The new Netflix series "House of Cards debuted on Netflix today. I've seen the first couple of episodes and it is really interesting and entertaining, especially if you like political stories. It stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara and a strong group of supporting characters.
The story revolves around a long time congressman, Spacey, who is disgruntled after being passed by for the Secretary of State position in the newly elected presidents cabinet. It feels like one of those good HBO dramas. Lots of characters, good storyline and supporting storylines, strong production values, and an intriguing setting. This is an American version of a very good British TV series.
There are 13 episodes for this first season and they are all available now via Watch Instantly.
Reviews
The L.A. Times calls it "deliciously spiteful":
Spacey's Frank is more unapologetically brutal than his British progenitor, but executive producer and writer Beau Willimon wisely makes him just as canny and literate, giving the actor deliciously baroque monologues that capture, in cadence and poetry, the seething fury of an ambitious man who has too long done the bidding of others.
The show's view of government may be off-puttingly jaundiced, but it's impossible not to root for Frank. In this age of downsizing and infrastructure change, who hasn't fantasized about devastating professional revenge?
All this does make it difficult for anyone to share a scene with Spacey without getting snacked upon. Fortunately, his wife, Claire, is played by Wright, who is clearly capable of facing down a Shakespeare Festival's worth of ravening kings and hissing schemers. The calculating political wife has become such a trope that she practically has her own Bratz doll, but Claire is a whole new sort of creature.
The New York Times also thinks it is "delicious":
“House of Cards,” however, is probably seen best one episode at a time. It’s a delicious immorality play with an excellent cast, but the tempo is slow and oddly ponderous — a romp slowed down to a dirge.
Mr. Spacey is always compelling and perhaps to his credit he doesn’t ham it up the way he did in “Richard III” or the way Mr. Richardson did in the BBC version. There is nothing playful or campy in his villainy. Francis stares into the camera with a deep, depressed anger that fuels his sneering cynicism.
Series Preview
Here's the series preview: