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I stumbled across news today that Kevin Spacey is to star in an American remake of BBC serial House of Cards (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2098664/Francis-goes-Hollywood-The-creator-House-Of-Cards-schemer-Francis-Urquhart-reveals-Kevin-Spacey-s-bringing-life.html). Apparently it’s going to be distributed exclusively on Netflix at first.

I’ve no idea if it’s going to be any good but I thought I’d use the opportunity to recommend the original British version, for anyone who hasn’t seen it. It’s still fondly remembered as one of the best dramas the BBC has made, 20 years after first being broadcast, and is well worth getting your hands on.

House of Cards stars Sir Francis Urquhart as a senior but fairly low-profile member of the Government – a “backroom boy”. Following the resignation of the Prime Minister (apparently Margaret Thatcher), he schemes his way to the top, using blackmail, lies and murder to get there.

Urquhart (known as FU) is an old, patrician British Tory. He’s charming, witty and sees it all as a bit of a jolly game. You’re not sure whether to hate him or cheer him on, especially when he turns to the camera and confides his schemes to the viewer.

Watch as this old man has an affair with naïve young journalist Mattie Storin (Mattie: “I want to call you Daddy”). See him crush his enemies with a smile and wink, and murder one poor victim by lacing his cocaine with rat poison.

House of Cards is only four episodes long and tells a continuous story. It’s like a single four-hour drama. Somebody's stuck the first five minutes up on YouTube, which might be a good way of deciding whether it's for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSWrTG8sBRI

The sequel, called To Play the King, has him up against the monarch, clearly meant to be King Charles (following the apparent death of the Queen). Favourite characters in this one for me include Princess Charlotte, who seems to be based on Fergie.

The third series was called The Final Cut, and personally I thought it was a disappointment, although it does wrap up FU’s story nicely. However, that still leaves two great stories which are worth getting hold of.

Kevin Spacey is a good choice for this role. I also agree, the original got a bit long winded and stale towards the end. It sorta got too 'real'; you start to realize that countries are actually ruled by these carrion eaters.

My wife and I started watching this series on Netflix last week. It's pretty good, I like Kevin Spacey. Political drama, but pretty gritty. I like Spacey's character but on the other hand, some of the wheeling and dealing he does to get crap through Congress is really dickish.

Would recommend checking it out if you like political dramas and want something more interesting than network TV.

This is an excellent series.  I couldn't stop watching it.  I told my parents, they could stop watching it.  They even put up with each others company for 3 hours a day to watch it together, which is an impressive feat for 40 years marriage!

Thanks for the recommendation, caught the first few episodes last night and loved it. Kevin Spacey is fantastic as always; I don't really care for his wife but that's because she's just a little too...reluctant to be evil.

Both Spacey and Wright play absolutely despicable people.

Really enjoying the show.

Claire never seemed come together to be anything but filler.

Ending felt a little anti-climatic. But it was solid show, a must watch for anyone with Netflix.

Whoa. That wasn't my impression at all. She's Bonnie to his Clyde.

She is, but I never really cared about any of her problems.  I think they kind of didn't know what to do with her so they just booted her to a different city for a subplot that was more annoying than anything.

I agree about the ending being anti-climatic.  I really enjoyed the show, but when it ended I was like "wait, that was the last episode?"

It really didn't end any differently than any other episode.

The climax was episode 11 really.  The conflict with the billionaire lacked gravitas mainly because he came out of no where and the "A" plot was much more interesting.

I love how this ended.  Fantastic show.

I really enjoyed this show and look forward to next season.  I don't think they knew what to do with Claire either.

Are they planning another season? I assumed this was a one off.

Yes, there is going to be another season.  I thought it was pretty clear from the ending that they were hoping for a second season.

Due to Air Canada's very excellent in flight entertainment system I just watched the first three episodes of this and will finish the season on my next flight. Fantastic series, I'd say as good as the original but that was 20? Years ago I watched that.

Trailer for Season 2 is up on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBabKoHSErI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBabKoHSErI)

Woo!  Can't wait to binge watch this dastardly political series!  Do NOT fuck with the Underwoods!

Is the whole second season going to be released together, or is Netflix doing it episodically? I was a bit late to the party on season 1 so I'm not sure how they usually release things.

All at once (again) on Valentine's Day.

Just watched the first episode of the new season and HOLY SHIT!  So tremendously entertaining, you have to watch this show. 

This is what's on tap for us tonight! Some takeout & House of Cards season 2…

Agreed. Woah. Even Claire was entertaining in the first episode. 

 :ye_gods:

"We have over 9000 servers here..."  :why_so_serious:

(S2 E1 Spoilers)

Finished season 2. Hell of a ride, and it's going to be a long wait until next year. End season spoilers below, read at your own risk.

Just finished it.  Great season of backstabbing, maneuvering, lies, power and money. 

Agree re: McPoyle.   :awesome_for_real:

I finished the last ep this morning because I passed out last night while trying to finish the season before bed.  Gonna be another long wait for the next season.

I might need to go back and rewatch the whole series so I can try to figure out how much was planned vs improved vs luck.  The series title is VERY apt.

Finished this [S2] last night.

Overall, I liked it -- Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright (who excels more so than Spacey IMV) are fantastic and even if the show spirals downward in S3 (and/or S4 and on) it will be quality viewing just with their presence. Enjoyed it even if the plot line is now gone beyond far fetched.

Some notes:

In regards to your quote I'd say that while neither shows are "realistic", House of Cards maps more closely to what I imagine government to be like than West Wing.

I believe that was the author's point: Our national imagination of the corridors of power has mutated a bit since Sorkin's halcyon mythification of the Clinton Years.

Just started watching these and they are good. I'm only 2 episodes into the first season and I already want to gut Robin Wright's character like a fish.

Heh, you've seen nothing yet…

I'm starting to understand that this is a black satire not a "realistic" or "naturalistic" take on politics. It's just very very subtly done. Me likey.

Be sure to post here after the first season and after you see the first episode of the second.  *rubs hands together with evil glee*

I keep trying to compare it to the British original, and I can't figure out which is blacker. Ian Richardson is a lot more gleeful about his destruction, and his enemies were a lot more bumbling and less threatening. It certainly lightened the mood. That said, it made his wickedness more surprising in its depth and ferocity, and on the smaller national stage his efforts had more obvious personal effect. Different sorts of Satan.

In both cases the most disturbing observation I had was that if really government did work this way, it wouldn't look any different than it does now from where we voters and citizens sit.

I liked the first season, but I think I'm done.

I don't hate Space for the reasons the show wants me to.  His smarmy over-the-top acting is grating, everyone on the show is a complete fucking moron, and the misdirections/double-reversals aren't that clever.

I wish this got cancelled, and Boss was still on.  Kelsey Grammer sold. that. shit.

At least watch the first episode of season 2. It's worth it.

Is this post from an alternate universe?

Finally finished watching the first season. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Spacey's accent is grating but at the same time fits the character so well. It's amazing how much he physically reminds me of Huckabee, though obviously the character is more of a Clinton Democrat than a Republican. I think I can see what Claire is going to do about the lawsuit in the 2nd season. I love the show's thrust - these are two amoral characters whose only aim is for power, and more of it. Yet they are constantly being dragged down by their own weaknesses and human failings. At first the 4th wall speaking to the camera thing bugged me, but by the end of the season I  saw it as kind of Shakespearean theatrical device, the modern day equivalent of a monologue.

I've never understood why Francis is a Democrat. It's just odd, particularly when you factor in where he's from and where Clarie's from. I was thinking they were trying to mirror current reality as of 2012, but the S2 central story just further muddies the waters that way.

That's really a minor nitpick though. S2 is almost uniformly awesome. I thought there was only one clunker episode and one truly wtf moment - you'll know it when you see it - embeded is a sea of holy crap, did that just happen?

You haven't watched the original, eh ?

Meechum part?

The creator was on Colbert recently and he made mention of the fact they intentionally made him a Democrat. I forget what reason he gave, but I'd imagine if they made him Republican, people would think he's too cartoony because... well, RepublicansLOL. I think it's pretty clear he's put a good bit of Bill & Hillary Clinton into those characters.

And no, Ironwood, I haven't seen the original, but I might have to once I'm done with 2nd season.

It's not like there aren't Democrats in congress every bit as conservative as him either. I think the show makes a good point about the Democratic Party.

Francis is supposed to be a "blue dog" democrat. Yeah, they don't exist anymore, at least from the region of the country. But the show is alternate reality fantasy -- consider that, at least in S1, the Congress is actually effective at uniting and passing legislation :)

Yep.

I was tripping balls on that.

Just got done watching the 1st episode of 2nd season. HOLY... FUCKBALLS.

Yep, I want to gut Claire even more now. And it's funny, I totally expected what would happen at the station but was still surprised they went there. Also, Cufflinks  :drill: :why_so_serious:

Hehe Frank's quite the bastard eh?

That final scene of season 2 was so fucking awesome.  You knew, he knew and he was looking right at you to confirm it.

*Thoom Thoom*. Great way to end the season.

I have greatly enjoyed this series, with all its high moments and its flaws. The foreshadowing of Zoe's death from Freddy talking about the different methods of killing pigs was inspired, it didn't go unnoticed. Meechum ... yeah. The FU Cufflinks was great, it was when I first realized the significance of Underwood's name.

This is silly, but did anyone else think the frequency of shots of bare female feet was high? A Tarantino on the production staff? Women taking off their heels seemed to be a storytelling device in the series. *shrugs*

I didn't notice a lot of feet.

Me either.

Likely just me, then. I'm looking forward to Season 3 -- I hope they end it after that one.

Loved the second season.

Well so far it's not strayed particularly far from the main thrusts of the British original, so the third season will almost certainly be the last. The original was a trilogy, and FU's career ends there.

Serious spoilers exist in the original show. The shock at the beginning of the first episode of Season Two, for example, happened at the end of the first British series. All of the deaths. Don't go looking unless you want to know how everything ends, because it'll only be a surprise once. The American show has put a lot of its own spin on things, but the twists are more or less the same.

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE

In case you missed it, season 3 is out.   :drill:

The first five minutes are very House of Cards.

Binge-watched the third season this weekend and I was rather disappointed how it failed to stand up to the previous seasons (in my opinion).

Francis skill set is not suited to being the prime mover. You knew things were going to turn out poorly unfortunately, everything is a house of cards.  :heartbreak:

Had no idea Claire had passable French.

Ten episodes in now and I think this season by far surpasses season 2, which I thought was fun but a little silly and absurd in parts, but doesn't quite reach the first season's greatness.  The characters are turning out to be much deeper than is led on in the first two seasons though, and I'm really digging it.  Also, the music has gotten a lot better this season.

I agree with all of this.

Question for those people who have watched it all (spoiler spoiler)

Couple of episodes from the end.  Dayyyyum that debate.

(edit, near the end) I think Frank's big weakness is overestimating everyone else's willingness to put up with his shit.

(edit 2, done)  :awesome_for_real:

I didn't enjoy this season as much as the prior two but one thing I did enjoy was

Are we getting a Season 4? For some reason I thought it was only going to go to 3.

Yeah, my main complaint about this season is that we didn't really see the old Frank cleverness.  Like I said, he vastly overestimates everyone else's willingness to put up with his shit, which means he just ends up barking orders rather than cleverly manipulating people into doing what he wants without them knowing it.

Just finished 3rd season with the wife, it wasn't nearly as good or engaging as the previous seasons.  I struggle to even think of much positive to say about it.  The abrupt end and turn around with Doug and his situation they had been building so much felt particularly awful to me after they did such a good job with him the rest of the season.

Solid season, not as good as the first two with some real head-scratchers in there.  Some of the stories felt abrupt, like they finished the script five minutes before shooting.  I disagree with the direction some of the plots took. 

Without spoiling:  Doug is an addict but alcohol is not his main addiction, he was able to kick booze fairly easy because he just replaces it with power.  He relapsed in the end.

Yup he lamed the presidency to back door his way into the seat and this season was pretty much him not being able to do anything and not realizing he was acting like such an enormous ass people just were no longer willing to put up with it any more. Francis should never have attempted to get the presidency he is a back room dealer put the spot light on him and all the roaches start scuttling.

I have two episodes left.  I hate this season so god damn much I don't want to finish it.

So I just finished watching season 2 episode 1 and thought I'd bump this. WTF? And here I thought it was funny how much people freaked out about all the unexpected deaths in Game of Thrones. I don't think I've stared at the screen that dumbfounded other then perhaps a certain scene with Brian Austin Green in the Terminator series. Makes me wish I hadn't waited so long to watch this.

Just be prepared to temper your excitement for Season 3.  It's definitely very differently paced and (imo) weak.

I liked season three more than the second season.  Everything seemed a little too neat and convenient in the second season and in the third you really see Underwood's weaknesses.  It's a point that divides fans though, for sure.

I didn't feel like they showed his weaknesses well though.  The style, writing, pacing, and themes were just so vastly different than the previous two seasons that it did not make it enjoyable to me and felt like a slog to get through.  It would have been fine if his weaknesses would have shown by his him trying to use all the cunningness they showed him having from the previous two seasons and failing, but they really failed to show him even attempting to be cunning.

His weakness is that once he thinks he's won, all that cunning goes right out the window.   :oh_i_see:

That may be sarcastic but I think that's sort of what they were going with for the third season.  Frank really had no end game other than get to president and make a legacy for himself and he mistakenly believes as president he can just strong arm anything. 

I don't think the lack of cunning is uncharacteristic so much as they didn't showcase the reasons why well enough.

Yeah, I think it is what they were going for, it just doesn't make for nearly as entertaining of a story as the first season gave us IMO. 

They're not doing a very good job of showing it, but it comes down to the attentional pyramid, aka the Prisoner/Guard asymmetry: Frank had an unlimited amount of time to plan and maneuver to create one unique moment, when the President would be forced to resign and Frank would become President. Now, he's the target of all that plotting, having to divide his attention between a wide spectrum of threats and in the process missing some because they aren't presenting themselves openly.

--Dave

Ehhh, that's giving him too much credit.  He's actively CREATING threats for himself by needlessly fucking over and alienating his allies.  In each case it's painfully obvious at the very instant he does it that it's going to bite him in the ass very soon and very hard. 

In the previous seasons he demonstrated a very keen understanding of how to manipulate people and the importance of getting people to do what you want them to do but think it was their idea, and all of that insight goes COMPLETELY out the window once he's sitting in the Oval Office.  It bugs me.

Regardless of what they were trying to show, they didn't transition it at all which is the big part of the problem.  They did a real good job at making the end game of the last two seasons (becoming president) extremely well thought out, had him adaptable, and was good about not forecasting to the audience exactly what the end game was right away. 

Season 3 was full of stupid things like "lets do a complete 180 and drop out of the race, no one (audience or in show) will ever realize I'm plotting to actually run later on".  Going for the attentional pyramid issue would have been fine, they just could have done a hell of a lot better job showcasing that.

My prediction: Season Four will show him pulling it out of the bag, and the story will be a lot more satisfying when seasons three and four are viewed as one story with the end of season three the mid-point.

Next seasson teaser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se44ed4KBMA

FU 2016.

The show took on a little water last season so I hope they right the ship with the new season.  This show is very enjoyable and Frank is a great character.
*raps on table*

edit:  clarification

Season 4 is out.  I hope it is better than last season.

The husband loves this show.  I wish I'd told him earlier that Netflix dropped the entire season at once, then we could have had a Netflix subscription way earlier than finally signing up this past weekend.

It's better than last season.

Entertaining.

Can't stand the actor who plays the Republican nominee.

Edit: Conway.

A lot better than season 3 and the ending was perfect to make me want to see the next season when it comes out (Netflix has announced that they will make season 5).

You a mother fucker, Mr. President.

I don't know...had a hard time making it through episode 1 of the new season. I'm rather tired of the distant stares of 'Jenny' and I just wasn't feeling it in general. Probably last season just leaving a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.

Just finished this season.  The last two episodes are probably the best of the entire series.

The final scene of this season...that's how you end a fucking season.

Glad it gets better. I'm on episode 5 or so and getting tired of the excessive dream sequences.

I got about 3 episodes in and just lost interest. 

Season 4 was so much better than season 3.  Just finished it Sunday and hot damn what a closing scene!

This season starts off poorly and I almost lost interest but the back half of the season is just great.

The second half of this season is great, but if this series ends with anything but the total destruction of the Underwoods I will be furious. The shit they get away with is getting insulting if its not used to build up to the sins of their past doing them in for good.

I agree. The final season pretty much has to be about their downfall.

First half of the season was weak, the second half was excellent, back to season 1 excellent imo.

However, I really wish they had just spent 2 more episodes and ended it.  I really don't know if I want a whole season of him fighting off everything.  They set everything up for him to fall and we KNOW he's going to fall (there's no way he is going to come out ahead, both because of everything happening in the story and because it would make a crappy ending).  I have a feeling the next season is going to drag out what they could have written in 2-3 episodes and ended on a high note. 

I don't think they next season will drag so much as it will slowly ramp up the consequences to the breaking point.

He was in The Killing, playing an entirely different character.  Are you sure you can't stand the actor rather than the role? I think he's terrific, as an actor, playing the role of odious, complicated characters.

I thought he was pretty awful as well until the last two episodes.  That speech he gave at around episode 7 or so was just so wooden and uninteresting.  It got better, but he's still largely unremarkable.  Thankfully, it doesn't matter since he's just a foil for Spacey.

It looks a lot like they are building to the UK ending. And I don't think either their complete downfall or success would be all that satisfying.

For some inexplicable and unexplaianable and completely unpredicatable way, this show is going to end after the next season airs.

http://tvline.com/2017/10/30/house-of-cards-ending-cancelled-season-6-kevin-spacey/ (http://tvline.com/2017/10/30/house-of-cards-ending-cancelled-season-6-kevin-spacey/)

(Yes, they say the decision was made months ago and it likely was... but the decision to announce it today....)

Probably a good plan better to end strong with a set goal than try to keep going past the point they can hold the story together.

Sooooo.... Three seasons ago?

I don't know - I think they've done ok since they fully committed to being batshit insane about half way through season 4.

Season 2 and 3 were the problem. Just. Too. Damn. Long.

They could and should have been wrapped up in about 8 episodes total.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709854046224584704/sXK99VCF.jpg)

Well yeah.

Urquhart made it through to the end of s2 in 5 episodes and each with about of a quarter of the dialog Spacey appears to require in an hour's television. 

well, this show sure spontaneously and completely collapsed, falling apart ever so easily even after so much buildup. almost like some metaphors i can't think of

This is one of times when replacing the lead actor with someone else and not saying anything to the obvious change would be much appreciated. fucks.

This show is dead without Spacey.  Put a fork in it.

This reality is just a simulation, theres no other reasonable explanation.

i must go now, my planet needs me

uuuwuuwuuuwuuwuuwuuuwueee

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bs-fe-cards-james-20171108-story.html