ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

House of Cards

Always On: The Netflix Revolution

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?Have you seen it yet? It?s on Netflix.?

Not sure what ?it? I?m talking about? It doesn?t matter. Daredevil. House of Cards. Orange is the New Black. Or, basically any other show/movie you can name.

The ?it? changes based on the person but the site remains constant.

The truth is that, ever since Netflix took over the universe roughly 3-4 years ago, the way we interact with media has changed a lot for us.

Now, don?t worry. I?m a full-blown Netflix devotee (even though it single-handedly murdered my beloved Blockbuster video stores). Not only do they have a lot of the shows my family wants to watch but, in all seriousness, they?ve also got some of the most interesting original content I?ve seen in a while. (Stranger Things is my latest obsession.) It?s convenient and they (usually) have what you want and when you want it? and I like that.

A lot.

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Having said that though, Netflix also perfected another key part of our viewing lifestyle by bringing binge-watching into the mainstream.

Even though I truly love the fact that I can throw down 6 episodes of Kimmy Schmidt or Brooklyn Nine Nine at any given moment, I also feel like we?re not really thinking about the impact of this. With our access to media at an all-time high, we need to be conscious not only of what we?re taking in (a favourite topic amongst Christian leaders) but how we?re taking it in. All of a sudden, the barriers between our favourite shows and ourselves have disappeared. (Heck, we?ve even almost eliminated commercials!) It is very literally a ?round-the-clock?, all-you-can-eat buffet of tv shows, movies, YouTube clips, vines, and more! While this is great for our own convenience, it really has shaped our world around? well? us.

Think about it.

The more accessible things become, the less boundaries there are. Viewing a new show used to take weeks (or months) to finish a season but now we will do it over a weekend (or even an afternoon), simply because we ?feel like it?. Then, when we?re done, what?s our next impulse? To look for something else (after all, we?ve ?seen that? now). To go back to the buffet analogy, you wouldn?t think twice if you saw someone go for their 2nd or 3rd plate? but what about their 11th or 12th? You?d probably think that was pretty unhealthy and undisciplined. It wouldn?t be wrong to get your money?s worth? but too much isn?t good for you either.

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Plus, with the opportunity to watch at any time, it also puts our needs as most important. While this might not seem like a big deal, it begins to set up an expectation that we should be able to have what we want when we want. After all, we deserve it. (Not convinced? Think about how frustrated you get when your Netflix is slow. It?s the very definition of #firstworldproblems.)

And therein lies the problem.

While it?s not bad to have that sort of access, we must watch our hearts and their own sense of privilege. A book I read once said that ?no one should think of themselves more highly than they ought.? (Spoiler alert: It was the Bible.) It wasn?t in there to cut us down but, rather, to make sure that we understood that our needs and wants aren?t what?s most important. While Netflix doesn?t tell us that, it is an example of a culture that wants us to believe that we?re the centre of the universe. Left unchecked, our lives of bingeing can create an atmosphere that points us to the belief that our interests come first.

And that?s not who God has called us to be.

Now let?s see what else is on.

Netflix customer Arthur Michelson demonstrates the online Netflix movie service Roku at his home in Palo Alto, Calif., Thursday, July 23, 2009. Netflix Inc.'s second-quarter profit coasted past expectations as recession-weary customers continued to embrace its DVD-by-mail and streaming movie service. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Toppling the HOUSE OF CARDS

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?Look like the innocent flower; but be the serpent under?t? ? Lady Macbeth

If you?re late to the game, House of Cards follows the political scandals of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a presidential WHIP with an incredible lust for power. Dissatisfied with his place in the government structure, Frank and his ferocious wife, Claire (Robin Wright) begin to unravel their elaborate plans to secure their legacy in American history. As each season unfolds, we watch as they willingly manipulate the law (and law makers) and usurp global powers as they attempt to grow and maintain their grip on the US presidency.

In many ways, House of Cards sets itself apart from other White House dramas in it?s tone. Rather than establishing itself as merely sensationalistic or a morality play, Cards usually takes its time to position its players on the chessboard before making their big move. Many have made comparisons to the show feeling more like Shakespeare than Shonda Rhimes, an appraisal that makes the showrunners proud. In many ways, Frank Underwood feels like a modern embodiment of Richard III with Claire often stealing scenes as his Lady Macbeth.

Herein lies the magic of the show. While following the career of a morally corrupt politician is hardly a new concept, there is something unique about Frank that makes him not only likeable but, arguably, even sympathetic (at times). Watching Frank and Claire orchestrate the judicial system as puppet masters becomes almost hypnotic as we are mesmerized by their cunning yet, somehow, even root for their success. (To be honest, I haven?t been so morally conflicted on a series since Breaking Bad as, in both cases, I found myself cheering for the main characters to perform actions that I?d otherwise find reprehensible in reality.)

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This, to me, is the most interesting tension about the show. Like other recent hits like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, Cards glorifies the actions of those who do evil and even punishes those who seek to bring them to justice. We want the Underwoods to succeed. The appeal of the darkness is undeniable, because the deeds are evil. It?s the ultimate demonstration of the idea that the ends justify the means (although the ends usually only benefit Frank and Claire). Oh, there is definitely ?something rotten in the state of [Washington]? but, every time Frank addresses the audience (a staple of the show), we become more like his accomplices than judges.

Meanwhile, however, there is also a very clear real sense of inevitability within Cards that suggests the question isn?t ?Can Frank be stopped?? but rather, ?When will it happen?? We have no doubt that Frank?s ?sins will find [him] out??and that the fall will be spectacular.

We revel in their rise to power?but anxiously await their destruction.

Watching the Underwoods, I find myself confronted with the resolve of my own moral compass. While we clearly know the right actions to do, how often do we allow ourselves the freedom to bend the rules, simply because it benefits us. No, we?re not Frank or Claire? but somehow, their actions expose something deeply rooted within ourselves. Despite our public fa?ades, we all battle our own darkness and self-interest as we seek to cement our own legacies.

And I?m sure that Shakespeare would agree that that is the greatest tragedy of all.

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Season 4 of House of Cards was released on Netflix on March 4th.