New on Netflix Instant Streaming: House of Cards [Netflix Original Series]

Post by Mike on February 1st 2013

Recently I have only been doing the New on Netflix posts as a large "dump". I have been watching House of Cards all night and figured it deserved the recognition of its own post. So here it is.

House of Cards (2013)

Creator: Beau Willimon
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Kristen Connolly, Corey Stoll
Genre: Drama, Politics, Thriller
Episodes: 13 Episodes (They call them "Chapters")
Network: Netflix
TV-MA

Why You Should Watch It: This wasn't Netflix's first original series (Lily Hammer), but it is the first that has reached this level of excitement. That excitement will be overtaken quickly when Arrested Development reaches the internet tubes in May 2013. Anyway, based on what I've heard and what I've watched so far, Kevin Spacey is the driving force behind that. The writing, story line and supporting acting certainly doesn't hurt, but Spacey's acting and character are great. Admittedly I have my own "moral quarrels" (reminds me of The Rural Juror) about Congressman Underwood's personal character but it is still interesting and fun to watch. Francis Underwood is from South Carolina (D) and is the US House of Representative's Majority Whip. He has more power than that name implies, to someone who doesn't know what the Majority Whip is at least, so with little political knowledge i'm still enjoying the show. Someone with more, let me know how enjoyable this is to watch. *cough*Comments*cough* There is sex, drugs, lies, cheating and more. It's everything you could want in a political drama. Give it a try!

This BONUS Review/Why You Should Watch It comes courtesy of David (@DScoul) from Twitter. He's a nice guy so read this and then follow him on twitter.

Although I got slightly delayed in watching House of Cards (about 9 hours since in my infinite generosity, I have shared my Netflix account with clearly too many people that don’t pick up their phones at 2am Central on a Friday morning when I need to watch a new Netflix original series), I was not disappointed. While I am a fan of shows such as The West Wing, I was excited to see that House of Cards did not have the preachy message or the awkward, often forced dialogue. No, the opening scene alone lets the viewer know that Frank Underwood is not someone who messes around.

When Mike and I first discussed our thoughts on House of Cards we had slightly differing opinions. He claimed that it was hard to root for Francis (Kevin Spacey) because he went into the show with a cynicism about government. I feel the exact opposite; I am rooting for him because I want to see where his master plan takes him. He’s obviously a liar and a cheat. He’s obviously very self-serving. But at the same time I think it’s these flaws and the plans that he makes that draw me to the character.

Today on Talk of the Nation on NPR they were discussing America’s favorite TV villains they like to root for. We’ve seen this type of character in Tony Soprano (The Sopranos) and Walter White (Breaking Bad) before House of Cards and I think that Spacey as Frank Underwood carries on this legacy. All three of them keep the viewer on the edge of their seat as their plans get more and more involved. Frank, as the audience can see, knows that at any moment, all of his work could come crashing down. I believe this is part of what makes House of Cards such a riveting watch.

In addition to Frank having evil methods, but seemingly good-intentioned motives, all of the rest of the characters seem to have serious flaws as well. Although I spent most of my time rooting for Frank, I found myself rooting at one point or another for the rest of them as well. None of them are good people, save for the guy who owns the BBQ joint, but they are all at least somewhat likeable.

I know that Netflix has ordered two seasons of the show. I personally hope that it gets renewed and that Netflix can establish itself as a major player in the original content game.