House of Cards

'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

Claire's character is being portrayed as an important figure from the beginning of the show. But the writers couldn't do it. Claire is the most empty and predictable character in the show. After the fourth season, Kevin Spacey was the only reason I watched it. Now, there's no Kevin Spacey so there's no point in watching it.

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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Lesser-Known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

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Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Worth watching for the performance of Kevin Spacey and the dynamics between him and Robin Wright. Very good stories overall, you do not even have to like or know politics. But please do not watch s6 it's not even worth daytime tv.

There should be a petition to reshoot s06 now Spacey has been cleared of any wrongdoing. The 6th season was already written with Sir Spacey as the main character. Netflix owes all the fans of this show some closure. I have refused to watch the 6th season for years now, waiting for the real life trial. One of the greatest actor in history was outcasted without a trail. Now 6 years, 2 presidents and a couple of wars later the fans deserve some closure. How many Netflix subscriptions were bought because of house of cards? Spacey was not the first and will not be the last victim of Netflix their cancel culture, it is time to right a wrong!