House of Cards

EXT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - NIGHT

SLOWLY PULL IN on the front door of a fashionable DC

townhouse.

Off-screen, we hear the SOUND OF SCREECHING TIRES followed by

a LOUD COLLISION. A CAR ALARM blares.

After a moment, the door to the townhouse opens and A MAN

emerges, curious to see what the commotion is outside.

As the Man comes into the light we see he’s dressed in a

crisp TUXEDO with the collar unfastened, no tie. This is

FRANCIS UNDERWOOD - Richard III, Iago and Hannibal Lecter all

rolled into one. He has intelligent eyes, mischievous lips

and a deep baritone dripping with Southern charm.

Francis glances down the street. He see a CAR backing up

then PEELING AWAY from the parked car that it just hit. It

disappears around the block.

As Francis heads purposefully toward the scene of the

accident, we begin to hear a DOG WHIMPERING IN PAIN. Francis

looks down at the ground. Francis’ security detail guy STEVE

(40s) appears beside him.

FRANCIS:

Did you get a good look?

STEVE:

Blue Toyota Camry. First two

letters of the plate.

Francis and Steve gaze down at the suffering animal.

FRANCIS:

The Warton’s dog.

STEVE:

Looks like a broken back.

FRANCIS:

It’s not gonna make it.

(to Steve)

Go next door and see if they’re

home.

Steve heads towards the neighbors’ townhouse.

Francis kneels down beside the dog. It’s in awful shape. He

tenderly strokes the dog’s head.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

Shhhh. It’s okay...

2.

Francis looks up at us. The sound of CAR ALARM FADES.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(to the camera)

There are two kinds of pain. Good

pain - the sort of pain that

motivates, that makes you strong.

Then there’s bad pain - useless

pain, the sort of pain that’s only

suffering. I welcome the former.

I have no patience for the latter.

With cool-headed deliberateness, Francis calmly places a hand

around the dog’s neck and begins to put it out of its misery.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(to the camera)

Moments like this require someone

like me. Someone who will act.

Who will do what no one else has

the courage to do. The unpleasant

thing. The necessary thing.

The Dog’s muffled whimpers cease. Francis looks down.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(to the dog)

There. No more pain.

He lets go. The sound of the CAR ALARM RISES again.

Francis stands as Steve approaches. The shook-up neighbors,

JACK and BARBARA WARTON, follow several yards behind.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(aside, to Steve)

We need to leave in ten minutes.

STEVE:

Car’s ready.

Francis turns his attention to the couple. He gently

approaches them with endless sympathy in his eyes.

FRANCIS:

It was a hit and run.

JACK:

(to his wife)

He must’ve jumped over the gate

again...

Barbara wells up. Francis lays a hand on her shoulder.

3.

FRANCIS:

I’m so sorry. I’ll have Steve file

a report. We’ll track them down.

INT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - BATHROOM - A FEW MINUTES LATER

Francis stands at his sink, methodically washing his hands.

INT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

CLOSE ON FRANCIS’ HANDS zipping up the back of a woman’s

elegant evening gown.

We PULL BACK to see that the gown belongs to Francis’ wife -

CLAIRE UNDERWOOD. She’s the epitome of elegance and poise.

FRANCIS:

(taking her in)

Stunning.

CLAIRE:

(straightening his tie)

You too.

Francis looks composed, dignified. If we hadn’t known, we

never would have guessed what he was up to just moments

before. He offers his arm to Claire.

FRANCIS:

Ready?

INT. GRAND BALLROOM - SECONDS UNTIL MIDNIGHT

A loud, raucous count-down. DC's Democratic Party elite are

watching the Times Square ball drop on massive monitors.

Three! Two! One! Noisemakers. Applause. People kiss and

hug. The sound fades as one face in the crowd, Francis, turns

to the camera.

We PAN to the stage to reveal a beaming GARRETT WALKER (late

40s), the apotheosis of leadership. He’s flanked by his

family - wife PATRICIA and two teenage sons. They lead the

crowd in “Auld Lang Syne.”

FRANCIS (V.O.)

President-Elect Garrett Walker. I

might not like him, I might not

believe in him, but it doesn’t

matter...

4.

The camera finds Francis in the adoring crowd.

FRANCIS:

(staring up at Walker)

Anyone who can get 70 million

Americans to vote for him deserves

my respect.

(to the camera)

I helped get him elected. After

twenty-five years in Congress I can

tell which way the wind is blowing.

We CUT TO to Walker’s soon-to-be V.P. JIM MATTHEWS (early

60s) and his large gaggle of a family.

FRANCIS (V.O.)

Jim Matthews - his Vice President.

Former Governor of Pennsylvania.

He did his duty delivering the

Keystone State. Now they’ll put

him pasture. He has four years of

obscurity and impotence ahead of

him.

CUT TO Walker’s recently appointed Chief of Staff LINDA

VASQUEZ. She’s in the back of the ballroom, being prepped

with make-up for a TV stand-up interview.

FRANCIS (V.O.)

Linda Vasquez - Walker’s Chief of

Staff. I like her even less than

Walker, but she’s the gate keeper

to the White House. If you don’t

want to be left standing out in the

cold, you can’t ignore the person

holding the keys.

The lights from the TV cam flip on, bathing her face in a

bright glow. She instantly flashes a toothy smile.

We CUT BACK TO Francis standing in the crowd, his arm around

Claire’s waist. She’s singing along with the crowd.

FRANCIS:

As for me - I’m the House Majority

Whip. In other words - I get things

done. When it comes to legislation

I make the magic happen. I

transform the impossible into the

probable.

We ZOOM IN SLOWLY on Francis.

5.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

But it’s time to move up a rung.

I’ve paid my dues. I’ve backed the

right man. And now that he’s won

I’ll get my just reward. Give and

take, give and take, and so the

world spins.

TIGHT on Francis’ face, filling the frame.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

Welcome to Washington.

TITLE AND CREDITS

Iconic shots of D.C. - the Capitol, the Washington Monument,

Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, etc. But we see them from

odd angles, cast in dark shadows or beneath moody skies. The

feeling should be ominous.

We shift to interiors - dark hallways and restaurant booths

where slow-motion, silhouetted figures conspire with one

another.

Interlaced with all of this are recurring shots of dextrous

hands expertly shuffling a deck of cards and dealing them

out. The FINAL IMAGE should be of the dealer unveiling his

hand to the camera: not four, but FIVE one-eyed jacks.

INT. FRANCIS’S CAR - NIGHT

Francis and Claire ride in the back the SUV. Steve drives.

CLAIRE:

(she runs her hand through

his hair)

You should get a hair cut.

FRANCIS:

You think?

CLAIRE:

Just a little trim maybe. What

suit are you going to wear?

FRANCIS:

For the meeting, or for the

CLAIRE:

For the announcement.

6.

FRANCIS:

My navy blue one, with the pin

stripes.

CLAIRE:

Good. You look handsome in that

suit.

She leans into him, slips her hand between his thighs. She

starts to kiss his neck.

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