House of Cards

[Kaos]

Sorry if there was another thread about this. 

Surprisingly good show.  Themes and machinations we've seen before, but really well done.  Spacey overacts just a bit, but is a true force and completely owns the series. 

This is what Boss (the Chicago political show with Frasier Crane) aspired to be prior to its cancellation.  Much better than I anticipated it being. 

With this:


and this:

[Townhallsavoy]

I couldn't finish it.

I should, I guess. 

(Slight spoilers)

I got to the part where he takes the ritzy party out into the streets of the protest and makes his enemy look like a dumbas for paying so many people to protest for his cause. 

But two things I didn't like which caused me to stop watching:

1.  Boom boom, boom boom, boom da dum ba boom - that same bass line played in the intro, after the first five minutes, during each scene change, when Kevin Spacey would look at the camera, when his wife went for a run, whenever a character used an adverb, during a plot twist, during the conclusion, during the closing credits. 

2.  Just really dry.  Once I understood the political corruption and the fact that Spacey ran whatever the hell he wanted to run all the while obviously not giving one iota of a shit about his voting base, I lost track of what the point of the show was. 

But Kate Mara is fine in the show.  That's for sure.

[Kaos]

I couldn't finish it.

I should, I guess. 

(Slight spoilers)

I got to the part where he takes the ritzy party out into the streets of the protest and makes his enemy look like a dumbas for paying so many people to protest for his cause. 

But two things I didn't like which caused me to stop watching:

1.  Boom boom, boom boom, boom da dum ba boom - that same bass line played in the intro, after the first five minutes, during each scene change, when Kevin Spacey would look at the camera, when his wife went for a run, whenever a character used an adverb, during a plot twist, during the conclusion, during the closing credits. 

2.  Just really dry.  Once I understood the political corruption and the fact that Spacey ran whatever the hell he wanted to run all the while obviously not giving one iota of a shoot about his voting base, I lost track of what the point of the show was. 

But Kate Mara is fine in the show.  That's for sure.

I'm like seven episodes in. 

Agree on the music.  It's distracting. 

Don't care much for the husband/wife dynamic of Robin Wright/Spacey.  It's a weird relationship that I don't know what to do with.  Frankly, I don't like her drifting around on a cloud of drugs performance at all.  Not that she's on drugs, she just floats around like she's stoned all the time to me.  Don't enjoy that part of it, but even the best shows have issues that detract. 

I seem to enjoy shows about people with power who flex it.  It was part of the allure of Breaking Bad, Sopranos, and even  Spartacus.   

There are some oddities that may make sense later like the cemetery scene where the old shrew shrieks at the wife for running there and then somebody is making out in the cemetery and she smirks/smiles/squints/frowns (whatever Botoxed expression that was supposed to be) before she waddle-runs away. 

And the $20 origami.  What is that?

[Townhallsavoy]

Don't care much for the husband/wife dynamic of Robin Wright/Spacey.  It's a weird relationship that I don't know what to do with

It's been a little while since I watched the show, but I believe the purpose of their relationship is to show that in DC, marriages are used as a means of power.  Everything in Spacey's life is about power and money.  She offers a business relationship with him.  He can use her as a means of getting reelected in Georgia.  She can bring in big time donors.  He can help get legislation passed to support her causes.  He can fuck reporters and other young girls if he wants (if he can prove it to her that it's for political gain).  She can even sleep with potential donors or celebrities that can bring positive support for her and her husband. 

It's a dry marriage without romance, but they support each other. 

But she was a really lame character. 

[CCTAU]

It's a dry marriage without romance, but they support each other. 

But she was a really lame character.

So this is about Bill and Hilary?

[Kaos]

On second thought...

Almost immediately after posting this review/endorsement, the show spun off into absurdity. Sensational storylines, meandering diversions, ridiculous improbabilities and idiotic setups.  It couldn't stick with what made it good and had to outfox itself. 

WAY WAY WAAAAAAAY too much focus on the hollow wife figure.  She's not hot at all and her dopey vapidity just wouldn't be that attractive to anyone. There was far too much navel gazing.

I may change my mind when I get done, but there are only two episodes left and this show hasn't just fallen off the deep end, it has roared off it with a jet pack strapped to its back.   

[Townhallsavoy]

Kind of like Orange is the New Black? 

Started great.  Dropped off towards the end.  Seems to be a Netflix theme. 

[Kaos]

Kind of like Orange is the New Black? 

Started great.  Dropped off towards the end.  Seems to be a Netflix theme.

Orange is the New Black was Oz lite.   

Final take on House of Cards:

Series (first two episodes) started well and earned a solid A -
At the midpoint, it was still holding strong at a mid-level B.
By the end?  It had dropped to a low C, high D.  It completely unraveled with asinine "plot twists" and purposeful (I guess) ambiguity. 

I won't watch the second season. No emotional investment or interest in any of the characters. 

In my original post I said it was the show Boss aspired to be.  In the end it turns out House of Cards tried to out Boss Boss and failed.  So much of it was similar.  Flawed Frasier in the seat of power, playing puppeteer to a young gubernatorial candidate with addiction issues, Flawed Frasier manipulating all of those around him and paying the price for it. Flawed Frasier getting screwed by a vote he thought he had. Flawed Frasier mooning around with his vapid wife. 

Pretty much the same show.  But in retrospect, Boss (even though it mined some of the same idiotic "politicians kill people who oppose them" storylines) did it better.

[Kaos]

So I lied.  I watched Season 2.  It was okay. 

I'm now mired in Season 3.  The ability to watch several shows at a time is the only thing that keeps me coming back. If I had to wait a week to see what happened next, the often slow pace of the show would lose me. 

I still dislike Claire's willowy wispiness and her blank-eyed vapidness.  Underwood's reliance on her makes him incredibly weak.  I think he made a good Congressman/Senator but a lousy president because of that.

I think the storyline is sort of silly, honestly.  But I enjoy the political intrigue portions of it.  It scares me to think that a stuffed shirt puppet like Obama may be actually doing some of the things Frank does.

I'm two or three episodes from the end.  This season never really rose above a C, but I'm going to finish it. 

[Yoda]

Season 3 was a let down.  I enjoyed the first two seasons but 3 was slow moving and nothing was accomplished.  I too get locked in due to the ability to watch episode after edisode immediately.