Netflix Reed Hastings’ journey resembles Homer’s Iliad. Director David Fincher, who directed House of Cards, may be a modern-day Faust, and The Squid Game is Dante’s Hell unfolding in reality. OTT has created a new media ecosystem. For some, this is a brave new world, but for others, it is paradise lost. We plan to serialize people, works, and brands representing this borderline world over a period of 16 weeks. Recommendations for two new works and masterpieces each week are included in a separate appendix. I hope that this book will raise the batting average of the platform, increase the pitches of production companies, and elevate the pitches of creators. And may freedom of time be with all viewers. Subscribe to our newsletter
prologue
The flag of revolution raised like a gamble
An Obelisk Named Ambition
South Carolina House of Representatives
Shadows walking next to power
A monumental tower of ambition that collapsed like a dream
epilogue
prologue
Who is it that can tell me who I am? – King Lear ‘Act 1, Scene 4’
William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘King Lear’ is the story of a character who is blinded by power and whose children face a terrible fate. To maintain his power, he is seduced by his daughters’ flattery, turns away from his true love, and ultimately loses everything. Lear is a masterpiece that stands out for its most cruel tragedy among the four great tragedies.
Frank Underwood, the protagonist of Netflix’s original drama ‘House of Cards’, is also a politician obsessed with power. He is a ruthless person who does not hesitate to lie, betray, and even kill to achieve his goals. Like King Lear, he ultimately meets a tragic end due to his excessive desire for power.
Both works have a common theme that transcends 400 years of time in that they depict humans’ desire for power, betrayal, and revenge, and warn of the dangers of excessive power. However, while Lear focuses on how the desire for power can lead to man’s downfall, House of Cards is a drama that focuses on the fall of man.
There is only a difference in the ratio of downfall and corruption, passive and active, and the result of excessive desire is ultimately abyss. Nevertheless, the story of a crazy character always fascinates audiences and viewers.
The flag of revolution raised like a gamble
House of Cards literally translates to ‘gambling house’, that is, a gambling house.
The original card is a novel by Michael Dobbs (hereinafter referred to as Dobbs). He is a British politician, writer, and noble baron who served as a member of the House of Lords. He was a man with such good political acumen that the Guardian described him as ‘a hitman with a baby face in Westminster.’ Why did such a politician become a novelist? The motive was a political gamble.
Dobbs, who survived the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing, spent the prime of his political career serving as a key advisor to Margaret Thatcher’s government. However, in the end, he was miserably pushed out of power, and starting in 1989, he took the gamble of writing a novel based on his experiences and finally succeeded.
What gave wings to his political life again was the film adaptation of the novel. The first video of the card was made by Britain’s BBC, which produced Dobbs’ novel as a four-part political drama in 1990. Subsequent sequels were also aired in four parts each. The drama depicts the tragedy of the main character, Francis Urquhart (hereinafter referred to as Kart), who rises to the top of power through scheming and then falls due to intoxication with victory.
The cart is portrayed as a devil thirsting for power and a messenger of revolution. Like his devil, he is a person who does not hesitate to lie, betray, and even kill to realize his political ambitions. However, he is also a person who is dissatisfied with the inefficiency of the existing political system and has a will to reform. He becomes corrupted in order to reform the corrupt political system and eventually falls.
The drama series was a success, helping to make Dobbs deputy chairman of Prime Minister John Major’s government and an adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron. Dobbs is a person who, like the drama’s main character, Cart, did not give up on politics from beginning to end. Nevertheless, British viewers were fascinated by this drama of contradictions, and 10 years later, the flag named gambling house that shook the constitutional monarchy kingdom was planted and a tower erected in the middle of the presidential empire ‘America’.
An Obelisk Named Ambition
The capital of the United States is ‘Washington DC’ and its symbol is the ‘Washington Monument’, built in the shape of an obelisk. This majestic monument, 169 meters high, honors the first president of the United States and is an iconic landmark of the capital. It was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, and from the observatory, you can overlook the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the White House.
Originally, the obelisk was a monument erected as a symbol of the solar faith worshiped by the ancient Egyptian dynasties. In Chinese characters, it is written as ‘obelisk’ because of its unique pointed shape. Symbols of faith, landmarks of the capital and towers of power rise sharply again in drama. In the American version of the card, this monument appears as a symbol of the power pursued by the main character, Francis Joseph “Frank” Underwood (Frank).
Netflix is currently the world’s number one OTT streaming platform empire. Their hometown is Silicon Valley, not Hollywood. They started their DVD delivery business in 1997 and were completely strangers to the film industry. Ten years later, a stranger leaves his hometown and begins a great adventure. There has been a major shift in business to online video streaming. And in 2013, a decisive event occurred in which a stranger became the master. It was a record-breaking success for the American version of the card.
Card is considered Netflix’s first original drama. Strictly speaking, Netflix’s first original work was ‘Lilyhammer’, which aired in 2012, but it was a co-production and did not achieve great box office success. Card, starring ‘Fight Club’ director David Fincher and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, became the first streaming drama to win the Emmy Awards for Directing, Cinematography, and Casting, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, making it a monumental series in OTT history. do.
I swear by all movements of the heavenly bodies that I hereby deny my responsibility as a father. Things like blood ties and close relatives. From now on and forever my heart will regard you as a stranger. – From King Lear ‘Act 1, Scene 1’
Currently, Netflix’s headquarters are located both in Los Gatos, north of Silicon Valley, and in Hollywood, Los Angeles, south. There are no more foreigners who were ostracized.
South Carolina House of Representatives
The male protagonist of the card is ‘Francis Joseph Underwood (hereafter Frank)’, a politician from Gaffney, South Carolina, USA, born on November 5, 1959. People call him ‘Frank’, but he prefers to be called ‘Francis’. His political party is the Democratic Party, but he is one of the few remaining Southern Democrats.
Frank graduated from ‘The Sentinel’ and Harvard Law School and serves as the floor leader of the Democratic House of Representatives. Although he was from the ‘Pure White’ class, a low-income white person, he is an established politician who has risen to his current position through persistent efforts over 20 years. He is in charge of coordinating the opinions of the party and the government with his skillful speaking.
Frank is a devil-like figure who plots to eliminate his opponents, carries out secret deals, and even commits murder for his political ambitions. He is a ruthless realist who acts ruthlessly for his goals, and he knows full well that politics is not an ideal paradise, but a hell that requires realistic compromises and deals.
Frank has extraordinary intelligence and charisma, and he hates being caught with a weakness. He is also a person who controls situations and is excellent at cajoling and seducing, and is also good at threatening and deceiving. And he always overwhelms those around him with his confident attitude and sharp speech. He acts like a devil, but at the same time he feels like the embodiment of the desires that all humans have.
There are two types of pain. One is the kind of pain that strengthens a person, or the kind of pain that is useless. It’s such a painful pain. I don’t tolerate useless things. Power is similar to real estate. Location is important. The closer it is to the core source, the higher its value. Most people make the mistake of choosing money over power. But money is a luxurious mansion that will collapse in 10 years, and power is a stone building that will last for hundreds of years. I can’t respect people who can’t tell the difference at all. There is only one rule. Hunt or be hunted. – From the card ‘Frank’s Ambassador’
Frank is not simply a power-oriented person. Although he appears to be a monarch based on Machiavellianism, he is a bisexual who enjoys simple barbecues and small smoking time with his wife. Although he enjoys working out on an expensive rowing machine that feels distant, Frank is a person we probably all know who loves blues music and is obsessed with video games like a child.
always by his side
greedy for the temptation of power
The shadows are together.
Shadows walking next to power
There aren’t many Frank’s true helpers. Frank’s wife, Claire Underwood (hereinafter referred to as Claire), majored in environmental health and chemistry at Radcliffe University and earned a master’s degree in public health from Harvard. It is operated by a common name, CWI. Clare met Frank while she was at university.
Frank was poor, but Claire was rich. If Frank is a politician of ambition, Claire is a strategist of desire. If Frank is the sun, Claire is the moon, and the two are comrades and competitors who protect and fight against each other like light and shadow. Claire is the first to resolve her husband’s crisis, but she also presents the biggest crisis.
In this way, the relationship between Claire and Frank is as dangerous as a rocking ship, a mixture of assistance and betrayal. The two are partners who share each other’s ambitions and work toward the same goal, but at the same time, they use and betray each other. The two are clearly devoted to each other, but they also compete and fight for power. Claire is a poisonous flower, but she is beautiful.
Frank’s henchman is Douglass Stamper (Doug). Doug is Frank’s secretary and carries out his work like a shadow. His loyalty to Frank is such that he does not hesitate to hire a murderer, and he is a vassal of vassals who says he will even give up his liver for Frank. If Claire is the head of the shadow, Doug is the body.
In addition to Claire and Doug, countless other helpers pass by Frank. Joey Barnes, an ambitious young reporter for the Washington Herald who develops an inappropriate relationship with Frank, Peter Russo, a Pennsylvania state representative who is loyal to Frank on his way to becoming governor, White House Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez, and current President Garrett Walker, they all meet Frank. falls into the abyss
Does the invincible Frank have no enemies?
There are countless villains who try to drag him down to the abyss. The Washington Herald’s political reporter Lucas Goodwin and editor-in-chief Tom Hammerschmidt, who doggedly delve into the murder case; Congresswoman Jacqueline Sharp and her lover, lobbyist Remy Danton, who are eager to take Frank’s place; prosecutor Heather Dunbar, billionaire Raymond Tusk, and the Republican presidential candidate. Will Conway and Russian President Viktor Petrov. But none of them can easily overcome Frank.
Do you know how I got here? It’s thanks to his ruthless pragmatism that doesn’t care about other people’s pain. Do you think I’m a hypocrite? Of course it should be. I won’t deny it either. The road to power is always full of hypocrisy. You don’t want me to stand up for something. I just hope I stand up. – From the card ‘Frank’s Ambassador’
A monumental tower of ambition that collapsed like a dream
We do not obey terrorism. We create terrorism. – From the card ‘Frank’s Ambassador’
Frank’s prince appears frequently in the cards. The father in a drama is a device that confesses the main character’s inner thoughts or past to the viewers. This originates from the concept of ‘the fourth wall’, which separates the real world off stage and the world on stage in plays. . This barrier-breaking line is also called a ‘metastatement’ (short for metafictional statement), which can simply be said to be the act of a character in the play recognizing the reader, viewer, or writer beyond the wall.
The Prince reaches its climax in the final episode of Season 2.
This is the scene where Frank, who has finally become president, arrives at the office and knocks on the president’s desk twice. This creepy scene will become the motif for future Netflix title videos. The red ‘N’ logo, which has now become the symbol of Netflix, and the ‘thump’ sound that comes with it are the work of Hans Zimmer, a master of film music, known as the ‘walking orchestra’. Netflix asked him to compose a Soundmark version of the theatrical version, and the famous scene was reborn as a symbol of the empire.
A prince is a cry without an echo. It can be heard by the audience, but not by other actors. So a prince is lonelier than a monologue. Monologue becomes a scene, but Apart just scatters like dust. Nevertheless, Prince Card was different. He turned a delivery startup into an entertainment kingdom, and eventually became a symbol of a streaming empire. But now the clown who used to shout cool princes is not in the cards. He quietly disappeared without a trace.
The only thing that comes from nothing is nothing.
Nothing will come of nothing.
There is no eternal glory anywhere. In 2017, the Harvey Weinstein sex crime scandal, which shook Hollywood and sparked the #MeToo movement, hits the cards. At that time, Card was on a roll until season 4, successfully aired season 5 on May 30, 2017, and was ambitiously preparing for the next season. However, on October 30, an incident occurred in which actor Anthony Rapp revealed that he had been sexually assaulted by Kevin Spacey, who was 26 at the time, when he was 14 years old.
Finally, on November 3, Netflix declared, “Kevin Spacey has been dismissed as producer of House of Cards and there will be no future work between Netflix and Kevin Spacey.” In 2018, production of the final season was decided without Kevin Spacey. The main character is Claire, and Frank appears only as a tombstone on a grave that says he died in 2017. The hero who brought glory to the empire was naturally treated as a deceased person. And season 6 ends with poor results.
The golden tower of glory built in 2013 was
It collapsed like a dream.
epilogue
Don’t show more than you have,
Do not tell everything you know,
You must not lend everything you have,
Ride a horse rather than walk,
Don’t believe everything you learn,
You shouldn’t throw away everything you have.
– King Lear, ‘The Jester’s Advice’
The ending of King Lear depicts a short journey of power, mistakes, and regret.
The jester sings about Lear’s foolishness, but the king laughs at the jester. In the end, King Lear loses everything to his two daughters and is driven out into the stormy wilderness. Her youngest daughter, Cordelia, who was loyal to her king, sets out with her army to save her father, but she ends up falling to her death. King Lear, who lost everything due to his foolish choices, cries while holding the corpse of his youngest child. And, regretting his irreparable mistake, he shouts “Never, never, never, never, never” and dies.
Kevin Spacey, who was the main character of the card, was acquitted of all charges on his birthday, July 26, 2023. And on Christmas Day, he uploads a video of his conversation with Tucker Carlson to Twitter. It was a video of an interview performed by Card’s Frank. In this video, he broke the fourth wall and boldly criticized Netflix’s hasty actions. However, he has not yet returned to any work. Now Frank is gone forever from the card, but the card is being reborn again.
Netflix, who lost the card, created ‘Squid Game’, and viewers quickly forgot the hurt of the card. Ogame Season 2 will be released in the second half of 2024. Regardless of whether it is a box office hit or not, Ogame has no choice but to follow the path of infinite growth that Card took. A spin-off entertainment show was also released, and production for Season 3 has already been confirmed. Netflix is still the world’s No. 1 OTT empire. For the time being, there is no enemy that can threaten them.
In November 2022, Netflix launched an advertising-type membership that is cheaper than the existing plan. You can no longer watch ‘House of Cards’ with this plan. In this way, the world is again ranked. An empire is completed when it crosses a border, and collapses when it draws a border.
May there be no mistakes or regrets,
May love triumph.
★ ★ ★ ★ A family in conflict, a love that is complete ★ ★ ★ ★ The birth of a family that you will miss only when you leave.
Hatred is always alone, even in moments of good momentum. On the other hand, even though it runs away, breaks apart, and fades away, love stays together forever. Love has a good chance of winning. – From IU’s ‘Love wins all’
