Did Netflix just pull a Beyoncé?
Surprising just about everybody, the streaming service released the third season of House of Cards more than two weeks early on Wednesday -- and then promptly pulled it down in a matter of minutes.
"Whoops, something went wrong..." read the Netflix error message on screens of Mashable staff who viewed portions of the episodes. "The video you are trying to play is not available."
"Due to a technical glitch some Frank Underwood fans got a sneak peek," a Netflix spokeswoman told Mashable. "He'll be back on Netflix on Feb. 27."
On Twitter, the House of Cards handle cleverly said: "This is Washington. There's always a leak. All 13 episodes will launch February 27."
This is Washington. There's always a leak. All 13 episodes will launch February 27.— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) February 11, 2015
Originally scheduled for Feb. 27, all 10 episodes of season three appeared on Netflix Wednesday afternoon, creating a mini-furor on Twitter.
"President Underwood fights to secure his legacy," Netflix says in the new season's description. "Claire wants more than being First Lady. The biggest threat they face is contending with each other."
The first episode in the new season, the 58-minute Chapter 27, promises "a rocky start for the Underwood Presidency."
"Frank wants to introduce an ambitious jobs program, while Claire sets her sights on the United Nations," the episode description says. The others also hint at an upcoming trip to Moscow, a hurricane on the East Coast and a hair-color change for Claire (spoiler: It's brown).
A Mashable staffer who viewed a portion of the first episode saw a cavalcade of cars and Frank Underwood urinating on the grave of someone named Calvin Underwood.
Who that is we'll never know -- until Feb. 27.
The (very little) we know about Season 3, in GIFs
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