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House of Cards (US) (Netflix)

hub2

By hub2,
in Film, TV & Radio

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Monkeyboy

Monkeyboy

Posted
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I'm catching up with this at the minute, started from the beginning a couple of weeks back, up to episode 11 of season 2. The real shocker for me was...

Zoe's murder in the first episode. That totally made my jaw drop. And these days, few shows do that to me.

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Monkeyboy

Monkeyboy

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Finished season three now, and whilst I did enjoy it, I agree with some of the comments that it's not as good as the first two. I think the problem is kind of...

like when a "will they or won't they" couple get together in other TV shows, and the tension evaporates. Frank got to be President at the end of season two, the top job he'd always craved, which left season three spinning its wheels a bit. His goal has been reached, so where does he go from there? Downfall perhaps, but part of the appeal of the first two seasons was watching Frank plot more from the sidelines. Season three lost some of that.

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Rev

Rev

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Yeah, it's one of those things that gets worse the more you think about it. There wasn't a single plotline that was even vaguely satisfying.

Russia was appalling (especially pussy riot and the cack-handed middle east bit), the book was appalling, Doug was unbelievably appalling, Claire was made into a failure. And there were bits that were just snide, the hurricane that didn't come, Freddy wanting to sneak away, the black egg.

Shite. If the 4th series doesn't wrap it up it's staying well beyond its welcome too.

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Pete

Pete

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Yeah it was odd to spend so much time focusing on a character with no redeeming features or charisma and then for it to lead nowhere

(Doug)

What were they thinking? It is not entertaining to see a weirdo moping around.

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  • 8 months later...
Rev

Rev

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I really can see it getting worse, the set up for the season just seems a mess. It'll be watchable because Kevin Spacey is amazing as Frank and I'd probably watch if they confirmed it was just him reading out a phonebook, but...Yeah. Zero hopes for it getting back to series 1 standards.

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bcofn

bcofn

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My big problem with this program right from the first season is that Frank has never shown what he actually wants power for. He insinuates in the first season when comparing himself to Remy that it's a legacy that will stand the test of time but that requires there to be something to build a legacy on instead of just occupying the office or making as much money as possible. I never thought he was evil despite his behavior as right or wrong from the start there felt like there was supposed to be some great plan he had that was for the greater good (in his mind) that made sacrificing anyone else in order to achieve his aims worthwhile. And it's not like he jumped at the chance to do some of the things he has done, there was a plan to get Peter Russo back on his feet again for instance, not just discard him. The problem is they never showed the genesis of what made him who he is. It's clear he wasn't that way in military school as the reunion episode showed he was if anything part of a small outcast group. I'm sure that was part of it but it's a big jump from wanting to make something of yourself to being willing to do anything to get as much power as you can.

The third season felt it highlighted the lack of foresight the writers have had in showing where this drive comes from. Complaints about him suddenly not getting things done or suddenly being the good guy now he's in office are fair because the focus has been so much on the day to day grubby affairs of how he's trying to get to his goal without there ever being a glimpse of what the goal is. When the America Works thing came along it wasn't really a surprise but it felt thin because it didn't feel like it was something that had been worked up to. It's like they got him in office and the writers thought "Well now what the fuck do we do?"

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Monkeyboy

Monkeyboy

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Basically, he should never have become President. He wielded more power from the sidelines, and they should have kept it that way. Maybe it's too much for America to comprehend that the "most powerful man in the world" probably isn't. It's the guys in the shadows pulling the strings.

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schmojo

schmojo

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Basically, he should never have become President. He wielded more power from the sidelines, and they should have kept it that way. Maybe it's too much for America to comprehend that the "most powerful man in the world" probably isn't. It's the guys in the shadows pulling the strings.

Exactly this. His ruthless ambition, the entertaining bit, hits a ceiling when he has the top job, and then it can only be about a predictable downfall.

Unless the next series has him gunning for Presidency of the Galaxy.

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  • 5 weeks later...
gone fishin

gone fishin

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71MG8_mgIyQ

Whatever could they be getting at?

Zoe Barnes is back? Or at least her death is coming back to haunt him? They never really tied up that storyline of the journalist investigating him for it...

The third series certainly wasn't the best, but the fact that Doug Stamper is back in his team should make it more interesting... Hopefully they learned that the viewers want to see more scheming Frank Underwood breaking the fourth wall...

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  • 2 weeks later...
BitterToad

BitterToad

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Zoe Barnes is back? Or at least her death is coming back to haunt him? They never really tied up that storyline of the journalist investigating him for it...

The third series certainly wasn't the best, but the fact that Doug Stamper is back in his team should make it more interesting... Hopefully they learned that the viewers want to see more scheming Frank Underwood breaking the fourth wall...

There's no way Barnes is back... It'll be about someone investigating into her death as you say.

The third series showed us all that what we want from HoC is Frank Underwood doing a job poorly and talking about jobs lots, creepy Doug Stamper getting back to his old self over 10 episodes, and the actual Pussy Riot.

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  • 1 month later...
Wizcat

Wizcat

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, mdn2 said:

Was S3 really that much of a killer for this show? S4 started today with no fanfare on here. 

 

Steady on. It's been out for a few hours - and those of us with jobs won't be able to watch until the evening.

 

Very much looking forward to it tonight though. The storyline took a huge dip last season, but the production values and acting were still classy as ever

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