexperienced congressman from Philadelphia, is arrested for drunk driving. 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 and completely covering up the incident. Russo is picked up from jail by his secretary and romantic partner, Christina Gallagher. He lies to her, telling her that he was alone when he was arrested when, in fact, there was a prostitute in the car.




House of Cards received nine nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013, winning three.

The ratings from Rotten Tomatoes 'top critics' was 81% with 21 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Bolstered by strong performances — especially from Kevin Spacey — and surehanded direction, House of Cards is a slick, engrossing drama that may redefine how television is produced. "