+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
date = "2014-03-12T09:00:00-04:00"
lastmod = "2015-04-26T00:15:00-04:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1430021689642/scene-720x480.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2014-03-12T09:00:00-04:00"
related_articles = ["articles/4-opera-scenes-that-should-have-happened.md"]
short_description = "I&#039;m on the House of Cards train, because I&#039;m always rooting for the underdog. Kevin Spacey&#039;s the underdog, right? Anyway, I watched this brilliant scene play out in one of the episodes; it was one of those incredible scenes where both parties have clear objectives, but one party&#039;s objective is to screw the other party over. "
slug = "that-great-scene-in"
title = "That great scene in..."
+++

I'm on the _House of Cards_ train, because I'm always rooting for the underdog. Kevin Spacey's the underdog, right? Anyway, I watched this brilliant scene play out in one of the episodes; it was one of those incredible scenes where both parties have clear objectives, but one party's objective is to _screw the other party over_. I don't know what it says about me that I love scenes like this, but it's what makes me love Quentin Tarantino. Christoph Waltz, anyone?

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1430021630134/Christoph-Waltz-Dancing-in-Chair-Inglourious-Basterds.gif)
</figure>

Anyway, it made me think of the infamous [_La traviata_ scene with Violetta and Germont](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHnhAYsodjQ). Violetta's objective during that scene is to get Germont's approval, and Germont's is to get Violetta to leave his son. These two objectives are not equal, and by definition, Violetta has lost right out of the gate. This doesn't sound like an interesting scene, right? But it _is_, because we spend the scene watching the painfully irrelevant details: Violetta's insistence on maintaining a high social status, Germont's dirty yet effective jabs at her fragile self-esteem, and how 19th-century institutions of "family honour" and "sacred bonds" get the better of Violetta and serve Germont's objective perfectly.

The famous music that immediately precedes Germont's line, "Madamigella Valery" comes to mind at about 2:05:

<figure data-type="video">
<iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cHnhAYsodjQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</figure>

What do you think? What are your favourite power-scenes in opera? Why?
