Only moments after Kevin Spacey nabbed his first-ever Golden Globe Award on Sunday, a brief trailer for the upcoming season of Netflix's cult Washington-centric political drama "House of Cards" aired on NBC to 19.3 million viewers with a 5.8 rating (impressive considering an 11 percent dip from last year).

"You know what takes real courage? Holding it all together when the stakes are this high," Spacey says in a menacing voice-over, complete with shots of Frank Underwood looming over the Oval Office.

Given that Spacey had won the award after eight nominations -- two of those performances later endowing him with Academy Awards -- all eyes were peeled when the award show went to a commercial break thereafter.

During the end of the Season 1, viewers saw Spacey's ruthless Underwood connive and backstab his way from Congress to the Oval Office. At the season finale of Season 2, he rose to the highest level of ascension in politics: The President of United States of America.

Up until now, Underwood has been a puppet master, orchestrating events and infringing on people's lives as he claws his way to the top, but as CNN reporter Brandon Griggs notes, "There's a reason the show is called 'House of Cards.'" One mistake, and President Underwood's life and all of the lies, extortion, treason and deception will topple over on themselves.

The 45-second long commercial, which has been shot in a David Fincher's mood indigo flair, may indicate that the direction of Season 3 feels like the show runners and writers are going in with a more bare-knuckle approach; upping the ante with quicksilver jump cuts and a pulsating, frazzled score. Perhaps this could be the beginning of end of the power couple we hate to love.

From what we do get a glimpse of, super hacker and government informant Gavin may have it in for the new president and first lady Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) and, quite possibly, has the means and the ability of bringing them to their knees. Viewers also got a glimpse of sullen administration officials oxidizing after being alerted of an unseen emergency and a fleet of cop cars speeding down the avenue with sirens blaring.

Viewers may also get the conversation they've all been vying for between Underwood and Claire, who has been an accomplice in Frank's clandestine homicides. Exhibiting a moment of anxiety, the worried Claire says, "We're murderers, Francis." Unwavering, per usual, Frank simply reminds her, "We're survivors."

The Internet has been quite positive about the trailer; however, there has been some controversy due to some poor judgment and timing.

On Monday, an underground metro station became engulfed in smoke, leaving one unnamed person dead, two in critical condition and several others hospitalized. Less than 24 hours after the first trailer aired, a promo for Season 3 was released via Twitter, with "House of Cards" officials posting this tweet:

Consider the slate clean. pic.twitter.com/dIA7ck4Ov1

- House of Cards (@HouseofCards) January 12, 2015

For fans, this is clearly a reference to the Season 2 premiere, when Underwood pushed an essential character in front of an oncoming train. However, Twitter followers did not take this lightly and encouraged the fledging show to take the promo down.

Deadline noted that a similar incident happened last year when another unfortunately timed TV show promotion for Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" resulted in "Headless Day," a hook for the home video release of Season 1. However, the advertisement was emailed to press around the same time a video was circulating the web of American journalist James Foley, who was captured and beheaded by ISIS militants in Syria.

ThinkJam, the marketing firm responsible for the advertisement, made a public apology for the incident. It was followed by an apology from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Season 3 of 'House of Cards' is set to be released on Friday, Feb. 27, only on Netflix.

Related