Review: “House Of Cards”, Season 2

I’ve watched both seasons of Netflix’s drama “House of Cards”.

PROS:  Well-written, generally-tautly-paced, intricately-plotted, it rewards the viewer with an attention span.  It’s superbly-acted by a stellar cast of excellent actors and Robin Wright.

CONS:  It asks the viewer for one absolutely implausible suspension of dispbelief; the idea that a DC newspaper would energetically investigate a Democrat for corruption.  (Bonus suspension – that the Chinese would sneak money to Republicans, and that the Dems would buck the teachers’ union and demand entitlement reform).

RATING:  Four “Shots In The Dark”.

3 thoughts on “Review: “House Of Cards”, Season 2

  1. Liked it but it suffers from the same conceit of the West Wing. Namely that only “progressives” can be acting from any sort of pure motives and any who stand in their way are rendered helpless by the sheer power of their awesomeness. Also apparently in the world of House of Cards:

    The Senate can pass a motion to arrest other members of the Senate without a quorum.

    The Vice President can take control of the Senate when his party is in the minority.

    No one in the Senate would have any qualms about allowing the Vice President to set the precedent of
    dragging members of the Senate onto the floor in handcuffs as a parliamentary move.

    The President can direct the Federal Reserve take action based on whether the unemployment rate changes by two tenths of a percent.

    Congress can forbid future Congresses from revisiting an issue in fifteen years.

    Democrats would ever vote to impeach a President of their own party.

    An outgoing President (who might need a future pardon) would hand over leverage that could be used against his successor.

    Rachael Maddow and Sean Hannity are considered serious journalists.

  2. Thorley,

    I was more concerned with the whole Kate Mara thing.

    But yep, all of your stuff, too!

  3. Like West Wing, House of Cards turns the federal government into a fetish. It’s like watching a show on the food network where the chefs randomly poison people.

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