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Damiya posted:This was the most random, amazing bit of what the gently caress. I mean the vibes between Claire and Meechum were there but then Frank gets it on and it's like 'well that was unexpected'. It was set in motion long before that. Frank and Claire nurtured that relationship since the beginning of the season and even into season 1. Frank continually elevated him and demanded that he be made part of his detail. He encouraged him to be part of Claire's detail and keep her safe. He and Claire had multiple conversations regarding Meecham's reliability and discretion. Frank asked Claire if she missed Adam and lamented that they weren't as free as they used to be to pursue others outside the marriage when she asked if he was unsatisfied. They brought him closer and closer throughout the season, tested him over and over (see: the escalation from playing ball, to one beer, to porn) and only then took action. The reason the Meecham thing was so brilliant is it perfectly displays Frank and Claire's talent for manipulating so innocently and subtly that it is almost undetectable and even if confronted completely deniable. If Meecham had turned down the advance he would have absolute nothing on them. It's exactly what he does to Walker throughout the season. They are jazz musicians and everyone else is reciting lines from a play. In the middle of the season I started to think that season 1 was superior - season 1 was "sex and politics" and season 2 is obviously "money and politics". I thought Frank and Zoe was much more compelling than endless discussions of money laundering and whatever what was going on with that insane Bond movie portrayal of a "hacker" (Boris Grischenko was less ostentatious). But in the end seeing how every single piece of maneuvering and relationship-building throughout the season (building trust with Trisha so that at the critical time she influences a completely isolated and diminished Walker in favor of Frank, creating and then resolving a conflict with Jackie so she respects and is willing to do something unprecedented for them, reaching across the aisle on the entitlement bill, etc.) leads inexorably to Frank rapping his knuckles in the Oval Office, I think it's worth reconsidering. Really can't wait for next season - Frank sold out every ideal and principle he never had to get the office - I'm very interested to see what he does with it. Unmerciful fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 03:57
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A couple other really fascinating character moments: - Claire's breakdown on the stairs reminded me of Melfi asking Tony Soprano why a shark stays in motion and suggested that if he ever stopped moving he would have to confront what he's done. This is the first time in the series I remember that Frank or Claire has put their relentless ambition on hold to actually think about the consequences for the people they use and the guilt instantly causes her to breakdown. Even though she can make a believable defense of her actions to anyone she herself knows exactly how impure her motives were throughout the rape/abortion arc - Frank's decision with Zoe was such a perfect encapsulation of his "ruthless pragmatism": she's the biggest liability, the risks of discovery were managed and minimal and he's already a murderer anyway. I've seen some people suggest this was a jump the shark moment for the show but really it was Frank and Beau Willimon telling the audience 'cut the poo poo, you already watched a murder so what's one more...' If she hadn't followed him around that corner or if the train hadn't come at the right time he would just have found another scheme but this was the simplest and most effective - desperate men with everything to lose make the decision to murder every day, through rarely with Frank's complete amorality and ability to cover his tracks
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Feb 16, 2014 04:49
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