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O/T - House of Cards - any good?







deletebeepbeepbeep

Well-known member
May 12, 2009
21,802
Absolutely love House of Cards. The set up for Season 3 (which starts soon) is unbelievably good. I have it up there with some of the best TV ever made.

OITNB is a lot of fun as well.

Good to hear there is another Season to come, assume it had reached its natural ending point at the end of Season 2.
 




Badger

NOT the Honey Badger
NSC Patron
May 8, 2007
13,108
Toronto
House of Cards "season" 1 - Brilliant
House of Cards "season" 2 - Meh, didn't think much of it (although I guess I had high expectations)
 






deletebeepbeepbeep

Well-known member
May 12, 2009
21,802
Anyone care to give a brief rundown of what both plotlines are?

Without ruining the whole thing, n the America HoC Spacey is a adviser to the incumbent President but gets snubbed for the role of Secretary of State, the plot is basically Spacey being a bad ass with no scruples and undermining the President to meet his own ends.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Anyone care to give a brief rundown of what both plotlines are?
and Orange is a fairly bog standard 'fish out of water' prison story.
But the writing and cast are both excellent.

Each characters back story gets told in flashbacks, while the day to day drama plays out.

If none of that appeals, there are some boobies, with a fabulous pair appearing when one backstory heads to Germany.
 


Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,761
Buxted Harbour
Watch the first episode and see what you think.

Had heard good things about it so did that.......didn't think much of it to be honest so never went back. However.......

It only takes off from the second episode so you should watch that one as well before judging.

I will do that (maybe even tonight is the Spuds game is pony). I nearly gave up on Breaking Bad half way through the second season and it was only people telling me to stick it out on here that I did.

OITNB is very watchable. Fantastic endings to both seasons so far, not quite Breaking Bad-esq cliff hangers but a lot left open to keep you wanting more. The character development is fantastic too.
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,464
Hove
House of Cards "season" 1 - Brilliant
House of Cards "season" 2 - Meh, didn't think much of it (although I guess I had high expectations)

It got a bit far fetched in S2 for me. It stretched the imagination in S1, it broke mine in S2. Still really enjoyed it though, but that may also have been because of my infatuation with Robin Wright!
 


Monsieur Le Plonk

Lethargy in motion
Apr 22, 2009
1,862
By a lake
I'm just a few episodes in to my House of Cards journey. It's good but I'm not completely sold on it. Problem is I finally got round to watching what has to be one of the finest things on television - True Detective so I guess I have been spoilt.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
HOC is fantastic. One of the few times a US imitation of a UK show ends up being better than the original.

Not sure about that: they're very different but I wouldn't say one was better than the other. The British HoC is less dark, there are some quite funny lines in it. The American one focuses a bit less on the main character and goes into more detail about the politics.

The British HoC was excellent for two series then totally lost its way: hope the American one doesn't follow suit
 




matski_98

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2012
531
Both are good for different reasons and worth a watch.

I'm also working my way through the US version of The Killing which is good if you like your detective dramas (although not as good as the Danish version).
 


spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
I'm just a few episodes in to my House of Cards journey. It's good but I'm not completely sold on it. Problem is I finally got round to watching what has to be one of the finest things on television - True Detective so I guess I have been spoilt.

Keep going, it is a bit of a slow starter. The characters need a bit of time to show their colours and the relationships are a little difficult at first (or at least they were for me.)

Agreed with True Detective - it was an awesome bit of television.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Not sure about that: they're very different but I wouldn't say one was better than the other. The British HoC is less dark, there are some quite funny lines in it. The American one focuses a bit less on the main character and goes into more detail about the politics.

The British HoC was excellent for two series then totally lost its way: hope the American one doesn't follow suit
Although there is more politics going on, the US version is very much Spacey + cast.

If you go with his performance then it can't fail to be one of the best shows going.
If your not on board with KS 100%, I imagine the show wouldn't float your boat.

Where as Orange has another story and character just around the corner.

Both excellent, both different.
 




Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
Although there is more politics going on, the US version is very much Spacey + cast.

Totally disagree. In the British HoC, it's all about the Ian Richardson character: we hardly see the journalist away from FU, the wife has no life outside but in the US version there are all sorts of sub-plots going on: the wife's charity and the funding issues, the unfair dismissal case; the sexual harrassment and her affair with the photographer. There's Stamper's dealings with the prostitute and so on: there are long periods where Spacey is off the screen. In the British version, there's scarcely five minutes without Richardson.

They're very different but the UK one is far, far more about the main character while the US one is about politics in general
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Totally disagree. In the British HoC, it's all about the Ian Richardson character: we hardly see the journalist away from FU, the wife has no life outside but in the US version there are all sorts of sub-plots going on: the wife's charity and the funding issues, the unfair dismissal case; the sexual harrassment and her affair with the photographer. There's Stamper's dealings with the prostitute and so on: there are long periods where Spacey is off the screen. In the British version, there's scarcely five minutes without Richardson.

They're very different but the UK one is far, far more about the main character while the US one is about politics in general
Oh I wasn't comparing US and UK.
I don't remember the UK version well enough to do that.

I just don't think the politicking holds up without Spacey, it's no West Wing.
It's very much the Spacey show, which I mean as a compliment, because he is fantastic.

But that contrasts completely with Orange where is you don't like the character currently on screen, it's not a problem as a good one will be along soon.
 


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