 The episode received positive reviews from critics . Elements of the opening scene were lauded . Matt Roush of TV Guide praised Spacey 's self introduction as a Machiavellian politician in which he says " I have no patience for useless things . " Boston Globe 's Matthew Gilbert noted that " the first two episodes were expertly directed by David Fincher " and Spacey 's <unk> <unk> such as those used in the first scene of this episode " makes even his character ’ s mercy killing of an injured dog — which he does by hand — seem a little less brutal . " Not only is Underwood described as Machiavellian , one critic from The New York Times notes that his belief in the <unk> of dirt expressed as " Nobody ’ s a Boy Scout , not even a Boy Scout " <unk> back to Willie Stark in All the King 's Men who said " There 's always something " . 
