House of Cards on Netflix [Caution: Current Season Spoilers]

I watched the first season of the US version after seeing the UK version. The US version was a tremendous disappointment, at least after the first season.

Ian Richardson > Kevin Spacey

Still, I'll try the second season.

 

Just started watching season 2. It's addicting but it makes me despise politics even more so.

 

I managed to avoid politics for most of my life, but at my latest newspaper, I get thrown on the political desk. Politics is like a grind house film: cheap and horrible but you can't help watching the train wreck until disgust finally has you turn away. I've got to find a new job.

 

Just finished the 1st episode of season 2. WOW !!!

 

Possible spoiler alert

Underwood's self-interest is so transparent, (I'm discounting his 4th wall narrations), his actions so outlandish, (arresting Senators via the Sergeant at Arms), it is hard to look at supposedly seasoned politicians, particularly the President, without wondering if some of them attended the Rocky & Bullwinkle School of Political Dickering. It taxes believability.

OTOH, that is what makes this a guilty pleasure. Frank, Claire, and the boys and girls of VP High deliver a Machiavellian road trip into the dark recesses of governing.
Where Senators and Representatives typically get busted for greed and genital horseplay, Frank has managed to kill and still kick ass and take names. What a dude, what an American.

 

I'm on episode...4 now. Pretty good so far, not as "action packed" as the first season. My friend thought the 2nd season (he's on episode 10) was boring compared to the first. I'm still into it, so we'll see.

 

Yeah, I held my hand over my mouth in shock after that one scene. Jesus.

 

I think I know the scene you mean. I had no clue that was going to happen. That being said, my wife called it correctly.

 

Wow. I felt the opposite.

 

As a warm-up to beginning the US second season, I first re-watched the original UK House of Cards (Ian Richardson, Dianne Fletcher et al) once again. It remains wonderful. However, it's only broadly comparable to the US version. US "wife of FU" Claire is drawn and developed in much greater detail than UK "wife of FU" "Elizabeth", and thus her personal storyline is compelling in its own right. A nod to US-style dramatic entertainment. The US storyline is discernibly less subtle, shall I say, than one experiences with the UK original. Anyway, just finished re-watching US season 1. It's like listening to the US Rubber Soul (a great selection of Beatles songs, rejiggered for the US market but STILL a great record) on Capitol after listening to the original, and much-appreciated UK Parlophone mono Rubber Soul. Just different enough to merit special of attention and unique appreciation. Different contexts, different audiences; and both work for me.

Finally, while it's just a personal preference, I MUCH prefer UK "Mattie" to roughly analogous US "Zoe"; I just don't much like Zoe. The Washington Herald's editor-in-chief's assessment of Ms. Barnes is just about spot-on, and that's clearly intentional. Anyway, on to US season 2. First, however, there's "True Detective."

 

That's exactly how I felt about Zoe. I agreed with the editor's comment. And I liked the female reporter's assessment: "Twitter-tw*t!" That cracked me up. Yes, definitely on to Season 2 Ep. 1. You'll like what happens.

 

Where is the UK version available? Netflix? Hulu? Amazon?

 

Netflix and Amazon Prime both have it.

I just finished up season 1 of the US version today, will probably start 2 tomorrow.

 

I'll check it out then.

 

This show just keeps getting better and better. I'm about 7 episodes into Season 2. And I like that Netflix released the entire season at once.

Just wanted to also say kudos to composer Jeff Beal. The music for the show is just fantastic. Some of his best work yet.

.

 

We just finished season two last night watching pretty much the entire season yesterday since we both had off. Its so funny how we have to keep quiet on facebook about it since so many of our friends our still watching and Im ready to burst with comments!

 

I'm about 3 episodes into season 2, enjoying it so far.

 

I almost feel like we need a spoiler thread on here for people who've seen the whole thing. I finished Season 2 last night and my brother is the only other person I know who's gotten to the end yet. He and I can discuss, but everyone else I have to be careful with!

 

I finished it on Monday. The AV Club review points to the somewhat disposable nature of the show, that it works great for binge viewing but doesn't have much substance to back it up. I kind of agree - I enjoyed jumping from episode to episode just to take in the whole plot as it unfolded, but the second season as a whole went down much easier than the first. Like a pretty good meal from McDonalds. This time around, the unusual, thorny edges are pretty much gone (unless you count Spacey directly addressing the viewer as one of those "thorny edges" - in this season, the asides are almost exclusively to clue in viewers to things they would have more difficulty discerning in context).

 

I've got 2 more episodes to go.

 

Netflix reported that about 500,000 of their subscribers finished the entire season during the first weekend it was up on the service. More proof that consumers like to watch TV shows on their schedule, not one dictated by networks.

 

I was disappointed with how the season wound up. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that I found where Frank landed implausible. And I still contend that the president is weakly written and weakly cast (he even has a weak voice). This may be by design, but it stands out as a major flaw to me in a show full of conniving, manipulative characters who always have games going on under the surface. The most powerful man in the country is a boy scout? Come on!