Gilbert also note that Mara 's surprising naivete is a welcome respite against a backdrop of a " terminally jaded " cast . As the show begin , aspiring journalist Zoe Barnes is desperate to rise from covering the " Fairfax County Council " beat to covering " ' what 's behind the veil ' of power in the Capitol hallways . " Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times note that by the end of the first episode , Mara 's Barnes is among the cadre of Frank 's accomplices . After she plead for a relationship with him by promising to earn his trust and not " ask any questions " , Frank use her fiendishly . However , Ashley Parker of The New York Times consider her unfathomably aggressive and too overt , transactional and sexual . Parker point out that Barnes ' statement " I protect your identity , I print what you tell me , and I 'll never ask any questions " almost discredit itself .