From House of Cards to Catastrophe: how TV knows the power of keeping mum

Parents are ruling our small screens, says Susannah Butter
Mom of steel: Ellen Burstyn in House of Cards season 4
Netflix

If you think Claire Underwood from House of Cards is cool and calculating, you should meet her mother.

For three series, Claire has appeared to be a singular creature, rarely mentioning where she comes from. This mystery adds to her appeal — how did she become so icy? But now she is reunited with an old ally, her mum Elizabeth Hale, played by Ellen Burstyn (just in time for Mother’s Day yesterday). The actress has form in playing dark roles — she won an Oscar for The Exorcist.

In bringing in the older generation, House of Cards is following other shows that know the power of keeping mum. The parents provide perspective and lols in Girls — Marnie’s mum tells her she looks like a Starbucks cup at her wedding, and Hannah’s dad coming-out was a highlight of the last series. They add a layer of plotting and opposition to their children, as well as giving us context — Hannah’s dad shows us where her narcissistic side comes from, and to truly understand Marnie, look at her mother — she makes her daughter look zen.

Carrie Fisher shines in Catastrophe as Rob Delaney’s hostile mother, in The Affair Deirdre O’Connell and Kathleen Chalfant steal the show as Alison and Helen’s parents respectively — giving both women a much needed talking-to, even if they do involve hippy yoga retreats. Stockard Channing keeps Alicia Florrick on her toes in The Good Wife.

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We meet Elizabeth Hale, the proto-Claire Underwood, in an elegant Texas house. Her hair is power blow-dried into an orderly helmet and she wears pastel colours, in marked contrast to her daughter’s steely power dresses. Claire hasn’t seen her mother since her father’s funeral and the air is tight with unspoken tension. Mother/daughter relations are never easy — Hale advises Underwood not to wear ivory to the State of the Union address. Underwood ignores her. They argue about money, Underwood keeps her smoking a secret and drops her guard for a moment, crying when she discovers her mother has cancer. Instead of discussing their differences they spy on each other. Underwood catches her mother killing a mouse with no hint of squeamishness — we’ve seen this behaviour from Claire’s husband Frank too.

There is one thing that unites them, other than genes. It turns out Hale isn’t keen on Frank. At this point it becomes clear where Claire learned how to mastermind an underhand plot. Hale wants to raise funds for Frank’s political rival, Heather Dunbar, to bring him down and leave a post vacant for her daughter. With her mother on side, Underwood is stronger than ever.

Follow Susannah Butter on Twitter: @susannahbutter

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