Netflix and ATTN partnered up today to release a special article to promote the premiere of House of Cards Season 5. The two sources engineered a full-length article that is actually attributed not to any staff writer of ATTN, but to Tom Hammerschmidt, the former editor of The Washington Herald in the show (played by Boris McGiver).
One plotline that has grown increasingly important through the recent seasons of House of Cards is character Tom Hammerschmidt’s huge project to bring Frank Underwood’s presidency down via a lengthy published article with key sources such as Remy Danton (Frank Underwood’s ex chief of staff, played by Mahershala Ali), Jackie Sharp (Deputy House Minority Whip, played by Molly Parker), and ex-President Garrett Walker (who Frank betrayed in order to ascend to the presidency himself, played by Michel Gill) all agreeing to go public with their stories through Hammerschmidt. This very article was published by Netlix and ATTN this afternoon and was announced on the ATTN Twitter page, which treated the article as a legitimate story and wrote, “President Underwood declined to comment for this story.”
The article opens with a cracking first line: “President Underwood’s ascent to the Oval Office may be the product of illegal activity and a years-long strategy of character assassination and manipulation, according to several high-ranking current and former officials, including former President Garrett Walker.” The article continues by covering the details of Underwood’s impeachment scheme of President Walker, including large flashy quotes of various sources – characters within the show universe – detailing the different ways in which Frank Underwood set them up and betrayed them. The piece even touches upon Peter Russo’s death, which occurred all the way back in Season 1, with Garrett Walker quoted as saying “I believe [he] intentionally drove Peter Russo to suicide.”
While the article is a supremely entertaining read for show fans, it also has a different purpose. Hammerschmidt’s article might just be an integral piece to understanding Season 5, as the article is swiftly mentioned within the show’s latest season. The importance of Hammerschmidt’s writing is emphasized in the very first episode during a scene in which Claire Underwood and Tom Hammerschmidt get into a row during a roundtable interview with Charlie Rose. It also hints at what large issues fans can expect Frank Underwood to have to grapple with this season, such as not only dealing with the allegations of a highly orchestrated impeachment scheme, but also allegations of Frank driving Peter Russo to suicide – an issue that the Underwoods (and show fans themselves) thought was far in the past. The Hammerschmidt article is no doubt a must-read for any fan of the series, especially before they begin the latest season.
All episodes of House of Cards Season 5 are available on Netflix.