”House of Cards” fans may be split on the political drama’s first season after Donald Trump’s surprise election victory: It seems the upcoming season will feel either dull in light of the political drama playing out daily on cable news channels, or wonderfully relevant. Regardless, the first few seconds of Season 5 aim to give you the willies.
Streamed Tuesday morning over Facebook Live, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) delivers a message to the nation in a clip that serves as the first episode’s cold open. Claire, referencing a terror attack, calmly imparts an edict from the office of the president, still held by her husband Frank (Kevin Spacey).
“The president and I have a simple request: Tell us what you see,” she says while retaining her eerie composure. “If anything in your environment strikes you as a bit odd, a bit off, pick up the phone. Whether it’s a package, or a person who seems out of place, we’d love you to let us know.” Her request, which somehow doesn’t sound as optional as their speaker suggests, calls back to the totalitarian government of 1984 that taught citizens to report on their neighbors.
While Kevin Spacey has stated that the show never worries “about keeping it topical and current,” many have happily spotted similarities between the upcoming Season 5 ― out May 30 ― and Trump’s ascension to the presidency after the full trailer dropped earlier this month. Claire’s criticism of the “noisy press” is just another such echo of the Trump administration.
Thankfully, the only one telling us to “watch out for each other” and “watch each other” is a fictional character.