For me, one less mystery today — what exactly sounds in the Netflix intro (the iconic tu-dum intro).
It turns out, it’s the sound of a fist hitting a table — and not some abstract fist, but a very specific one. The world first heard this two-note sound in the finale of season 2 of “House of Cards” (the episode aired on February 14, 2014).
Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) stares menacingly at the camera for a long time, and then, actually, hits the table.
After this episode aired, the sound began to be used in the opening logo (and is still used — for more than 10 years now!)
Overall, the story is symbolic— let me remind you that “House of Cards” was Netflix’s main treasure, which brought streaming into the major league. It was their first original series (and generally the first major production made by the platform itself)
It’s funny that the idea that streaming services shoot content for themselves now seems super ordinary — but in 2013 it was a small revolution.