The concept of power and its representation in television seriality. The case of «House of Cards»

Abstract

To study how power is configured, this article analyzes the first and second seasons of the TV Series House of Cards. The behavior patterns of the main character, Frank Underwood, were tracked to analyze his foundations, the means used, the scope and the type of power he wields. The theoretical approaches of Dahl (1957) and French and Bertram (1959) were used for constructing a group of categories that served as a guide in the search for index units. Therefore, the methodology is based on units (Barthes, 1970) identified within the dialogues, the iconic composition, and the actions of the character. The results obtained reveal that in the first season argumentation as a means to exercise power predominates, and manipulation predominates in the second season. Also, the media repertoire is much broader in the first season when the main character builds the scenarios to achieve his goals. These findings contribute to the construction of a broader understanding of power and its exercise.