House of Cards Continuous Blog

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm slowly making my way through Netflix's House of Cards. Netflix released all thirteen episodes in one day, which essentially means they want us to devour House of Cards as quickly as possible. When diving into a show and taking it all in at once, nuances in pace, detail, writing, and performance become so much more clear and appreciated than watching week to week. Normally when I marathon a show, it means I'm either playing catch-up as I have not yet seen the season/series, or I'm rewatching a show I very much admire. In either case, it means wanting to present my opinions as the story unfolds seems untimely, repetitive  and ultimately frivolous. But given that House of Cards is brand new and presented in such a way as to encourage binge-watching, I'm taking the opportunity to simply post my observations as I make my way through the season chapter by chapter.

Click through for some of those stray observations:

House of Cards

House of Cards, Netflix's stab at original television, "premiered" at midnight on February 1st. Netflix released the entire season, all thirteen episodes, at once allowing for the type of marathon viewing today's TV audiences have grown used to.

The show is based on a book, and a BBC series of the same name, but adapted to US audiences and situations. It stars Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, the House Majority Whip, a democrat hungry for power and all too willing to get his hands dirty. As someone personally interested in politics, this is already something I am interested in. But the names attached to this show have me really hoping for quality programming with powerful performances and a cinematic flair. These are actual movie stars and directors working on this thing, so excuse me if my expectations are higher than normal.

Thus far I have only watched the pilot episode. But I figured it might be a fun project to update with my thoughts and first impressions as I make my way through the show. It also works to essentially outline a final post on my feelings of the overall season (two birds!). Keep in mind that I have neither read the book nor am I familiar with the BBC series. So that being said, lets get to it shall we?

Episode One:

• Directed by David Fincher, the episode has his cinematic style all over it. As a pretty big fan of Fincher's work in film, I'm looking forward to an entire television series shaped around his tone, mood, and vision.
• I am loving the cast and the on screen chemistry between many of the actors, particularly Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. The power dynamic of this married couple might be the strongest thing about the pilot episode. 
• This is neither good nor bad, but the episode felt very much like a play. Francis Underwood breaking the fourth wall and regularly addressing the camera provides much needed exposition--and Kevin Spacey, with his character's southern accent, pulls you right in. But a lot of it feels like soliloquy or asides to the audience as the story progresses and I'm worried it might get grating, unnecessary, or excessive. But so far, I'm enjoying this creative decision as I think its adding dimension to Kevin Spacey's performance and character.
• The dialogue as well feels almost play-like. The rhythm at least feels very distinct and different than any other show.
• I keep getting flashes of Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo whenever Kate Mara is on screen, especially when she's hovering over a computer. It's actually sort of fascinating to compare her performance with her sister, Rooney Mara's, under the same director. I realize the characters are quite different, but so far I find their strength, isolation, bluntness, and ingenuity easily comparable. 
• Clearly the pilot episode is setting up the story, giving us the lay of the land and the foundation on which we can start building. We're still placing cards and working on a strong base, but I'm already looking forward to seeing the house teeter above us. I can't wait for the tense moments where I have to hold my breath as we wait for the house to either hold itself together or collapse gloriously in the blink of an eye. (At the very least, I hope the collapse thrills me as much as the end of an online game of solitaire). 

If you wish to continue following along with me, I will be blogging the rest of the season in a separate post here.