House Of Cards TV Series

Like they keep referring to this bill as simply "education". Hey prez, what bill are you going to try to push through first? Will it be FOREIGN POLICY, DRUGS, or EDUCATION?

People don't talk about politics like that. It nags at me.

I've no idea whether this is how politicians actually talk but I bought it in the scene where Zoe is talking to Kevin Spacey, because while it may not be how people talk to politicans in general she's a gauche young reporter brazenly trying her luck and in way over her head.

I enjoyed the first episode, never seen the original, but I'm curious to see how it develops. Spacey is good I think.

They would probably call it Education Reform irl, but yeah that is how they talk about big initiatives

the original was cool but got really stupid eventually.

When Spacey starts sparring w/ the Union guy it gets a bit silly

i've started watching the original now

the first series is everything trace says it is but the second so far seems more like a gleeful alien vs predator style matchup between richardson and an (amazingly thinly-veiled portrayal of!) prince charles, that meddling do-gooder. v entertaining

isnt it weird how michael kitchen kinda literally is the british michael keaton

also cool how this series is all coming up now as richard iii himself is being dug up

forgot about this, in the original, which i see i mentioned upthread:

god the irish bloke in this...prob the worst paddy stereotype i've ever seen in a drama, not least cos it appears to be a genuine attempt at crafting a character. also...tories in the 80s, would they REALLY have an Irish press officer? like how many years after hunger strikes and shit? can't believe they'd want an Irish guy or an Irish person would want to work for them.

his name is Roger O'Neill and they mention him playing rugby a lot so is he meant to be protestant or something? V confused as a character, or second gen Irish?

ha i forgot about that character, hes totally cartoonish

http://ellenandjim.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/roger_visits_urquhart.jpg

wow. he's irish?

he has a worse accent that spacey

good call on damages. this fits into the same sort of niche, except maybe with less suspense, since its basically all from patty's pov.

Really enjoyd the British tv version, bought the trilogy as a book but it's just sat at the end of my bed for 2 years plus.
That ageing tory guy really is machiavellian ain't he?

good call on damages. this fits into the same sort of niche, except maybe with less suspense, since its basically all from patty's pov.

Haha I was about to say that no one mentioned Damages, and then I remembered my drunk post. Even apart from the character similarities, the opening titles are *very* Damages: the prestigious-looking typeface (Trajan?), clouds moving over the skyline in time-lapse, quick shots of busy city streets, lingering shots of hallowed stone statues, everything turning from dusk into night.

I'm going to start watching this back-to-back with episodes of The West Wing

miss the damages theme song something serious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IsrqKMFdEE

blimey this was a shock

omg

both maria and i were reminded of ayn rand watching the 2nd episode of this last night. kill all the losers! haha! the non-profit loser lady. let her work at walmart! the old lady in the coffee place who can't even work a cash register. what a loser! old reporter hag at the newspaper. step aside, loser! they really make you root for the strong sharks.

You thought it was making you root for Spacey's wife over the office manager she was firing? Seriously?

Sorry, trying to make you root for her, I should have said.

I mean I get that you are meant to root for Spacey's character. His wife, I'm not so sure. That may be bad casting/writing or it may that the charity storyline doesn't seem to fit anywhere yet.

Whether you're meant to root for him or not, Spacey's character is def an anti-hero.

I'm ten episodes in and I think it's gone from 'compulsively watchable' to 'actually quite smart', at least character-wise. Agree that some of the political manoeuvring is a bit silly.

the non-profit loser lady. let her work at walmart! the old lady in the coffee place who can't even work a cash register. what a loser! old reporter hag at the newspaper. step aside, loser! they really make you root for the strong sharks.

I thought the cash register scene was to show ex-Mrs. Penn having a pang of conscience about throwing her old employee back out into the job market where she'd have to be schooled by 18 year olds.

My BF and I had a debate about this scene, I also thought it was a moment of remorse, he thinks it was more confirmation about getting rid of the old, and getting younger people in, hence the younger women fixing the issue. Who knows?

I could see the second reading only if the younger employee had come out and fired the old one

they keep playing with the idea of whether or not the wife is as evil as Spacey-- especially w/ the hospital bed scene

Can we talk about the ending in this thread?

maybe in another week

I thought the cash register scene was to show ex-Mrs. Penn having a pang of conscience about throwing her old employee back out into the job market where she'd have to be schooled by 18 year olds.

Either that or we as viewers were supposed to have a pang of conscience and it was showing Mrs P not to give a shit. But you could read it either way right now.

Given the general direction her character has gone, I think we can assume it's the pang of conscience.

I'm only two episodes in. Gah this format makes online discussion impossible.

"You thought it was making you root for Spacey's wife over the office manager she was firing? Seriously?"

totally. she was a loser. and a whiner. and i KNEW mrs. spacey was gonna have her fire everyone and then fire her. i thought that was funny. old charity worker. old political newspaper writer woman. i don't mind the dog eat dog thing on t.v. they made those characters really unsympathetic. well, especially after the newspaper woman called the young one twitter twat and metro hack.

lady in the coffee place was a loser too. i'm just getting into the spirit of the show. still think spacey should have broke crazy homeless guy's neck though while he was cuffed to the pole.

most unreal scene to me so far the early a.m. b-b-q visit. for some reason. he would have his ribs delivered.

He wants them fresh

I thought the lady in the coffee place reminded Mrs. Spacey why she must be hypervigilant at all times not to decline at all.

YES!

with the sad charity lady i wanted to say to her lady that's right you are 59 years old and you should have kept your head down and done what that bitch told you to do. you better recognize...

Old charity lady, why do you hate african children?

i mean how would you like to work with that sad lump for 10 years? 10 years you'll never get back!

its possible she just so closely resembles an actual person i would hate to work with or for that i became gleeful when she got whacked.

I still haven't finished ep 1 of this, but a big - maybe principal - pleasure of the OG series was seeing suckers getting served, even if - or because? - it wasn't fair.

well there ya go

Definitely read the Starbucks scene as a pang conscience.

Robin Wright is so fucking blank, though. I can't tell if it's great or terrible acting, whether her character is a complete sociopath, etc.
I suspect she might end up the most interesting character.

I found that Starbucks scene heartbreaking, personally.

you would, loser.

hahaha, kidding. this show has me going.

Wright was terrific on Enlightened S1 as the sociopathic hippie frenemy

Scott - probably because you've got your own shop and you're your own boss, you've forgotten what a nightmare it would be to work with people like Zoe Barnes.

i remember. that's why i have my own shop.

Finished! I recommend.

For those wondering, Allen Coulter directs the last two.