SummaryThe US remake of the 1990s British political miniseries moves the shenanigans to Washington DC. After learning he won't be appointed to a coveted Cabinet position, House Majority Whip Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire plan revenge on the administration he helped elect.
SummaryThe US remake of the 1990s British political miniseries moves the shenanigans to Washington DC. After learning he won't be appointed to a coveted Cabinet position, House Majority Whip Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire plan revenge on the administration he helped elect.
Not everything meshes perfectly. But far more often than not, House of Cards remains an absorbing tale of high-level government dysfunction populated by double-dealers who hold their aces under the table.
House of Cards. Season 2. No regrets. Great season! Practically from the very first episodes, he begins to keep in interest what will happen next. Because the children's games are over and now the elimination games have begun.
Pensé que la serie original británica no podía superarse: la segunda temporada me ha demostrado que estaba equivocada. Esta segunda temporada de HoC me ha cautivado por completo y ha llevado el concepto original a un nuevo nivel de maestría. La previsión, las intrigas y el desarrollo del personaje ofrecen al espectador un verdadero placer en el trazado de la trama, con sorpresas acechando en cada esquina. Incluso los ajustes son ricos en simbolismo e ironía. Felicitaciones a todo el equipo de producción y elenco.
Frank Underwood may see himself as a man of action, but the odd explosion of violence notwithstanding, House of Cards is primarily a character study, one that can begin to feel a little stale after prolonged exposure. So maybe it's best to treat it like a box of chocolates. A piece (or three) at a time? Still delicious.
House of Cards is pretty much the same show it settled into less than midway through its first run. It's entertaining and cruises along with a strong pulse.
The fourth hour immediately went on my list of the year's best drama episodes; at least half of it is eye-rollingly silly, but the other half is magnificent. Just when you think the Underwoods can be written off as comic strip political cousins of the Macbeths, they do or say something that's genuinely moving, and that makes you realize they have hearts after all, even though they're probably tiny and ice-cold, and only beat for one another.
House of Cards is almost willfully and sadistically atonal. Its schemes and subplots and internecine politics undulate and intertwine with a suffocating kind of flatness. I find these new episodes watchable yet sterile.
A power play in which everyone plays to win and nobody wants to lose, with an antihero machiavellian and cynic who came through the door that no one should.
I have mixed feelings about Season 2 of House of Cards. For reasons that I can't quite explain or put my finger on, this season failed to captivate and hook me the way Season 1 did. When I started watching Season 1, I literally watched 9 episodes in a row and then finished the season about 6 hours later. I could not stop watching. The story drove forward with a powerful pace, and I was beside myself with anticipation about what was going to happen next.
Season 2 did not deliver in the same way. Although the acting was exceptional, the cinematography was great, and the musical score was once again good, throughout a lot of Season 2 I was just...bored. A lot happened, but maybe TOO MUCH happened. It went in a few too many directions, and I didn't have the same concern for the characters as I did in Season 1. There are too many characters who are introduced (or re-introduced) who get far too little time on-screen for the viewer to really get involved in their stories. Too many of the originals from Season 1 show up, have some relatively trivial interactions, and then are dismissed again. It lends a bit of continuity, but adds little to the overall story.
Season 2 also lacks a good counterpoint for Frank Underwood. I won't say too much, but Raymond Tusk just isn't that interesting. I feel as though the rivalry between Tusk and Underwood received WAY too much attention and just wasn't that exciting. Along those lines, there are too many scenes where Underwood encounters "straw-man" opposition to his plans. It feels like Season 2 is a grueling marathon of tiny hurdles rather than being a challenging obstacle course. It feels tedious at points despite the excellent characterization.
Despite the aforementioned issues that Season 2 suffers from, it still delivers excellent performances by great actors, spins an epic power-struggle, and has exciting back-stabbings and double-crosses between characters that feel genuine. There are plenty of moments that my mouth dropped open in surprise or I found myself laughing and clapping at the sheer audacity of the characters. My primary letdown was that Season 2 felt diluted and weak in many places, instead of the powerful train-ride delivered in Season 1. I still would watch Season 2 again, however, and would suggest that you watch it if you enjoyed the first season.
I loved season 1 of HOC, I thought it was well acted and directed. And while I loved the first couple episodes of season 2, I was left a bit disappointed. The problem I now have with House of Cards is that it thinks it is smarter than it actually is. I feel like the show acts like it is one of the great TV dramas up there with The Sopranos and The Wire. And if you look at it from a critical standpoint, its not even one of the best dramas on TV. Most people are surprised that House of Cards is not a critical darling with its big budget and the two well respected leads. Spacey is wasting his talents here, because while Frank Underwood is an interesting character he never gets anything to do. Wright was one of the positive things I had to say about this season, she probably did some of the best acting of her whole career. Other than the acting, the directing remains great, while the writing remains a bit dry. The backlash the show received during the second half of season two, makes me hope that the writers learn from their mistakes, but I don't know if I can be that optimistic.
I am not a big fan of political drama, especially about US politics. I thought Spacey is a good actor and worth the bother to follow the intricate, byzantine, slow-paced and at times plainly boring, absurd plot. Unfortunately, while the first season had its moments and some interesting characters (Adam the photographer, Peter the drunkard, the nosy journalist played by Mara, etc...), this season focus mainly on how mean and nasty Frank and Claire are. Also, how Frank ALWAYS succeed in manipulating people into doing what he wants.
Even for a master puppeteer a 100% success rate is excessive. Some people are unpredictable and won't do what Frank wants, not necessarily because they understand his very complex plot, but simply because nobody can be manipulated so completely. And the Rachel/Doug side plot is a huge, super tedious waste of time.
Finally, is Clare even wearing anything that is not sprayed on, tightly fitted and (hopefully for her) Spandex contained? Also, is she color blind? She is wearing only black, white and gray (perhaps some dark blue).
Soporific, not looking forward to series 3.