Kevin Spacey
Robin Wright
Kate Mara
Corey Stoll
Michael Kelly
Sakina Jaffrey
Kristen Connolly
Michel Gill
Mahershala Ali
Rachel Brosnahan

Created by:
Beau Willimon

2013-
Drama
Netflix
TV-MA

(After watching the first four episodes of the second season)

“House of Cards” is the political thriller that put Netflix on the map in regards to original programming. It helped Netflix (along with “Hemlock Grove” and the fourth season of “Arrested Development”) to score the first Emmy nominations ever for an original online-only web TV provider. It also won three Emmys in 2013, including, as its standout win, Outstanding Directing of a TV Series for David Fincher. In addition, Robin Wright won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 2014, which was Netflix’s first major acting award and the first time that a Golden Globe went to an actor from an online-only web TV series. …

“House of Cards” has Fincher’s fingerprints all over it. He directed its first two episodes; and, as with all TV pilots, that direction set the tone for the style and pace of the entire series. It’s dark, moody stuff. And the pacing’s just right: not too fast, not too slow, and never dull. Fincher, who’s also the main executive producer of this show, has directed “Seven,” “The Game,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” “The Social Network,” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” among others; this show fits right in with those films.

Francis (Frank) Underwood, who’s the Democratic House Majority Whip at the start of the series, and his wife Claire, played by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright respectively, anchor this show. They are the epitome of a D.C. power couple that will stop at nothing to achieve its goals. This is a calculated partnership that actually satisfies each of its members. In that regard, it comes close to how the Clintons are portrayed in the media, though Frank and Claire aren’t exactly like the Clintons as personalities. Furthermore, Frank’s and Claire’s enemies always get what’s coming to them eventually: There are plenty of casualties of war.

The first season of “House of Cards” sets up the cagey, cynical, suspenseful world of the show with depth. It certainly makes a strong, cohesive statement. In the second season, however, things don’t start as potently; but during the fourth episode, when Claire reveals a bombshell in an interview, things start to gel again. The first three episodes of the second season are mostly there to provide a buildup to that moment, though another major event happens during those episodes, as well. (I won’t say what that moment is; that would give too much away.)

“House of Cards” is superb because of three things: its first director, its creator, and its stars. Beau Willimon is the creator-writer-producer of this show, and he worked in politics (for Hillary Clinton among others) before becoming a writer. He also co-wrote the screenplay for “The Ides of March” based on his play, “Farragut North,” and he’s responsible for translating this show from its source, a British show with the same name.

While Fincher and Willimon provide essential contributions to this show, Spacey (also one of the producers) and Wright make it work. They are perfectly cast and deliver performances that work as two sides of the same coin. They seem like a real D.C. political power couple in every way. While Spacey gets top-billing, rightly so, Wright is the true revelation here. She’s the guts of the show: Her performance has fire and ice underneath a smooth facade of intelligence and restraint, and it embodies the show as a whole – it’s like fine wine. Spacey is the viewers’ guide inside D.C. political power ball. One hallmark of this show, copied from the original British show, is Spacey’s straight-to-camera delivery of his lines. He’s as sharp as a tack underneath his Southern mannerisms. He’s the show’s ferocious brain; it doesn’t have a heart. …

The second season, just like the first, is a deliberately planned and deliberately paced crescendo. I hope the creative team of “House of Cards” will make that the template for every season to come.

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: houseofcards)

A ruthless politician will stop at nothing to conquer Washington, D.C., in this Emmy and Golden Globe-winning political drama.