# House of Cards- Netflix Original Show. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105 "2013-02-02T05:56:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/61 "2013-02-11T23:17:09Z")
Just finished episode 9. I disagree strongly with Claire’s decision to tank the vote. Yes, she was pissed (justifiably) about how her husband’s goals were obviously more important than hers. But it was a stupid decision and I would never have expected her character to act that stupidly. Yes, I’ll say stupid again. 1. There’s no possible way Frank doesn’t figure out it was her. 2. Claire is a long range thinker. She’s willing to tank a vote her husband spent time, money and political capital on while simultaneously tanking the prospects of Russo’s Gubernatorial race which her husband also spent time, money and political capital on? That’s a huge deal and surely she can see the importance of her husband coming out on top. 3. Let’s be frank. In this particular instance her husband was right. His needs WERE more important than $200,000 worth of equipment. She should have sucked it up and moved on. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/62 "2013-02-12T18:54:31Z")
Okay, I’m gullible enough to entirely suspend my disbelief about absolutely everything that happened in Season 1, right until the last ten minutes when Claire claims to have replaced the kitchen faucet while wearing a skimpy dress with killer high heels. And I can’t even bring myself to pretend that she did it earlier and changed back into fancy togs before Francis came home. But if that’s the worst I can come up with, I’m going to salivate until the Season 2 opener. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/63 "2013-02-12T22:04:40Z")
I finished the last episode last night. I was left with one burning question about the series. Who the fuck stores Poptarts in the fridge? I’d love to know how much Netflix got for the all product placements. I found an article about it but apparently they’re quite tight lipped about the actual numbers. > **[Netflix's ‘House Of Cards’ Is Internet TV-Funded Original Programming But...](https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/11/netflixs-house-of-cards-is-internet-tv-funded-original-programming-but-dont-kid-yourself-its-ad-free-spoiler-alert/)** > > When Netflix bid on and won the rights to House of Cards back in 2011 – buying the show before it was shot and committing to two full seasons – it made headlines. And with good reason: Funding such a high-profile slice of original programming – with... I also found it mildly amusing that the show featured three Italian American characters, and they were all portrayed as overly emotional people who get involved in fistfights and are associated with shady unions. I felt like I was watching Boardwalk Empire for a minute. Overall I thought the series was decent. A bit dry and joyless, but the story sucks you in, the acting is top notch, and the production is just well executed in general. The cinematography and the way it was shot builds mood and atmosphere very well. I felt there was certainly something… very theatrical about the performances, but I think it was intentional and it works. I wouldn’t rank it among Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and the early seasons of the Sopranos, but I’d give it a solid B. Worth watching if you’re interested in Machiavellian political thrillers or if Iago\* was one of your favorite Shakespeare characters. \*I realize the original British series was often compared to the play Macbeth, but Kevin Spacey’s character is more like Iago than the character Macbeth. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/64 "2013-02-18T16:42:13Z")
Finished this last night. What a thoroughly enjoyable ride. Thanks, Netflix. I understand that it’s meant to continue for at least a second season (if that’s the right word for this game-changer), but… it didn’t exactly end as much as just roll credits a 13th time. Huh. There was a comment in the New Yorker that nailed it, IMHO: _The West Wing_ meets\* Breaking Bad\*. And I will see Kevin Spacey flicking that salt grinder for the rest of my life, and chuckling every time. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/65 "2013-02-18T16:44:25Z")
> [@Fiveroptic](#): > > Okay, I’m gullible enough to entirely suspend my disbelief about absolutely everything that happened in Season 1, right until the last ten minutes when > > Claire claims to have replaced the kitchen faucet while wearing a skimpy dress with killer high heels. And I can’t even bring myself to pretend that she did it earlier and changed back into fancy togs before Francis came home. Yep. My wife commented on that instantly, to which I replied: “Hey, she took off her pearls, though!” ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/66 "2013-03-10T00:57:12Z")
> [@Fiveroptic](#): > > Okay, I’m gullible enough to entirely suspend my disbelief about absolutely everything that happened in Season 1, right until the last ten minutes when > > Claire claims to have replaced the kitchen faucet while wearing a skimpy dress with killer high heels. And I can’t even bring myself to pretend that she did it earlier and changed back into fancy togs before Francis came home. > > But if that’s the worst I can come up with, I’m going to salivate until the Season 2 opener. Really? That was _ **more** _ unbelievable than the fact that the son of the sitting White House Chief of Staff couldn’t get admitted to Stanford? ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/67 "2013-03-11T10:49:59Z")
I enjoyed it and would recommend it. There were a few things that jarred for various reasons; different from those just above. The asides to audience were meant to convey the truth of Underwood’s thinking - yet we got none in the episode at The Sentinel - possibly because it may have revealed too much but i felt cheated. The cemetery woman; I can’t decide if it was too heavy-handed or too subtle; either way it went nowhere. Massive production costs, superb design, then in maybe ep 11, we see what looks like a scenery painting from a high school production out of the Oval Office windows. Ouch. Shortly thereafter the windows are draped in net curtains. Fincher makes everything look sterile. Does he have OCD? MiM ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/68 "2013-04-02T15:27:43Z")
Started watching it last night. I am only two episodes in and enjoying the plot but the acting is not great by Kevin Spacey’s standards. He comes up with an answer for everything a little _too_ swiftly, which keeps me looking at him as an actor reciting lines and not the Democratic Representative from South Carolina. Kate Mara is terrible at acting and annoying. Robin Wright seems to be the best of the series so far; I liked her immediately. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/69 "2013-04-28T16:46:26Z")
I was just looking at some stories and pics of the White House Correspondents dinner the other night, and I see that Spacey, Wright, and Mara all attended, presumably to hawk the series to the politicos there. I have no idea what their politics are IRL, or whether they are activist types. So maybe they’re basking in the glory of being inside the Beltline, or maybe they’re just annoyed that that they’re jumping through hoops to hype the series. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/70 "2013-04-29T14:57:21Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I was just looking at some stories and pics of the White House Correspondents dinner the other night, and I see that Spacey, Wright, and Mara all attended, presumably to hawk the series to the politicos there. I have no idea what their politics are IRL, or whether they are activist types. So maybe they’re basking in the glory of being inside the Beltline, or maybe they’re just annoyed that that they’re jumping through hoops to hype the series. Power is a lot like real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source the higher your property value. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/71 "2013-04-29T18:27:28Z")
Any word on season 2? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/72 "2013-04-30T04:32:01Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I was just looking at some stories and pics of the White House Correspondents dinner the other night, and I see that Spacey, Wright, and Mara all attended, presumably to hawk the series to the politicos there. I have no idea what their politics are IRL, or whether they are activist types. So maybe they’re basking in the glory of being inside the Beltline, or maybe they’re just annoyed that that they’re jumping through hoops to hype the series. Well, the WHCD started with a parody of House of Cards called House of Nerds starring Spacey. I doubt they were there to hawk the series to the politicos, partly because you’d probably be hard pressed to find someone in that room who hadn’t watched the series and partly because it’s only a few hundred people. The WHCD has become this big glitzy thing in the past few years, lots and lots of celebrities show up for it. Also, it’s beltway, not beltline. **Zoid** , when they announced Season 1, they guarenteed a Season 2 and IIRC, they filmed S1 and S2 at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/73 "2013-04-30T04:40:20Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Well, the WHCD started with a parody of House of Cards called House of Nerds starring Spacey. I doubt they were there to hawk the series to the politicos, partly because you’d probably be hard pressed to find someone in that room who hadn’t watched the series and partly because it’s only a few hundred people. The WHCD has become this big glitzy thing in the past few years, lots and lots of celebrities show up for it. Also, it’s beltway, not beltline. > > **Zoid** , when they announced Season 1, they guarenteed a Season 2 and IIRC, they filmed S1 and S2 at the same time. I don’t think any of these folks live in Washington, and the fact that all three were there suggests to me that someone arranged it for some kind of marketing/publicity purposes. > [@](#): > > … Also, it’s beltway, not beltline. … :smack: You’re right, and I should know better because I used to live there. It’s Madison that has a Beltline. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/74 "2013-04-30T05:19:03Z")
Well, of couse they don’t live in DC, but the night was full of celebrities including John Legend, Amy Poehler, Sofia Vergara, etc., etc. . They’re not there to sell their show to the politicos in attendance, but to raise their profile in general. For House of Cards, I’m sure they want to remind people about the show. Attendees are invited by the various organizations that hold seats, CNN, Vanity Fair, etc. all have a certain number of people they can invite. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/75 "2013-08-08T18:06:50Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > I just started watching this and I think it’s excellent, but though I’m a fan of Kevin Spacey and think he is very good in this role, he can’t touch Ian Richardson for charm, humor or sheer gleeful reptilian malevolence. Just finished it a few nights ago, and much as I enjoyed it, I agree with you. Both are very good shows, but Urquhart just had so much more _fun_ with his devious scheming than Underwood. > [@Enderw24](#): > > … 3) Let’s be frank… There can only be one. > [@Made\_in\_Macau](#): > > The cemetery woman; I can’t decide if it was too heavy-handed or too subtle; either way it went nowhere… Yeah, what was up with her, anyway? Just a meaningless encounter to knock Claire (literally) a little off her stride? An unwelcome intimation of mortality? Something to somehow get her thinking about having a baby? > [@Made\_in\_Macau](#): > > …Massive production costs, superb design, then in maybe ep 11, we see what looks like a scenery painting from a high school production out of the Oval Office windows. Ouch. Shortly thereafter the windows are draped in net curtains… I noticed the fake-looking view out the Oval Office windows behind the President’s desk, too. Took me right out of the moment. > [@madmonk28](#): > > Well, the WHCD started with a parody of House of Cards called House of Nerds starring Spacey… Yup, with lots of real politicos and newsies in it, too. Here you go: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCzI521sgqE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCzI521sgqE) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105/76 "2013-08-23T17:06:56Z")
BTW, did you notice the doomed Congressman Russo was played by Corey Stoll, the same actor who was such a wickedly good Ernest Hemingway in _Midnight in Paris_?: [http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2013/06/24/HOUSE-OF-CARDS-STOLL.jpg](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2013/06/24/HOUSE-OF-CARDS-STOLL.jpg) [http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/973311/stoll\_article\_story\_main.jpg](http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/973311/stoll_article_story_main.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-netflix-original-show/649105.md?page=3)