20 fast food and Netflix pairings for the classiest binge weekend of your life

House of Cards – Carl’s Jr.

The best and worse quality of House of Cards is its unabashed decadence. From its heavily stylized cinematography to its languorous plotting to Kevin Spacey’s vainglorious fourth-wall-breaking monologues, everything about the series feels excessive and indulgent. In many ways, it’s a series that wouldn’t work if it was released in a traditional manner.

Even on a premium cable network like HBO, House of Cards’ potent blend of grandiloquence, staggering displays of immorality and glacial pacing would make it difficult to consume on a weekly basis. But on Netflix, you can spend one long weekend binge-watching an entire season of the show in all its debauchery at the perfect rate.

As such, House of Cards pairs best with the notoriously excessive offerings of Carl’s Jr. The reality is it wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone to make 1,000+ calorie burgers a regular part of their diet. But like an affair with a clingy personal trainer or petulant novelist, sometimes you just can’t resist doing something spectacularly unhealthy.

An ideal Carl’s-Cards experience should include the restaurant’s new Baby Back Thick Burger. This artery-clogging Leviathan is made with a huge beef patty, slathered in barbecue sauce and pickles with a sizable slice of boneless baby back ribs. For a side, some crispy waffle fries or onion rings will work, along with a single slice of strawberry-swirled cheesecake for dessert. And to wash it all down, an ice cold 30 oz. cup of Diet Coke. It’s the perfect meal for celebrating the casual destruction of American democracy.