‘House of Cards’ Season 3 TV Review: Season Opens With Frank Underwood Sneering “Makes Me Seem More Human”

Before the much awaited House of Cards Season 3 premieres on Netflix on February 27, a brief sneak peek into the first 10 episodes had been previewed for critics on Wednesday. Thus, allowing pretty much everyone who writes about pop culture on the Internet to spend 58 minutes with the season premiere.

Now that Frank Underwood has gained his momentum as the new POTUS, the season opens promisingly enough, with the new POTUS grudgingly engaging in a ceremonial moment that, he sneers, "makes me seem more human." From there, "Cards" begins rolling along various tracks, with diverse crises arising, and a number of not-created-equal subplots that shouldn't be spoiled - one involving the first lady (Wright), who desires to be more than just a photo-op figurehead.

According to a review by Brian Lowry of Variety, showrunner Beau Willimon remains a shrewd observer of modern politics in many respects, and it's no accident that House of Cards frequently mirrors reality, and vice versa - from strained relations with Russia's authoritarian leader to Underwood seeking to champion a jobs program basically lifted out of the movie Dave that's similar to President Obama's desire to use federal spending on infrastructure to bolster the economy.

At the same time, Underwood's plans to circumvent Congress are a bit too transparent early on, and the first lady's - played by Robin Wright - plot is well played but politically hard to swallow, its homage to the Clintons notwithstanding. Nor do Underwood's occasional pangs of conscience feel in completely keeping with the character's win-at-all-costs nature.

House of Cards is still a valuable franchise for Netflix, in ways both subtle and obvious. The political setting, for example, ensures a regular string of cameos by media figures, from MSNBC and CNN anchors to Stephen Colbert, creating what amounts to a multiplier effect in terms of coverage and credibility.