House of Cards

I love spectacular TV-shows with amazing production values like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, but I have to say: although House of Cards has little interest in jaw-dropping images or gruesome make-up effects, it delivers just as many dark thrills to keep you glued to your seat as the action-heavy flagships of HBO and AMC. It's a testament to the writers', directors' and actors' talents that a show which mostly consists of people talking is as much a prime candidate for binge- watching as the shows I've mentioned before, so for those of you who haven't started watching it yet, be warned: House of Cards is highly addictive.

The show is based on the acclaimed BBC mini-series of the same name from 1990, but while the original show focused on the inner workings of British politics, the remake is entirely US based and concentrates on the rise of power-hungry congressman Francis Underwood who is played by Kevin Spacey. On the surface, the show might appear to be a political drama - which it certainly is - but it's also so much more than that. House of Cards combines a vast number of genres; it's a thriller, a love story, a black comedy and a satire - and a very interesting lesson in US politics, which, given creator Beau Willimon's profound knowledge on the subject (he used to work as a campaign aid for Hillary Clinton, Bill Bradley and Howard Dean), is probably a lot more accurate than what we would like to believe.

It's also worth mentioning that House of Cards was heavily inspired by certain works of William Shakespeare. The character of Francis Underwood is a combination of Richard III and Macbeth, and in true Shakespeare manner, he often addresses the audience directly to inform us of his evil schemes. As in the bard's two famous plays, the villain is also the protagonist and - to a certain degree - the person you root for. And what makes him so much fun and so compelling to watch here, is - regardless what you think of him as a person - Kevin Spacey's performance. Spacey's portrayal of a charming but deadly predator is simply perfect; despite the character's obvious willingness to go to extreme lengths to get what he wants, Spacey always keeps him believable and avoids the temptation of making him appear like a caricature or as over-the-top as Richard III in the play. But many of his co-stars are just as impressive; some of them actually downright outshine the famous oscar-winner, and especially Robin Wright gives an amazing performance as Underwood's equally ambitious wife and partner in crime (yes, season 6 is a let-down, especially the final episode, but that's not Wright's fault).

To sum up my overall impressions: Under the guidance of David Fincher (who serves as an executive producer on the show and also directed the first couple of episodes), Beau Willimon has developed one of the smartest and most entertaining TV-shows - with one of the most impressive casts - contemporary television has to offer. Seasons 1-5 are highly recommended.

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No way around it, Season 6 was awful ...in every respect that the first few seasons excelled this fseason 6 failed.. Preposterous and confusing storylines, awful script, poor directing, the episodes had a soap opera like energy, as the saga provided empty thrills, and culminated in the most bizarre and ridiculous finale I've ever witnessed on television.... The first few seasons were great and deserved the highest of ratings; unfortunately Season 6 was a complete waste of time.

The moment I heard they are gonna drop Kevin Spacey, I knew season 6 is going to lose its soul & suck hard... But they re-defined sucking in season 6... Although it started even before that announcement when Claire Underwood broke the 4th wall and stole the intimacy between the audience and Frank Underwood... Yeah that was when all the charm and anticipation went out of the window for the next season... This sets a new precedence where a stark contrast between season 1 & season 6 shows the greatness and ridiculousness of a good show exhibiting itself... The ones who made the the decisions to completely ruin the legacy should be ashamed & retire... I would love to give this show 1/10 because of season 6 but I am keeping my original rating intact for all the goodness of previous seasons... PATHETIC...

I enjoyed every bit of HOC 1-5.. Both the lead actors and the supporting cast were excellent.. Season 6 is Dull as Ditchwater.. A painful watch.. If they did this so that the hundreds of workers on the show wouldn't lose their jobs that's sad.. The show which IMHO was the shining star of the Netflix stable has crashed and burned.. Robin Wright is a great actress but without Kevin Spacey, her acting is insipid and boring to say the least.. For HOC fans, stay with the happy memories of Seasons 1-5.this leaves a bitter aftertaste

'House of Cards' much of the time was one of the most compelling shows. Sadly, it has also become one of the most frustrating. Not since 'Once Upon a Time' and 'The Walking Dead', and before that 'Lost' has such a brilliant show of great promise declined so rapidly.

Lets start with the many great things first. For the first four seasons, 'House of Cards' was seriously addictive, must-watch television and very quickly became one of my favourite shows. Throughout its run, it's one of the most stylish and most atmospheric shows personally seen, with cinematic-quality photography and production design. The direction was smart and intelligent, especially the first two episodes with David Fincher's, to me one of the better directors of the last twenty five or so years, involvement (the first episode earning Fincher a Primetime Emmy) and the music knew when to have presence and when to tone things down to let the dialogue and characters properly speak.

Also smart is the writing. Biting, thought-provoking and tightly structured, the writing in Seasons 1 to 4 was an example to all television. The political elements were intriguing and not heavy-handed, a problem so common in film but avoided in 'House of Cards'. The stories didn't go at a "fast" pace but it never dragged in the show's prime days, and they were also very layered, had variety and were suitably complex without being convoluted.

The characters engaged and intrigued, Frank being another example of one of contemporary television's most fascinating lead characters. 'House of Cards' throughout has been so strongly acted, with Kevin Spacey on tour-De-force form and Robin Wright giving career-best work.

So it just feels incredibly frustrating that a show of such brilliance in its prime declined so rapidly in Season 5, to the extent that it feels like a completely different show altogether. The production values and acting have remained top notch, but even they can't save the show being the complete anti-thesis of what it used to be.

Pace became incredibly draggy, thanks to flabby writing, simplistic characterisation that is suggestive of the writers not knowing what to do to progress the characters and stories that have become repetitive, both devoid of complexity and confused, ridiculous and like the writers have run out of ideas.

It to me was no surprise when it was announced that Season 6 would be 'House of Cards' last season, but it is somewhat saddening that production has now been suspended/cancelled following the Kevin Spacey sexual assault allegations that have now cost Spacey his future on the show (and done serious damage to his career). Season 5 cried out for another season, so that the show has ended on an incomplete note because of the controversy is a real pity, despite Season 5 being such a disappointment 'House of Cards' as an overall show deserves better than that.

Overall, brilliant for the first four seasons but Season 5 was so disappointing, enough to bring down the rating considerably. 7/10 Bethany Cox