House of Cards (Netflix)

[dkfan9]

Quick question for those of you who've seen the last few episodes:

Spoiler: show

Does Claire know Frank killed Russo? I know they issued that statement to the press together the morning after he died, and I know Claire said she sees him (or his children) in dreams that keep her awake at night, but is she aware it was Frank who physically killed him? Or does she just think he orchestrated his downfall and exacerbated his suicidal leanings? I may have missed this.

Spoiler: show

there's no explicit indication either way, at least that i noticed. i don't think she knows, but i could be wrong. i think it's pretty clear doug knows.

[dkfan9]

Spoiler: show

wow those last couple of episodes really ramped things up! Poor Russo.

Spoiler: show

aside from his death, i wonder how bad to feel for him--he did it all to himself. though he was robbed of his chance at redemption i guess

[dkfan9]

Finished it up last night.

Good show, a bit predictable at times, but I'm looking forward to next season.

I really like the fact that they just put the entire series out, instead of weekly episodes.

agreed on the predictability.

Spoiler: show

i was having trouble imagining any scenario where Russo didn't die

[nyquillyn]

Yeah, episode 8 was both unexpected and extremely enjoyable.

I really like the relationship between Frank and Claire and think it's a glimpse into how some marriages work. In many ways this is how I always imagined Hillary and Bill's marriage. And that's not to say the bond/connection they have is any less valid than a monogamous one. I couldn't live that way, but find it fascinating.

[Norah]

Just watched the first episode and loved it.

[Charlie]

In my fucking queue. After hell on wheels.

[WtOB?]

Downloading this now because it sounds fucking good.

[vegman]

Watched the whole season while I was sick in bed. I really enjoyed Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright and thought that their relationship was the most interesting part of the show. Definitely looking forward to season 2.

[Norah]

Woah, didn't expect that in episode 8.

[dkfan9]

Woah, didn't expect that in episode 8.

yeah that was a good one

[Norah]

Holy shit, episode 11.

[Norah]

I like this show quite a bit but it's far from perfect. The writing is ok but not nearly as good as the acting and cinematography.

Here are some problems I've had:

Spoiler: show

A lot of what happens is pretty ridiculous, especially when it comes to Zoe and the portrayal of the media in general. The way she knows what's going to be the next Politico, the way she refers to Ariana Huffington as "Ariana" like they're best friends or some shit. The way she did that TV interview and through her newsroom under the bus and was able to play the "I don't know the rules of how you treat your fellow journalists" card.

Then there's the whole portrayal of new vs traditional media. Whoever is writing that simply doesn't get it. The way Tom the editor sees social media as a "trend" and nothing more, and doesn't see any way to integrate traditional journalistic processes with new avenues of distribution. It came off as incredibly out of touch for a show set in 2013. By now the newspapers get it. It may be too late but they certainly get that the Internet is sticking around and has changed the game.

But the biggest thing I had a problem with was Frank killing Peter. It came out of nowhere, took his character to a place completely out of left field, and served no real purpose. Frank is an evil politician, but this show is about politics not killers. And Peter didn't need to die. I would much rather have Frank's unraveling come from covering up his political maneuvering, and not hiding from a murder. It just didn't make much sense. And now that I've thought about it, I feel liek the killing the dog scene in the first episode was added in after the fact to give more credence to Frank as a human killer.

[Norah]

Quick question for those of you who've seen the last few episodes:

Spoiler: show

Does Claire know Frank killed Russo? I know they issued that statement to the press together the morning after he died, and I know Claire said she sees him (or his children) in dreams that keep her awake at night, but is she aware it was Frank who physically killed him? Or does she just think he orchestrated his downfall and exacerbated his suicidal leanings? I may have missed this.

I don't think anyone knows except for maybe Doug.

[Charlie]

Love it. One episode a night for two weeks. Any word on season 2?

[nyquillyn]

Love it. One episode a night for two weeks. Any word on season 2?

Various stories say production is likely to start soon (as in sometime in March) and David Fincher's involvement in the series will be minimal at best, which isn't really that surprising to me.

[EJ]

I finished up this show this past weekend. Really enjoyed it and glad they're doing another season.

[Jorge]

Has anyone seen the original show?

[nyquillyn]

I worry that I don't know the British political system well enough to really "get" the original version.

[simple schoolboy]

I worry that I don't know the British political system well enough to really "get" the original version.

One of the few things I know about the differences between their system and ours:
Their legislators get to publicly question the executive on a weekly basis. I imagine it makes fillibusters less useful. (If the bylaws even allowed them)

[@SkitchP]

Watched the first 2 episodes of this last night and really enjoyed it.